Baker's Hawk

by Jack M. Bickham

An eleven-year-old boy grows toward maturity as he nurses an injured hawk back to health

Genres: Fiction

240 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1974

About the author

Pseudonyms:
Jeff Clinton, John Miles, Arthur Williams

Reviews

[Ben Boulden · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent young adult novel about a young teenage boy, a hawk, a hermit, and a nineteenth century town teeming the vigilante justice and hate. It was made into a film starring Clint Walker and Burl Ives.

[P.S. Winn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is really a beautiful story and shows that friendships come in all shapes and sizes.

[Nancy Shepherd · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had read this book years ago when my son read it for a middle school class. I had forgotten most of the story, and this was like reading a book for the first time.

[Becky From Kansas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review: Baker’s Hawk by Jack Bickham

Back in 1983, when I was 14 and feathered hair was cooler than feathered wings, I stumbled across Jack Bickham’s Baker’s Hawk. And let me tell you: this book holds up better than most of my fashion choices from that decade.

The setup is deceptively simple: Billy Baker, a 12-year-old frontier kid, finds an injured hawk and does what any unsupervised child in the 19th century might—adopts it. Naturally, this means seeking help from the town recluse, Mr. McGraw, who’s rumored to be part animal whisperer, part scary hermit. Instead of a horror story, we get a touching alliance between an awkward boy, a misunderstood man, and a bird with more attitude than a teenager blasting MTV.

But here’s the hook: this isn’t just about falconry. (Though, spoiler, the hawk-training details are weirdly fascinating.) It’s about courage, prejudice, and learning to see past the labels your neighbors slap on people. Billy grows up fast, torn between his father’s role as the town leader and the mob mentality brewing among folks who’d rather run McGraw out of town than admit he might actually be decent.

And yes, Hollywood noticed—Baker’s Hawk fluttered onto screens with Clint Walker as Dad and Burl Ives as McGraw. That’s right, Burl “Holly Jolly Christmas” Ives playing a mountain hermit. If that mental image doesn’t make you want to read the book first, I don’t know what will.

Why dust this one off today? Because it’s a reminder that family-friendly adventure doesn’t have to be fluffy. It’s got grit, it’s got heart, and it’s got a hawk who basically steals every scene. Perfect for young readers, nostalgic grownups, or anyone who thinks “retro YA” deserves a comeback.

Verdict: Baker’s Hawk is the kind of story that sneaks up on you—quietly powerful, unexpectedly relevant, and way cooler than that neon shirt I swore was stylish in 1983.

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very good story, especially for a young adult. It centers around a boy in the west during the late 1800s and invokes its share of morals and virtues that a teen would be going through.
As I finished the book I was a little sad because I realize that it might be incredibly difficult for people younger than I to relate to the story, especially the setting and environment. My hope is that stories like this still move people to some emotion, but that's less likely now. All in all though a very nice story.

[Rodney Haydon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an exciting coming of age story about a boy and his relationship with his father, his community, and the wild animals he cares for. When I first picked it up and saw the cover blurb which equated this book with "Where the Red Fern Grows" I thought to myself, well, I doubt that! I don't doubt it any longer. Had I read this back when I was in grade school I would have treasured it just as much. Great story, wonderfully told.

[Diane Wachter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jack Bickham, RDC-M #2, 1975, 2/80. Animal story. Okay.

[Cecile · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a heartwarming story of a young boy coming of age.