Freeing Finch

(Paperback)

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Description

When her father leaves and her mother passes away soon afterward, Finch can't help feeling abandoned. Now she's stuck living with her stepfather and his new wife. They're mostly nice, but they don't believe the one true thing Finch knows about herself: that she's a girl, even though she was assigned male at birth. Thankfully, she has Maddy, a neighbor and animal rescuer who accepts her for who she is. Finch helps Maddy care for a menagerie of lost and lonely creatures, including a scared, stray dog who needs a family and home as much as she does. As she earns the dog's trust, Finch realizes she must also learn to trust the people in her life-even if they are the last people she expected to love her and help her to be true to herself.

Reviews

"Note to readers: get tissues ready--there couldn't have been more tears!"--Terry Hong, Booklist Reader

"No matter their gender identity, young readers will identify with Finch's struggle to find the relationships she needs to heal her grief and to be who she knows she is in a sometimes scary world. Finch discovers, in her struggle to find the support she needs after her loving mother dies, that forcing the connections we think we need can make us miss the special ones we already have. Finch's story is The Higher Power of Lucky meets Shiloh."--Tim Capehart, children's librarian and head of youth services at Dayton Metro Library, author of Shadowangel and Summer Stranger than Fiction, and two-time Newbery Medal selection committee member

PRAISE FOR HURT GO HAPPY:

"This has the potential to be a classic animal story with wide appeal. It is a heartbreaker.... Rorby successfully gets to the core of a moving animal-human relationship."--KLIATT, starred review 4Q, 3P, M, J

"This unusual and emotional story will intrigue animal lovers and those looking for a gripping family drama. It is a thought-provoking addition for school and public library collections." --VOYA

"The writing shines when Rorby focuses on what is her true passion: Sukari and the fate of chimpanzees like her." --School Library Journal

Author Bio

GINNY RORBY is the author of many award-winning books for young readers, including Hurt Go Happy, Dolphin Sky, Lost in a River of Grass, and most recently, How to Speak Dolphin. She holds an undergraduate degree in biology from the University of Miami and an MFA in creative writing from Florida International University. She now lives in Fort Bragg, California, with several animal companions. Her goal is to write books that connect children to the natural world.