Nightjar

by Katya Balen, Richard Johnson (Illustrator), Joe Jameson (Narrator)

When Noah’s dad visits from New York, he and Noah come across an injured nightjar during a walk in the countryside. Noah is determined to save the bird, but his dad believes they should leave it alone to let nature take its course. As father and son argue, it becomes clear that Noah is angry about more than just the bird. He feels abandoned and misunderstood by his dad, who has moved to the US and started a new family there that doesn’t seem to have room for Noah. Can they find a way to build a new relationship and rediscover the common ground between them?

Genres: Childrens, Animals, Audiobook

Audiobook

First published June 1, 2023

About the author

Katya Balen is a British author of children's literature. She was born in 1989, in London. Her novel October, October won the 2022 Carnegie Medal. Her work has also been nominated for the Branford Boase Award and the Wainwright Prize for Children's Writing on Nature and Conservation.

Reviews

[Cat Strawberry · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a lovely story and a lovely standalone sequel to Birdsong. While Noah’s best friend Annie is away at music summer camp, Noah continues to enjoy watching birds and sketching them. When his dad who lives in New York with a new family comes to see Noah before his bar mitzvah, the two go into the countryside for a hike. While there they come across a nightjar that’s very poorly.. Noah knows he can help the bird get better if he can take it home for a bit, but his father thinks he should just leave the bird and let nature take its course. While the two don’t see eye to eye about the nightjar, things only get worse when Noah’s dad tries again to bond with his son.

This is a lovely follow up to Birdsong which was one of my favourite books of last year. When Noah’s dad arrives back in the UK, he and Noah struggle to get along. Noah finds it hard to talk to his dad, especially when his dad seems to dismiss his love of birds. When the two find the nightjar things get worse and Noah struggles to understand his father at all. I love how we get to see more about Noah in this story and his relationship with his dad which was only briefly mentioned in Birdsong. Although Noah’s love of birds sees him doing something with the nightjar, I like how this story delves deeper into his relationship with his dad and it builds up to a lovely ending.

The book has some beautiful illustrations scattered throughout the story with each chapter also having a beautiful chapter header. The illustrations are all in black, white and grey and there’s something quite magical and so beautiful about them. They really capture what the birds look like well and I love the way Noah and his parents look too. The book is especially reluctant reader and dyslexia friendly with slightly thicker pages that have a creamy colour to them, a special dyslexia friendly font used for the text, separated paragraphs and larger text. The book is also around 80 pages long making it a shorter and less daunting read.

The story builds to a lovely ending and I do like how things come together for all the characters in the end. Those last pages in the book, especially the one with the nightjar are especially wonderful with the added illustration too! Overall this is a lovely read and a lovely sequel to Birdsong which can be read without reading Birdsong, although it’s wonderful to read both books if you can as you find out more about Noah’s friend Annie and how the two became friends. And although I don’t know if there will be any more books featuring these two, part of me wishes there would be as both Birdsong and Nightjar feel like such special and magical reads. 🙂
-Thanks to Barrington Stoke for a free copy.

[Andrew Johnston · Rating 3 out of 5]

this book felt a bit rushed and a bit unfocused. It's a quick read from Barrington Stoke about a boy who has a difficult relationship with his absent dad who lives in another country. Most Barrington Stojke books capture the essence of the writer and condense it into about 100 or less pages but this felt like it didn't quite hit the mark. Balen is the best writer of nature for young people and there is plenty of that here, but it falls short next to her other books. Some things are just not explained or introduced and dealt with too quickly, some parts are a little implausible. That said, its a decent, but if you haven't read any of her books before, I'd start with something else.

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a short book, only 78 pages, and so beautiful.
The descriptions are sensory-rich - the colours, the smells, the textures. You might think this would make the book overstimulating, but it doesn't. It feels small, contained and glowing.
It's a beautiful story and Im looking forward to reading more of Balen's work.

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Katya writes amazing books. This is a short one but still powerful. I literally dropped the book when his father talked about killing the fox, I understand why but it was confronting

[Emziethebookworm · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was and okish short book only 59 minutes on audio but listening to it helped me pass the time to chill.
Was an OK plot and the characters were alright too which I did like the name of the boy in it.
Will deffo keep this one in my memories whenever a need to chill out again in the future.

[Agent_bugs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really sweet :)

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Catching up on my 2024 reads. Gloriously sweet and beautiful

[Fabian Williges · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful book about growing up, standing your ground, and about birds of course.

I love it!

[Josie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A simple story with low stakes, this sequel/companion book to Birdsong contains similar themes of nature and families and healing, but without the same emotion and depth. There are some heavy topics mentioned, such as Noah's mum sewing burial gowns for babies, or Noah's dad recounting the time he killed an injured fox with a rock but the narrative doesn't go into great detail.

I was a little disappointed this lacked the magic of Birdsong, but there were some beautiful turns of phrase (The needle is flickering up and down like a silver fish darting into the waves of white fabric.) and thoughtful moments as Noah navigates "that funny strange space where people and things and actions can be wrong and right at the very same time."

[wickedwitchie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having read 'October, October', I was already familiar with Katya Balen's style, and I must say that 'Nightjar' does not disappoint. It's a delightful story, beautifully narrated by Joe Jameson.