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For the Birds: A Novel
Not yet published
Expected 23 Mar 27A magical middle-grade adventure from legendary author Margaret Atwood, following a young girl who transforms into a migrating bird and discovers the dangers facing wildlife across the AmericasSamantha doesn’t think much about birds. To her, they’re just noisy creatures she and her cat, Furball, enjoy chasing.But everything changes when her mysterious neighbor, Ms. Phoebe Merganser, takes Samantha on a journey unlike any she has ever imagined. Suddenly Samantha finds herself transformed into a bird and embarking on an epic migration.From the forests of Canada across North America and deep into the Amazon rainforest, Samantha experiences the world as birds facing storms, predators, and the many dangers created by humans along the way.As Samantha flies farther than she ever thought possible, she begins to understand a powerful when birds are in danger, the whole planet is at risk.This beautifully reimagined edition features sumptuous full-color illustrations throughout, a new foreword by Margaret Atwood herself, and fascinating nonfiction notes by the Urban Birder, David Lindo.Blending adventure, imagination, and environmental insight, For the Birds is a timeless story about nature, responsibility, and the fragile connections that bind all living things from one of the world’s most celebrated authors.
112 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication March 23, 2027
About the author
Margaret Atwood
598 books93.7k followersMargaret Atwood was born in 1939 in Ottawa and grew up in northern Ontario, Quebec, and Toronto. She received her undergraduate degree from Victoria College at the University of Toronto and her master's degree from Radcliffe College.
Throughout her writing career, Margaret Atwood has received numerous awards and honourary degrees. She is the author of more than thirty-five volumes of poetry, children’s literature, fiction, and non-fiction and is perhaps best known for her novels, which include The Edible Woman (1970), The Handmaid's Tale (1983), The Robber Bride (1994), Alias Grace (1996), and The Blind Assassin, which won the prestigious Booker Prize in 2000. Atwood's dystopic novel, Oryx and Crake, was published in 2003. The Tent (mini-fictions) and Moral Disorder (short stories) both appeared in 2006. Her most recent volume of poetry, The Door, was published in 2007. Her non-fiction book, Payback: Debt and the Shadow Side of Wealth in the Massey series, appeared in 2008, and her most recent novel, The Year of the Flood, in the autumn of 2009. Ms. Atwood's work has been published in more than forty languages, including Farsi, Japanese, Turkish, Finnish, Korean, Icelandic and Estonian. In 2004 she co-invented the Long Pen TM.
Margaret Atwood currently lives in Toronto with writer Graeme Gibson.
Associations: Margaret Atwood was President of the Writers' Union of Canada from May 1981 to May 1982, and was President of International P.E.N., Canadian Centre (English Speaking) from 1984-1986. She and Graeme Gibson are the Joint Honourary Presidents of the Rare Bird Society within BirdLife International. Ms. Atwood is also a current Vice-President of PEN International.
Throughout her writing career, Margaret Atwood has received numerous awards and honourary degrees. She is the author of more than thirty-five volumes of poetry, children’s literature, fiction, and non-fiction and is perhaps best known for her novels, which include The Edible Woman (1970), The Handmaid's Tale (1983), The Robber Bride (1994), Alias Grace (1996), and The Blind Assassin, which won the prestigious Booker Prize in 2000. Atwood's dystopic novel, Oryx and Crake, was published in 2003. The Tent (mini-fictions) and Moral Disorder (short stories) both appeared in 2006. Her most recent volume of poetry, The Door, was published in 2007. Her non-fiction book, Payback: Debt and the Shadow Side of Wealth in the Massey series, appeared in 2008, and her most recent novel, The Year of the Flood, in the autumn of 2009. Ms. Atwood's work has been published in more than forty languages, including Farsi, Japanese, Turkish, Finnish, Korean, Icelandic and Estonian. In 2004 she co-invented the Long Pen TM.
Margaret Atwood currently lives in Toronto with writer Graeme Gibson.
Associations: Margaret Atwood was President of the Writers' Union of Canada from May 1981 to May 1982, and was President of International P.E.N., Canadian Centre (English Speaking) from 1984-1986. She and Graeme Gibson are the Joint Honourary Presidents of the Rare Bird Society within BirdLife International. Ms. Atwood is also a current Vice-President of PEN International.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
The book begins with a lovely foreword by Margaret Atwood explaining how this story came to be. Originally written in 1990 after she purchased a house on Pelee Island, an area rich in flora and fauna, including birds, the story was inspired by the natural world surrounding her. Decades later, its message about the importance of protecting that world has become even more critical.
Samantha has just moved with her family from a small town to a big city. Among her new neighbors is Phoebe Merganser, an eccentric older woman known for caring for birds. When Samantha injures a bird while playing, Phoebe catches her in the act. What Samantha doesn’t realize is that this woman who speaks for the birds is no ordinary woman at all.
Transformed into a scarlet tanager, Samantha must quickly learn to survive in a world she previously took for granted. Finding food, avoiding predators, and navigating the dangers of migration become matters of life and death. Alongside Samantha, readers discover the essential roles birds play in controlling insect populations, dispersing seeds, and maintaining ecological balance.
As Samantha’s journey continues, she encounters threats that extend far beyond natural predators. Poisoned air and water, artificial lighting, and human interference create additional obstacles to survival. The story makes an especially important connection: the environmental damage threatening birds also threatens humans. We are not separate from nature, no matter how often we behave as though we are.
Júlia Sardà’s illustrations have a distinctly Art Nouveau quality, with decorative botanical forms, bold outlines, and a traditional storybook aesthetic reminiscent of the illustrations I grew up with. They feel perfectly suited to this timeless tale, bringing beauty and whimsy to a story that does not shy away from difficult realities.
The concepts explored are surprisingly complex and often heavy for a children’s book, touching on criminal negligence, lead poisoning, food chains, monoculture, and the far-reaching consequences of environmental destruction. Consider this a Silent Spring by Rachel Carson for children. Rather than offering easy answers, it invites questions, encourages further curiosity, and may even inspire action.
Most importantly, For the Birds offers an eye-opening reminder that helping birds and protecting nature ultimately means helping ourselves. The lives of humans, birds, and the environments we share are far more interconnected than we sometimes care to acknowledge.
Thank you to NetGalley and ABRAMS Kids for providing an advance reader copy in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.
Samantha has just moved with her family from a small town to a big city. Among her new neighbors is Phoebe Merganser, an eccentric older woman known for caring for birds. When Samantha injures a bird while playing, Phoebe catches her in the act. What Samantha doesn’t realize is that this woman who speaks for the birds is no ordinary woman at all.
Transformed into a scarlet tanager, Samantha must quickly learn to survive in a world she previously took for granted. Finding food, avoiding predators, and navigating the dangers of migration become matters of life and death. Alongside Samantha, readers discover the essential roles birds play in controlling insect populations, dispersing seeds, and maintaining ecological balance.
As Samantha’s journey continues, she encounters threats that extend far beyond natural predators. Poisoned air and water, artificial lighting, and human interference create additional obstacles to survival. The story makes an especially important connection: the environmental damage threatening birds also threatens humans. We are not separate from nature, no matter how often we behave as though we are.
Júlia Sardà’s illustrations have a distinctly Art Nouveau quality, with decorative botanical forms, bold outlines, and a traditional storybook aesthetic reminiscent of the illustrations I grew up with. They feel perfectly suited to this timeless tale, bringing beauty and whimsy to a story that does not shy away from difficult realities.
The concepts explored are surprisingly complex and often heavy for a children’s book, touching on criminal negligence, lead poisoning, food chains, monoculture, and the far-reaching consequences of environmental destruction. Consider this a Silent Spring by Rachel Carson for children. Rather than offering easy answers, it invites questions, encourages further curiosity, and may even inspire action.
Most importantly, For the Birds offers an eye-opening reminder that helping birds and protecting nature ultimately means helping ourselves. The lives of humans, birds, and the environments we share are far more interconnected than we sometimes care to acknowledge.
Thank you to NetGalley and ABRAMS Kids for providing an advance reader copy in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
As Margaret Atwood notes in her Foreword, in just the last 50 years North America lost 500 million birds. This book aimed at children provides a warning about how humans are destroying the planet, especially birds. It’s captivating enough for adults, yet comprehensible to children.
Samantha and her cat Furball, new to the city, meet their neighbor, a beak-nosed old lady named Phoebe Merganser. (The written description sounds suspiciously like Atwood herself.) Samantha has a propensity to act without thinking, and thus kills a cardinal. I don’t want to reveal too much, but let’s just say that Ms. Merganser gives the careless girl a lesson.
By the time Margaret Atwood moved onto Pelee Island on the Ontario side of Lake Erie, she was already a superstar. She wrote this beautiful warning of a book in 1990, but it’s only now that the book is being published. Better late than never, and I love it so much! Barcelona-based artist Júlia Sardà provides quirky pictures to accompany an equally quirky fairytale.
In the interest of full disclosure, I received this book from NetGalley, ABRAMS Kids and Magic Cat in exchange for an honest review.
Samantha and her cat Furball, new to the city, meet their neighbor, a beak-nosed old lady named Phoebe Merganser. (The written description sounds suspiciously like Atwood herself.) Samantha has a propensity to act without thinking, and thus kills a cardinal. I don’t want to reveal too much, but let’s just say that Ms. Merganser gives the careless girl a lesson.
By the time Margaret Atwood moved onto Pelee Island on the Ontario side of Lake Erie, she was already a superstar. She wrote this beautiful warning of a book in 1990, but it’s only now that the book is being published. Better late than never, and I love it so much! Barcelona-based artist Júlia Sardà provides quirky pictures to accompany an equally quirky fairytale.
In the interest of full disclosure, I received this book from NetGalley, ABRAMS Kids and Magic Cat in exchange for an honest review.
October 20, 2026
Thank you to ABRAMS Kids and NetGalley for providing this advanced reader copy of Margaret Atwood’s “For the Birds”. All opinions are my own.
Although this was my first Margaret Atwood book, I had hopes, as her writing and story telling is highly acclaimed. I was sorely let down by this book.
Billed as a middle grades book, it was definitely written for a significantly younger audience. At only about 100 pages, the story was very thin. Each chapter covered an issue that birds face, such as pesticides, lead poisoning, and deforestation. In the book, the characters were never developed, and the mystery was never explained. There was no real story, but the book was rather a means to the end of discussing issues concerning human-caused issues that birds face. Solutions were not really presented, either, and there were not even volunteer opportunities or nonprofits listed that try to help fight against the issues presented. It really was very negative overall, and I don’t think children would enjoy reading it.
The one thing I did really appreciate about the book was the illustrations. They were great works of art. Major props to the illustrator, Julia Sarda.
Although this was my first Margaret Atwood book, I had hopes, as her writing and story telling is highly acclaimed. I was sorely let down by this book.
Billed as a middle grades book, it was definitely written for a significantly younger audience. At only about 100 pages, the story was very thin. Each chapter covered an issue that birds face, such as pesticides, lead poisoning, and deforestation. In the book, the characters were never developed, and the mystery was never explained. There was no real story, but the book was rather a means to the end of discussing issues concerning human-caused issues that birds face. Solutions were not really presented, either, and there were not even volunteer opportunities or nonprofits listed that try to help fight against the issues presented. It really was very negative overall, and I don’t think children would enjoy reading it.
The one thing I did really appreciate about the book was the illustrations. They were great works of art. Major props to the illustrator, Julia Sarda.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
What a unique way to spread awareness about birds! It's one thing to tell people why they should care about an animal, and another thing to put them in the perspective of that animal to make them understand the animal's hardships and feel compelled to help it. I love that things humans can do to help birds with the dangers facing them are embedded right into the story. This book is a wonderful way to open the eyes of readers who are not aware and wouldn't normally pick up a typical nonfiction book to learn how to help. The illustrations are absolutely stunning and remind me of those accompanying a vintage fairy tale. It was my first time reading any edition of this book and I thought it was a beautifully written and eye-opening story!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews