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The Birdcatcher
Nell Pestowsky takes risks. Like the night she jumped from a rooftop into a lake at a party — in nothing but her underwear. She wasn’t trying to cause trouble, but that jump set off an unstoppable chain of events, ending with her boyfriend, Toby, crashing his bicycle and fracturing his skull. Everyone is talking about Nell — and not in a good way.
But no one knows what happened right after Nell’s infamous jump. That’s when she met the Birdcatcher for the first time. Nell has blocked it from her mind.
Now, trying to put it all behind her, Nell is excited to be going camping with her friend Ida. With a backpack full of champagne and Nell’s adorable dog, Rocky, along for the trip, Nell and Ida are far, far away from everyone they know. They’re free . . . or at least they should be.
But Ida has a secret, one that could put the both of them at risk.
The Birdcatcher lurks. . . .
But no one knows what happened right after Nell’s infamous jump. That’s when she met the Birdcatcher for the first time. Nell has blocked it from her mind.
Now, trying to put it all behind her, Nell is excited to be going camping with her friend Ida. With a backpack full of champagne and Nell’s adorable dog, Rocky, along for the trip, Nell and Ida are far, far away from everyone they know. They’re free . . . or at least they should be.
But Ida has a secret, one that could put the both of them at risk.
The Birdcatcher lurks. . . .
- GenresYoung AdultFiction
Audio CD
First published June 1, 2009
4 people are currently reading
28 people want to read
About the author
Kristina Dunker
37 books9 followersKristina Dunker was born 1973 in Dortmund, Germany. At the age of 17 she published her first book. Since then, Kristina Dunker written several novels for children and young adults and received several awards and scholarships, including the young literary prize in the city Voerde. She is a freelance writer based in Castrop-Rauxel and holds regular lectures, discussions, and writing workshops for young people.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
May 15, 2013
Summary:
Nell and her friend Ida go on a camping trip together in a rather remote location with a lot of alcohol. It quickly becomes apparent that they have a stalker. The stalker is more than likely Ida's ex-boyfriend that isn't taking the break-up very well. Honestly, I think that I can't tell you anymore without it being a complete spoiler.
My thoughts:
This story is familiar. I've watched and read too many stories with this same plot line, but for some reason I keep going back. Even though I knew exactly what was going to happen, I still enjoyed a great deal of this story. It moves extremely quickly and Nell is a particularly strong character. Unfortunately, all of the other characters are fairly cliche or have no depth at all. If this was a movie script, perhaps the stock characters would be more understandable, but I'd like to have an emotional connection within a book. Ida is not that interesting and she is confusing. I'm not sure if this is a lost in translation thing, or if Ida is just a messy character. I found myself not liking her because I couldn't get into her motivation or explanation of anything. There is also an animal scene within the story that irritated me. That's a personal bias though.
Nell and her friend Ida go on a camping trip together in a rather remote location with a lot of alcohol. It quickly becomes apparent that they have a stalker. The stalker is more than likely Ida's ex-boyfriend that isn't taking the break-up very well. Honestly, I think that I can't tell you anymore without it being a complete spoiler.
My thoughts:
This story is familiar. I've watched and read too many stories with this same plot line, but for some reason I keep going back. Even though I knew exactly what was going to happen, I still enjoyed a great deal of this story. It moves extremely quickly and Nell is a particularly strong character. Unfortunately, all of the other characters are fairly cliche or have no depth at all. If this was a movie script, perhaps the stock characters would be more understandable, but I'd like to have an emotional connection within a book. Ida is not that interesting and she is confusing. I'm not sure if this is a lost in translation thing, or if Ida is just a messy character. I found myself not liking her because I couldn't get into her motivation or explanation of anything. There is also an animal scene within the story that irritated me. That's a personal bias though.
December 1, 2015
Was Toby in the car???
I hate not having a concrete answer.
It was an okay book. The ending wasn't very scary.
I hate not having a concrete answer.
It was an okay book. The ending wasn't very scary.
May 16, 2013
Nell may not have thought of herself as much of a rebel until she started dating her boyfriend, Toby. Toby just wanted everything to be quiet. While at a party, Nell jumps off the roof and into the water. This is when her life changed. Luckily for her she is not alone as she is joined by her friend, Ida.
Ida and Nell decide to go on a camping trip before the summer is over. Only Nell and Ida do not know what awaits them in the woods.
After reading this book I can see why this author is a poplar one in Germany. I really enjoyed the psychological aspect of the story. The two girls, Ida and Nell are relatable but I did find they also had their faults. Ida was selfish and weak whereas Nell had to be the center of attention. This is fine but not all the time.
I tried really hard to figure out the identity of the birdcatcher before the reveal but I couldn’t. However I was able to tell right away who the birdcatcher was after in regards to which girl. My biggest disappointment came towards the end. After the birdcatcher showed himself to the girls. I was expecting him to be tougher but the scare tactics he used were mild at best. This may have been because this book is aimed towards the teen readers. The worst part was how it all ended. I can not believe after the girls battle the birdcatcher and Ida’s secret is revealed that it just ended like that. I won’t say anymore as I don’t want to give anything away.
Ida and Nell decide to go on a camping trip before the summer is over. Only Nell and Ida do not know what awaits them in the woods.
After reading this book I can see why this author is a poplar one in Germany. I really enjoyed the psychological aspect of the story. The two girls, Ida and Nell are relatable but I did find they also had their faults. Ida was selfish and weak whereas Nell had to be the center of attention. This is fine but not all the time.
I tried really hard to figure out the identity of the birdcatcher before the reveal but I couldn’t. However I was able to tell right away who the birdcatcher was after in regards to which girl. My biggest disappointment came towards the end. After the birdcatcher showed himself to the girls. I was expecting him to be tougher but the scare tactics he used were mild at best. This may have been because this book is aimed towards the teen readers. The worst part was how it all ended. I can not believe after the girls battle the birdcatcher and Ida’s secret is revealed that it just ended like that. I won’t say anymore as I don’t want to give anything away.
January 2, 2013
This Young Adult novel, translated from the German, is a very dark sort of thriller. It’s fast-paced and easy to read. The sixteen-year-old narrator, Nell, really captures a youthful exuberance and really comes across as realistic. The plot unfolds in a manner that consistently hints to bigger and darker things to come, which really amps up the pacing and keeps the book (or in my case Kindle-copy) firmly in hand. There are some elements of a typical teen summer horror movie (practically abandoned campsite in the middle of the woods, far from home - without a car), but the addition of the Jack Russell terrier, Rocky, adds a uniquely stressful element to the predicament that Nell and her friend, Ida, become embroiled in. The relationships and the strong emotions depicted have a very realistic quality, and though the ending is left rather open, it is a solidly entertaining read and one that I enjoyed quite a bit!
November 30, 2022
I don't usually read suspense so I didn't know what to expect. I liked Nell's careless exuberance - she really epitomized a teenager who does not consider any consequences to her impetuous behavior. I felt a sense of distrust when Ida plans the camping trip and Nell has only a moment of "Why me?" before she accepts. This layering of seemingly harmless events - the party, the boyfriend, the find your own way home, accept the camping trip with someone not well known and then.,, well, stir the cauldron and watch the Trouble brew.
The various people at the campground all layered on the menace as Nell is forced to take responsibility and figure out what is going on and why. Who is a friend, who is merely camping, and who is causing the girls so much distress?
A quick read, a fun story, and thankfully not gory.
The various people at the campground all layered on the menace as Nell is forced to take responsibility and figure out what is going on and why. Who is a friend, who is merely camping, and who is causing the girls so much distress?
A quick read, a fun story, and thankfully not gory.
December 20, 2021
I wasn't expecting a thriller.
July 24, 2013
There's a trick to writing suspense - it's much more about what the writer leaves out than what she puts in. German writer Kristina Dunker, author of more than twenty books for teen readers, is clearly a pro at suspense. Dunker's THE BIRDCATCHER is a decidedly creepy, nerve-wracking story that manages to get insidiously under your skin without ever devolving into the gore expected in horror novels.
The story is narrated by sixteen-year-old Nell Pestowsky, who has become the local pariah after leaving her drunken boyfriend on the side of the road following a bicycle accident. Nell insists she didn't think Toby had been hurt, but his family has involved the press, and even her teachers are commenting on the selfishness of teenage girls who care only about themselves. So when new friend Ida von Ramp (whose father is a famous TV chef) suggests they take a two-week camping trip together in the woods, Nell is all for it. Two weeks away from the mess her life has become sounds absolutely perfect. Unfortunately, there are a lot of things Nell doesn't know about Ida. And there's someone in the woods who seems to have plans of his own for the two girls.
Dunker's prose is crisp and believable, and Nell is an interesting and multidimensional narrator. She's a bit of a rebel at times, and has a reputation for outrageous behavior, but she's a very real teenager with conflicting emotions. She still has feelings for her boyfriend Toby (who broke up with her after his bicycle accident), but at the same time she is drawn to the boys she meets on her camping trip. Part of her just wants to have fun, swim in the river, and drink champagne. But as much as she wants to be close friends with Ida, there's something about this girl that makes her wonder if there's more going on than Ida is willing to share. Is the mysterious someone who seems to be stalking them Ida's ex-boyfriend? Has he really been sneaking in and out of the campsite and causing more accidents to befall them? Dunker keeps us guessing for most of the novel, and when the truth is finally revealed, it's not at all what I was expecting.
There are a few problems with THE BIRDCATCHER. Foremost among them is the characterization of Nell's parents, who seem disturbingly unconcerned about a potential lunatic stalking their daughter at a remote campsite. I can't imagine any sane parents ignoring a call for help from a sixteen-year-old girl. As it turns out, Nell's parents' reaction becomes a necessary plot device, but it is not believable. There's also an odd, detached tone to the novel that may or may not be the result of the translation (the novel was originally written in German, and has been translated into English by Katja Bell). I found it to be very readable, and Bell has made an effort to "Americanize" the story (there are mentions of "CSI" and other such colloquialisms), but Nell and Ida don't feel much like American kids. Nor should they! I would have enjoyed the novel a bit more had the German setting been better developed. As it is, there's little in the story to connect the reader with its location.
Overall, THE BIRDCATCHER is a scary novel with suspense that builds excruciatingly slowly, luring the reader in to a dénouement that works. I will warn readers that Dunker leaves things a bit unresolved at the end (and there is a central ethical dilemma that is frustratingly left hanging), but I liked Nell enough to overlook that. Parents, be advised that there are references to teen sex and teen smoking and alcohol use, but there is little profanity and no explicit content. This is a literate and well-paced story that is gripping from the start. I do recommend it.
[Please note: I was provided a copy of this novel for review; the opinions expressed her are my own.]
The story is narrated by sixteen-year-old Nell Pestowsky, who has become the local pariah after leaving her drunken boyfriend on the side of the road following a bicycle accident. Nell insists she didn't think Toby had been hurt, but his family has involved the press, and even her teachers are commenting on the selfishness of teenage girls who care only about themselves. So when new friend Ida von Ramp (whose father is a famous TV chef) suggests they take a two-week camping trip together in the woods, Nell is all for it. Two weeks away from the mess her life has become sounds absolutely perfect. Unfortunately, there are a lot of things Nell doesn't know about Ida. And there's someone in the woods who seems to have plans of his own for the two girls.
Dunker's prose is crisp and believable, and Nell is an interesting and multidimensional narrator. She's a bit of a rebel at times, and has a reputation for outrageous behavior, but she's a very real teenager with conflicting emotions. She still has feelings for her boyfriend Toby (who broke up with her after his bicycle accident), but at the same time she is drawn to the boys she meets on her camping trip. Part of her just wants to have fun, swim in the river, and drink champagne. But as much as she wants to be close friends with Ida, there's something about this girl that makes her wonder if there's more going on than Ida is willing to share. Is the mysterious someone who seems to be stalking them Ida's ex-boyfriend? Has he really been sneaking in and out of the campsite and causing more accidents to befall them? Dunker keeps us guessing for most of the novel, and when the truth is finally revealed, it's not at all what I was expecting.
There are a few problems with THE BIRDCATCHER. Foremost among them is the characterization of Nell's parents, who seem disturbingly unconcerned about a potential lunatic stalking their daughter at a remote campsite. I can't imagine any sane parents ignoring a call for help from a sixteen-year-old girl. As it turns out, Nell's parents' reaction becomes a necessary plot device, but it is not believable. There's also an odd, detached tone to the novel that may or may not be the result of the translation (the novel was originally written in German, and has been translated into English by Katja Bell). I found it to be very readable, and Bell has made an effort to "Americanize" the story (there are mentions of "CSI" and other such colloquialisms), but Nell and Ida don't feel much like American kids. Nor should they! I would have enjoyed the novel a bit more had the German setting been better developed. As it is, there's little in the story to connect the reader with its location.
Overall, THE BIRDCATCHER is a scary novel with suspense that builds excruciatingly slowly, luring the reader in to a dénouement that works. I will warn readers that Dunker leaves things a bit unresolved at the end (and there is a central ethical dilemma that is frustratingly left hanging), but I liked Nell enough to overlook that. Parents, be advised that there are references to teen sex and teen smoking and alcohol use, but there is little profanity and no explicit content. This is a literate and well-paced story that is gripping from the start. I do recommend it.
[Please note: I was provided a copy of this novel for review; the opinions expressed her are my own.]
July 10, 2025
Liest sich insgesamt gut weg ohne irgendwelche Längen. Dafür ist der großteil aber auch nicht besonders spannend, was aber auch daran liegen kann, dass dieser grundsätzliche Plot nicht neu für mich gewesen ist.
Vieles wird sogar recht vorhersehbar. Zwar gibt es immer wieder die Situation, dass ein bestimmter Charakter nicht einfach sagen will, was Sache ist, sondern nur die sprichwörtlichen Brotkrümel fallenlässt, doch ich finde es hier nicht so schlimm. Es sind nur etwa 220 Seiten ohne Längen.
Nele ist erstaunlich sympathisch. Die meisten anderen Charaktere sind im Gegensatz dazu recht eindimensional, wobei von den insgesamt siebzehn (vielleicht habe ich mich verzählt oder wen vergessen) Charakteren die meisten ohnehin nur ein Mal vorkommen und nicht allzu relevant für die Geschichte sind.
Die sprachliche Ausdrucksweise des namensgebenden Vogelfängers fand ich persönlich sehr anstrengend. Der Charakter an sich ist mir auch zu klischeehaft, da wäre weniger mehr gewesen.
Die Wortwahl im gesamten Buch ist an zwei oder drei Stellen recht outdated. Na ja, das Buch ist von 2009.
Was mir besonders Gefallen hat ist das Ende. Es ist nicht so, wie ich es erwartet hatte, dafür aber sehr realistisch. Gut, das liegt auch daran, dass ich schon öfter in ähnlichen Situationen gewesen bin. Das macht Nele auch noch sypathischer.
Vieles wird sogar recht vorhersehbar. Zwar gibt es immer wieder die Situation, dass ein bestimmter Charakter nicht einfach sagen will, was Sache ist, sondern nur die sprichwörtlichen Brotkrümel fallenlässt, doch ich finde es hier nicht so schlimm. Es sind nur etwa 220 Seiten ohne Längen.
Nele ist erstaunlich sympathisch. Die meisten anderen Charaktere sind im Gegensatz dazu recht eindimensional, wobei von den insgesamt siebzehn (vielleicht habe ich mich verzählt oder wen vergessen) Charakteren die meisten ohnehin nur ein Mal vorkommen und nicht allzu relevant für die Geschichte sind.
Die sprachliche Ausdrucksweise des namensgebenden Vogelfängers fand ich persönlich sehr anstrengend. Der Charakter an sich ist mir auch zu klischeehaft, da wäre weniger mehr gewesen.
Die Wortwahl im gesamten Buch ist an zwei oder drei Stellen recht outdated. Na ja, das Buch ist von 2009.
Was mir besonders Gefallen hat ist das Ende. Es ist nicht so, wie ich es erwartet hatte, dafür aber sehr realistisch. Gut, das liegt auch daran, dass ich schon öfter in ähnlichen Situationen gewesen bin. Das macht Nele auch noch sypathischer.
December 27, 2013
Mildly suspenseful, but not very deep.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews