Birdy

by N. West Moss

After the death of their mother, Birdy and Mouse are forced to start over in this debut novel about discovering where you belong­­—for fans of Forever This Summer and The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise.

Eleven-year-old Birdy and her younger brother, Mouse, have always looked out for each other. They make the perfect  Birdy is realistic and practical, while Mouse is affable and trusting. After their mother dies of cancer, Birdy and Mouse are forced to move out of the city to the country with relatives they’ve never met. Aunt Mitzie and Uncle Shadow’s house is full of organized chaos, and it takes Birdy time to adjust to having adults around. But the kitchen is always stocked, and both kids are allowed to play outside as often as they want. There’s only one it’s all temporary. Their social worker has promised to find them a permanent home by the next school year, whether they want to leave or not. As the summer unfolds, Mouse starts to feel attached to their new life. But Birdy knows better—adults have never been reliable. When Birdy’s fears get the best of her, she makes a big mistake that could jeopardize their future.

Heartfelt and emotionally resonant, this literary coming-of-age novel explores the unbreakable bond between siblings—and how family can be found in the most unexpected places.

Genres: Middle Grade, Family, Grief, Realistic Fiction, Childrens, Death, Fiction

288 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 17, 2026

Reviews

[Lyon.Brit.andthebookshelf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book Report: Birdy by N. West Moss

This is one of those middle grade books that quietly burrows into your heart and stays there. 💛

After losing their mother…eleven year old Birdy and her younger brother Mouse are sent to live in the country with relatives they barely know. The house is chaotic but warm…the pantry is full and the days stretch out with animals…summer camp and the kind of freedom that comes from being told to go outside and play. But everything feels temporary and Birdy…fiercely protective and wary of adults…can’t bring herself to believe this life will last.

If you loved The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise or Firefly Summer…this is very much that book. IYKYK🌲✨

Tackling grief at a middle grade level is no small feat but Birdy does it effortlessly. Layering loss…love and hope through characters that are quirky…tender and painfully real. The almost timeless setting (barely a hint of technology) gives it that nostalgic barefoot summer feeling I think so many of us are craving right now. Add animals…sibling bonds and a week at summer camp and it honestly delivers everything I want when I reach for a middle grade novel🐾🏕️

Thank you Little Brown Books for Young Readers for the advanced digital copy!

Releases 2/17

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[Bonnie Grover · Rating 5 out of 5]

“From the start, Birdy grabs our hearts, and we’re invested in the pursuit that her and her little brother, Mouse will find the right home.” (Kimberly Willis Holt)
This heartfelt, beautifully written debut novel would make a great read aloud. It describes the unbreakable bond between siblings and discovering where you belong.

“I can alter my life by altering my attitude.”- Henry David Thoreau

[Pam Page · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book with heart that explores what family means and the importance of belonging. With a cast of characters you will fall in love with, endearing animals, and a small town setting, this story captivated me from page one to the very end!

[Mildly Mad Hatter(Semi Hiatus) · Rating 2 out of 5]

So I’m not really sure about this one. It had some really good ideas and it could have been great but it was off.

Language:
Holy moly, jeez, fool, jerk, Good Lord, shut up, loser, dang.
A mother is said to have screamed in a child’s face and called him stupid.
A girl called her father a jerk.
A bully tells a girl that she is unloveable.
Romance:
A 11 year old girl has a crush on a 15 year old boy and she thinks he likes her back.

Several mentions of wine.
Girl stole money multiple times
A guy was joking and a girl thinks she wants to kill him.
A girl is thought to be a boy in a book and she doesn’t correct them
A animal is injured and it is described.
Mother died and wasn’t really the best mother.
Several mentions of the kids randomly being abandoned places.
The main girl says multiple time how she hates everyone, in her mind and on paper.

So I thought this could be a very good book. The idea behind it was good and it could have taught a lots of good lessons. It deals with trauma of a parent dying and how Birdy was always worried something was going to happen and her and her brother would be thrown out.
But what ruined for me was Birdy. That girl was a brat, I understand she’s had a hard life but literally all she would think about was how she hated everyone and she would be a bully to her younger brother. I did like uncle Clay and how he would listen to the kids and be there for them but the way she treated him in the beginning was not right. Also Fingers was adorable.
I didn’t like the fact she had a crush on a 15 year old and how many times she would be thinking about him.
So while this could have been good, I can’t recommend this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-arc of this book.

[Gail · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been very touched by this book. The author has written so deeply about emotions from the eleven year old's perspective, that I think she must have experienced many of these emotions herself.

Birdy and her brother-have been through a lot. Living with a mother that struggled to care for them, who sometimes didn't have the energy to be loving- they lived a life with very little. When their mother dies, it seems as if Birdy feels the effect more than Michael. Birdy is reluctant to believe anyone could like her and finds staying alone- in her room- away from others easier for her. Michael ( or Mouse) is freer to love others and isn't quite as cocooned by the grief and loss in their young lives. This story is told by Birdy as she goes to live with an older couple away from the hubbub of New York- and how she struggles to know if people like her or if they can like her. She steals a little bit of money form Mitzie just to have in case she and Michael are sent away or need to go away- for food etc. The events of this story are very touching- the way the family starts to grow together and learn to love one another. I love the simple life messages that are throughout the book- such as the quotes that Uncle Clay puts on his letters- and the diary entries of Birdy- one touching entry was about how she wanted to be happy, but she didn't know how. -

I cried through this book- maybe because I have so many emotions that Birdy had- the desire to lock yourself away from others or just to be alone- the fear of not being someone that anyone can like or feelings of being abandoned. I am so glad it worked out the way it did for the two children and the family they developed over the times they spent together. I would recommend this book to anyone and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did. To me the writing was wonderful- the idea that Birdy had about sitting with someone who love is how you grieve for loved ones that pass- the quotes on Clay's letters- his drawings that depicted sweet memories of their time together- the way Clay helped Birdy understand her feelings and express how sorry she was- ways to handle Lucy- a bully - so many wonderful moments in this book!

[Jennifer Hottinger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must read! Would be an excellent read aloud!

[Wendee · Rating 5 out of 5]

A palate cleanser for our time. I just loved this book.

[Vicky · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a poignant coming-of-age book about loss, belonging, family, and changes when Birdy and Mouse have to live with their aunt, Mitzie, and uncle, Shadow, (fourth cousins) after their mom dies. Birdy likes being alone but worries about having to leave and go back to New York City so she begins to steal money from Mitzie. One day they find out Birdy and Mouse’s mom had a half brother, Clay, and he’s coming to visit for two weeks. Birdy doesn’t want to get close to Clay because she knows he’ll be leaving soon. They all have fun and decide to look at Aunt Alma’s abandoned house. Birdy is sad when Clay leaves, but he writes her a letter and says he’d like to buy Aunt Alma’s house and would she and Mouse like that? Yes! she says. The social worker comes and wants to know if Birdy and Mouse want to stay forever with Mitzie and Shadow. They say yes and then Mitzie finds out about the money. What happens now?
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

[Allison Pickett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so pleased to read a middle grade book with such heart and realistic characters.
This book bucks the trend of books wherein the main character is a middle grade child and is so emotionally aware and advanced that it becomes ridiculous. The stories become a way to preach through the main character.
But not Birdy. Birdy is right on target. The perfect blend of sweet and true. Birdy acts just like you might imagine a young girl in her situation and it’s a delight.

[Ellen Spes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even tho this is a middle grade chapter book, I loved it. It helped me deal with long ago feelings and helped me understand why somethings happened the way they did. I am gifting it to my greatgranddaughter. Thank you.

[Ann Wallace · Rating 5 out of 5]

N. West Moss has crafted a beautiful character-driven middle grade novel about 11-year old Birdy and her younger brother Mouse, learning to trust the world again after their mother’s death. The children move upstate from New York City to live with relatives after losing their mother, where everything is different—there are new people, and nature, and wildlife, and none of it feels safe or good at first. But over time, Birdy, who lives on high alert, usually shielded by her hoodie, expresses her grief through her journal and with the help of her newly expanding family, until she can finally and safely let her guard down.

The characters in Birdy are delightful and quirky and real. Birdy and Mouse immediately elicit our empathy and affection, and we quickly love the aunt and uncle, Mitzie and Shadow, who take them in, as well as a younger uncle, Clay, a quietly observant naturalist who arrives from Maine with a pet goat and raccoon in his truck.

[Aliceson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book started out a little wordy with some complex sentences that I had to read a couple of times in order to grasp the meaning. The introduction to Alma’s house at the beginning of the story seemed to sprout out of nowhere and could have used some more easing into it. I really enjoyed this book. I think the author captured the essence of a tween girl and all the crazy mood swings/changing thoughts they have. She was also true to what grief really looks like and how sometimes it’s hard to do things and you just want to be alone. I liked that the kids didn’t automatically end up with uncle Clay, but instead he played a real and vital role in their lives. I thought the friendship with Bruce was an essential part of the story, but I wished he had been a little closer to her age. (It seemed odd that a 15 year old would want to hang out with an 11 year old. And there was that weird part about Birdy thinking he was cute, which could have been left out since the relationship turned out to be a platonic friendship.) I appreciated the changes we saw in Birdy and how she grew and moved towards healing. Overall, it was a lovely read.

[Colette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bring a box of tissues to this book reading. All Birdy and Mouse want is someone to rely upon, love and belonging are the most basic needs of any child or adult. Orphaned, untrusting, removed from the place they have always called home after the death of their mother to loving distant relatives in another state. But these two are old, Aunt Mitzi’s is a bit cantankerous, but Uncle Shadow is just her opposite. Birdie doesn’t trust these two as she has always been let down when she gets too close. Younger brother Mouse is also the opposite, as he doesn’t understand the gravity of moving into a temporary placement with an artist and a colorful woman who have never had children. They aren’t sure what will come.

Their mother’s much younger brother shows up out of the blue. They never knew about any of their family members except their mother. Who had been working and in and out of hospitals for as long as they could remember.

This beautiful story of the power of a siblings love and bond, learning to trust in another to keep her little brother safe, as she’s finally realizing just how difficult it has been for her as a child to be responsible for her brother. Sweet setting, calm, yet so very moving. My nose is still running from all of the tears while reading. Enjoy!

[Lee Behlman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one’s very special. A delicately told, intensely moving book about a young girl and her little brother managing the loss of their mother and with it that of any sense of safety and security. On the sentence level this is one of the most well executed works of writing for children that I’ve come across.

[Gabrielle Stoller · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Rounded Up.

But seriously, what a good story about foster care, trust, and familial bonds. As I read this book, I felt I was reading Anne of Green Gables (homages to nature and a young girl's writing her feelings), Beverly Cleary (day in the life type of vibes).......

Some might say this book is slow. Indeed there isn't action. It's a snippet of Birdy and Mouse's summer as they have been transplated to Upstate New York from New York City after their mother's death. Finding new family members, longing to find home, being afraid to open up.....it's NATURAL in its tone and feels.

I was very impressed with this debut and I look to seeing more.

[Desiree Swanson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Precious 🥹

[Elizabeth Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED this book. It's a quiet story but one that will stay with me for a long time. The audiobook narrator is wonderful.

[Sarah Threlkeld · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC review: Beautiful story about found family and second chances.

[Ashley Spilman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a very sweet story I really enjoyed it. I highly recommend it it’s definitely a 6.5 stars!!!

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a tender story about Birdy and Mouse- two kids who need a family after the death of their mother. Birdy has done a good job of holding herself together, but there are so many feelings she needs to get out- grief, worry, fear… I read the Tillerman series when I was growing up and love that Birdy was reading it as well.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Made me tear up = five stars

[Ms. Yingling · Rating 3 out of 5]

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Birdy (May) and her younger brother Mouse (Michael), have had a hard life in Hell's Kitchen, New York City, with their mother. It seems she was at first a bit neglectful and prone to anger, and then passed away from cancer. With no father in the picture, the two children are sent to live with their "Aunt" Mitzi, a distant cousin, and her artist husband, Shadow, in upstate New York. Both are in their 70s, and Shadow has just fallen and broken his ankle. Mitzi is unsure about how to care for the children, but treats them gently, is quietly supportive, and allows them a lot of free time to do what they would like. There are a few rules, as well as light chores like cleaning up after themselves. Birdy is amazed at the amount of food in the house, since her mother often had none, and is concerned that she should have some money in case she and Mouse need to flee. She steals small amounts from Mitz's coffee can to bolster her reserves. Social services manages to locate Clay, a half brother of the mother's, and he comes to visit. He is a naturalist who works for a Maine parks department, and brings a goat and tame racoon with him. He, too, is very gentle with the children. Mouse takes to him right away, willingly leaving Birdy's side to sleep on the porch with Clay and the animals, and even Birdy reluctantly likes him. The children are sent to the Mighty Oak Day camp where they can interact with other children. Birdy, who bore the brunt of her mother's neglect and had to struggle to take care of Mouse, would prefer not to talk to anyone, and finds constantly being around people taxing. She frequently lashes out in her diary, and is standoffish with most people. She does develop a crush on an older counselor in training at the camp, and manages to make a friend. Clay decides that he will move to the area if it's okay with the children, and buys a run down property in which Shadow had been interested. After a social worker's visit, plans for a permanent placement are started. Birdy is relieved, but when her theft is finally realized, she worries that everything will fall through. Is there a happy ending for Birdy and Mouse?
Strengths: One of my favorite books as a child was Julie Andrews Edwards' 1974 Mandy, about a girl in an English orphanage who eventually gets placed in a loving family. Mitzi and Shadow's house in the country is very appealing, and Birdy is suddenly surrounded by nature (which she doesn't like), space, and adequate food and supervision. Understandably fearful, she is not pressed for interaction and given plenty of time to settle in. Uncle Clay brings another fun element to the story, with his animals and love of the outdoors. There are realistic scenes of Birdy having to interact with other children at camp. Her inner thoughts, expressed in her diary, are realistic; aren't there days when all of us hate EVERYONE? There's something oddly comforting about this story. Maybe I just want to hang out with Mitzi while she bakes in the kitchen.
Weaknesses: I wish that there had been more information about how Birdy and Mouse lived when they were with their mother. It's sketched in briefly, but the comfort of Birdy's new situation would have been even more of a relief if we had seen how bad her life was. Think about a book like Fipps' And Then Boom, where most of the book is about the neglect the character suffers; this is oddly appealing and comforting to my students. While I appreciate Birdy reading Voigt's 1981 Tillerman Cycle, I'm not sure how many people will understand this reference, since it's old enough that even most of our teachers would have missed it.
What I really think: This made me think of Fisher's Understood Betsy, and I enjoyed the gentle new situation in which Birday and Mouse found themselves. It has some similarities to other books about foster placements, including O'Shaughnessy's Lasagna Means I Love You, Farr's Pavi Sharma's Guide to Going Home, Little's Mostly the Honest Truth and Choldenko's The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman. I have a number of books like this that aren't getting read, so I may not buy this, although I would probably purchase this for an elementary school.

https://msyinglingreads.blogspot.com/...

[Jan Raspen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed most of this book, but overall it left me with an unsettled feeling. The book was not as gritty as many MG books about grief, so in most respects, it's really good for upper elementary students. I think that middle schoolers would think it reads kind of young.
However, there are a few times that the MC and a camp counselor-in-training interact, and the MC's thoughts about him are romantic. He seems to reciprocate these feelings, but I really don't want to read about a possible romance between a 15-year old and an 11-year old. Nothing comes of it, but it just felt off to me to include it in this book (did the book's editor have feelings about this?!).
The people who took in Birdy and her brother were distant relatives of theirs, and both in their 70's. The book opens with the male guardian in the hospital for a broken foot (maybe? I'm not remembering exactly what it was), and his wife immediately leaves the two kids home alone to be with him in the hospital. Yet when he comes home soon after, his cast and crutches are hardly mentioned. I've been around older people recovering from injuries like this, and the portrayal of it all in this book is just not realistic. Why have him in the hospital and on crutches even? It did nothing to advance the story.
I love the idea of found family in kids' books, and certainly the adults in this book all step up to be that for Birdy and Mouse, but again, it just felt unrealistic. Uncle Clay swoops in on the new family and decides to move to NY from Maine and live nearby. I found his letter to Birdy, telling her she would be the one to decide if he moves to NY, to be really creepy. While her feelings should be taken into account, what adult in their right mind allows an 11-year old the final say in anything?
And what's up with Mitzie's cough? A cold she can't shake? An ominous foreshadowing of some fatal sickness? We never learn more about it, so again, why does the author include it in the book?
I listened to the audio version of this book, and while the narrator was fine, the accents she chose for Mitzie and Shadow were a little grating. If anyone would've had a NY accent, it would've been Birdy and Mouse, not the older relatives who lived far from NYC.
I just re-read the starred reviews that this book got (from Booklist and SLJ) and I have to say I am mystified. I think the Kirkus review of this book is more in line with how I as an adult reader felt at the end. I think the book would've benefitted from better editing to rein in these weird paths the author took us on.

[Victoria (hotcocoaandbooks) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Birdy and her brother Mouse are siblings (May and Michael). Their mother had died and they've been going from home to home in NYC. When they are sent to Constable, NY to live with an older couple. Birdy is nervous that after six months with them, they won't want them. She is not used to the countryside and learns about peeper toads, swimming, and more.

While there, they also connect with a family member they didn't know about at all. It stirs up a lot of feelings to meet that person.

Throughout the book, Birdy is struggling to feel like she has a voice. She wants to feel loved and wanted. She wants to be asked for her opinion on things. The couple they stay with seem so kind and wonderful to her, but she is afraid to get attached. She is afraid of hurting more.

I thought it was a cute middle grade story and it had lovely art at the start of every chapter. I did find the friendship of an 11-year-old and a 15-year-old to feel unnatural and odd. Bruce was a nice person though and gave good advice to Birdy.

This story had lots of cute animals too! A tame raccoon, a goat, and a dog. The stories around the animals were darling.

What felt strange is that Clay mentioned his father, but did his father still live and wouldn't he have wanted to visit Birdy and Mouse too? It never comes up though where the kids ask about him.

content: talk about death, bullying, theft, name calling (stupid, and such).

[Audrey Ettinger · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely book that I picked off the library's "newly acquired" list. Thematically very related to Willow and Twig, except the mother is less flawed (she has recently died of cancer, and was sometimes mean to the kids or a little neglectful -- but as an adult reader, I wonder how much of this was her trying to take care of them and herself while she was dying. Even an episode of her deserting them for an hour at the movies could have been her having a brief medical episode.), and they have never met the relatives, Shadow and Mitzi, who take them in.

It's a little too clean -- Uncle Cody comes to visit the kids and ends up buying a nearby family house to be near the kids; he and Shadow and Mitzi really hit it off even though the kids are their only connection. Mitzi and Shadow make consistently good parenting decisions even though they seem to have spent very little time around kids. Everyone is a little too perfect and lovable. But it's nice to get a view into Birdy's inner struggles with feeling unlovable, and of course seeing these lovely kids (May and Michael; Birdy and Mouse) find a loving home and start to make real friends is wonderful.

The upstate NY setting (Constable and Malone, NY) is fun without being cloying -- the reality of limited shopping options and closed businesses is a consistent thread.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Birdy, 11 years old, was responsible for her bother Mouse, age 8, when their mother got sick. She's taken care of him, herself and even their apartment as their mother died of cancer. At her death, they are sent to live with complete strangers, distant relatives who live out in the country. Aunt Mitzie and Uncle Shadow’s are older and never had children. Their house is full of organized chaos, life and baked goods. Birdy is wary of adjusting to fast, especially since they have a time limit. They are only guaranteed a couple of months, and then they might be sent somewhere else. But a slow healing summer might allow everyone time to get to know each other and to create a new family.

Why I started this book: Requested this ARC because I had a teacher friend say that she was excited to read this book, as it was getting buzz among her friends.

Why I finished it: This a gentle story about grief, and the effort it takes to trust again, to let down your guard and create a new family. It was beautiful, age appropriate and tender.

[Deborah Duncan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Birdy, aged 11, is used to taking care of her 7-year-old brother Michael, known as Mouse. their mother has just died after a long battle with cancer and they are sent to live with elderly cousins in rural upstate New York. They are city kids and Birdy struggles to get used to their new life. We gradually see just how tenuous their life with their single mother has been. Birdy has had to parent her little brother, is now wary of adults and tries not to love anyone who may leave her. She worries that their cousins will not keep them and steals money for an escape. Then her mother's unknown younger half brother finds out about them and comes to visit. ; Birdy needs quiet time to organize her thoughts and write in her diary. Her new adults give her time and space to trust, while loveable Mouse gives his heart easily. This book is perfectly paced, Birdy slowly learns to trust and learns how to be happy. It is beautifully written and would make a great middle grade read alou, if you could manage to read it out without tearing up.

[Lonna Pierce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Birdy (May) and little brother, Mouse (Michael) have lived in poverty and uncertainty in New York City as their single mother worked various jobs, but never made enough money. Birdy, 11, was always in charge of food and watching Mouse, 7, as they were often left unsupervised and alone. When their mom got sick with cancer and spent weeks in the hospital, things got worse, and then, after their mom died, they were abandoned in a permanent way. Social workers found distant upstate NY relatives near Malone in the country, and sent them there, on trial for 6 months. The book is a deep dive into the fearful mindset of pre-teen Birdy and Mouse, who find a welcome with their elderly relatives, and even learn of their mother’s half-brother, Uncle Clay, who was also a complete unknown to them. Slowly, they acclimate and learn to trust and even love. Birdy is given a diary that helps her sort through her tangled feelings and truly belong to her growing family. Finally, the children feel safe and seen.

[Brandi Raae · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved listening to this coming-of-age debut!

Even though Birdy, the main character, is only 11-years-old, I could relate so much to her cautiousness and internal analysis of all of her thoughts and emotions. And how sometimes feelings of anger resulted from the overload.

After their mom dies, Birdy and her little brother, Mouse, leave the city to go live in the country with older relatives they’ve never met. This book is about how they all have to adjust to the change. While Birdy and Mouse navigate a new way of life, they also have to wonder if the situation will even be permanent, especially after Birdy abuses her guardians’ trust.

The focus is on Birdy’s journey of learning to love and just be a kid. It’s such a sweet found-family story with some delightful characters. I loved the little Anne of Green Gables hints throughout, too.

I recommend for ages 9 & up

Content considerations: language: holy moly, shut up
other: stealing, married man crushes on an actress (nothing crazy, but I sure wouldn’t want my husband doing it!)

[Lori Emilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the characters in this middle-grade story of belongings. Birdy and her little brother Mouse have been in limbo since the death of their mother to cancer. They've stayed with neighbours, but now are on a semi-permanent tryout with some older relatives they've never met - never even heard of. Birdy has a tough exterior and works to protect Mouse at all costs. Settling into this new, probably-not-permanent home is hard on the two of them, and mistakes are made. Birdy learns to deal with her pent-up emotions through writing, and talking with her new "family" and friends from summer camp. But is it in time?

Great writing and great characters. I would have liked the build-up to the big "mistake" made by Birdy to be a bit more tense, but kids will appreciate the realness of Birdy. Recommend for grades 5+. Thanks to NetGalley, the publishers and the author for the advanced reading copy.