Birdsong
By (Author) Katya Balen
Illustrated by Richard Johnson
HarperCollins Publishers
Barrington Stoke Ltd
30th August 2022
7th July 2022
United Kingdom
Children
Fiction
Childrens / Teenage fiction: Friendship stories
Childrens / Teenage personal and social topics: Mental health
Childrens / Teenage fiction: Family and home stories
Childrens / Teenage general interest: Music and musicians
Childrens / Teenage emotions: Loneliness, isolation
Childrens / Teenage general interest: Birds
Childrens / Teenage personal and social topics: Friends and friendships
823.92
Short-listed for Tees Valley Education Book Award 2023
Paperback
104
Width 130mm, Height 198mm, Spine 7mm
180g
After a devastating car crash, Annie is unable to play her flute and retreats from the music she's always loved.
She exists in a world of angry silence - furious with her mum and furious she can't seem to play her beloved flute any more.
Then she meets Noah, who shows her the blackbirds' nest hidden in the scrubland near their flats. As their friendship grows, the blackbird's glorious song reignites Anna's passion for music. But when tragedy strikes again, will her fragile progress be put at risk
"Word perfect. Note perfect" -- Phil Earle
"Made me cry ... Beautiful" -- Jackie Morris
"In the same way a great piece of music or an especially stirring sequence in film can overwhelm you,Birdsongfills you to the brim and threatens to spill over ... Utterly singular and a triumph" -- Just Imagine
"A perfectly structured novella" -- Waterstones
"This is a book to dwell in, letting the story wash over you and settle your soul ... Katya Balen and Barrington Stoke is a wonderful combination" -- Kate Heap, Scope for the Imagination
Katya Balen is a rising star in children's publishing in the UK. Her first book,The Space We're In, was longlisted for the Carnegie Medal and shortlisted for the Branford Boase Award, whileOctober, Octoberwas described by the Times as "a future wild classic".