Strange Birds: A Field Guide to Ruffling Feathers

 By Celia C. Pérez

*Age Range: 9 - 12 years

*Grade Level: 4 - 7

*Hardcover: 384 pages

*Publisher: Kokila (September 3, 2019)

*Language: English

*ISBN-10: 0425290433

*ISBN-13: 978-0425290439

                       

From the award-winning author of The First Rule of Punk comes the story of four kids who form an alternative Scout troop that shakes up their sleepy Florida town.

When three very different girls find a mysterious invitation to a lavish mansion, the promise of adventure and mischief is too intriguing to pass up.

Ofelia Castillo (a budding journalist), Aster Douglas (a bookish foodie), and Cat Garcia (a rule-abiding birdwatcher) meet the kid behind the invite, Lane DiSanti, and it isn't love at first sight. But they soon bond over a shared mission to get the Floras, their local Scouts, to ditch an outdated tradition. In their quest for justice, independence, and an unforgettable summer, the girls form their own troop and find something they didn't know they needed: sisterhood.

Review

"Writing with wry restraint that's reminiscent of Kate DiCamillo... a beautiful tale of the value of friendship against unconquerable odds." --Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

*"Four unique personalities form a crew with a mission in this engaging, well-plotted second novel from Peréz."

—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

*"A perfect title for school and public libraries seeking realistic books about friendship."

—School Library Journal (starred review)

*"Perfect for preteens becoming aware that friendships can be complicated, and that the world is more so."

—The Horn Book (starred review)

"Thought-provoking, timely, and laugh-out-loud funny—Strange Birds explores friendship, community, and the role each of us plays in creating a better world."

—Aisha Saeed, New York Times bestselling author of Amal Unbound

  

“Strange Birds is an inspiring story about the power of truth, and of true friends.”

—Rebecca Stead, New York Times bestselling author of the Newbery Medal winner When You Reach Me


Celia C. Pérez is the author of The First Rule of Punk, a 2018 Pura Belpré Author Honor Book, a 2018 Tomás Rivera Mexican American Children's Book Award Winner, and a 2018 Boston Globe-Horn Book Fiction and Poetry Honor Book. She lives in Chicago with her family where, in addition to writing books about lovable weirdos and outsiders, she works as a librarian. She is originally from Miami, Florida, where roosters and peacocks really do wander the streets. Visit her at celiacperez.com.

Pura Belpré Award Ganadores 2018

From: http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/belpremedal

The award is named after Pura Belpré, the first Latina librarian at the New York Public Library. The Pura Belpré Award, established in 1996, is presented annually to a Latino/Latina writer and illustrator whose work best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in an outstanding work of literature for children and youth. It is co-sponsored by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), and REFORMA, the National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish-Speaking, an ALA affiliate. 

2018 Author Award Winner  

Lucky Broken Girl, by Ruth Behar. Published by Nancy Paulsen Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC

In Lucky Broken Girl, fifth-grader Ruthie Mizrahi, newly arrived to the United States from Cuba in the 1960’s, is confined to a full-body cast after a life-changing accident. Surrounded by her Cuban-Jewish family and a diverse group of neighbors, Ruthie finds strength and courage to heal and grow. The book was published byNancy Paulsen Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC.

“Ruth Behar draws from her childhood experience to tell a story that celebrates Latinx experience while affirming the resilience of children facing both universal and specific challenges,”said Pura Belpré Award Committee Chair Alicia K. Long.

2018 llustrator Award Winner

La Princesa and the Pea, illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal, written by Susan Middleton Elya, and published by G. P. Putnam’s Sons, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC

La Princesa and the Pea is a tale set amid guinea pigs, stone arches, and fuzzy indigenous Peruvian textiles. Juana Martinez-Neal’s mischievous characters play out the classic princess-and-the-pea tale—with a twist. Cultural elements inspired by the Peruvian village of Huilloc and the Colca Canyon add vibrancy and playfulness in Martinez-Neal’s acrylic and colored pencil illustrations.

“Martinez-Neal’s masterful character and setting design, along with her incorporation of Peruvian cultural elements, make this book exquisite and unmatched,” said Pura Belpré Award Committee Chair Alicia K. Long.

2018 Author Honor Books

The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora, by Pablo Cartaya. Published by Viking, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC 

In The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora, Arturo spends the summer working at his beloved Abuela’s Cuban restaurant in a Miami neighborhood. When Arturo learns of a greedy land developer’s plans to tear down the building, he enlists the help of his friends to save the restaurant. This humorous coming-of-age tale celebrates family, music and poetry, and embraces failure as a springboard to growth. 

The First Rule of Punk, by Celia C. Pérez. Published by Viking, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC 

12-year-old Malú O’Neill-Morales is biracial, Latinx, and punk. Tasked with being a “señorita,”she instead follows the first rule of punk: “Be Yourself.” Malú creates zines about her inner thoughts while navigating a new school where she’s not seen as Latinx enough, starting a punk band along the way. 

2018 Illustrator Honor Books

All Around Us, illustrated by Adriana M. Garcia, written by Xelena González, and published by Cinco Puntos Press 

The cycle of life is explored through the eyes of a grandfather and his granddaughter, in the Mestizo tradition. Vivid digital images use colorful contours and vibrant color to depict visible and invisible circles in everyday life.  

Frida Kahlo and Her Animalitos, illustrated by John Parra, written by Monica Brown, and published by NorthSouth Books, Inc., an imprint of NordSüd Verlag AG 

The connections between Frida Kahlo and her xoloitzcuintles, monkeys, turkeys, and other pets are palpable in John Parra’s warm, expressive acrylic illustrations. Details of Mexican folk art ground the story as facial and body expressions from Frida and animalitos reinforce their relationship, showing how Frida was comforted and inspired by her pets and how her personality was shaped by and reflected in them.