My Name Is River

River #1

by Wendy Dunham

It's 1983, and twelve-year-old River Starling's life is anything but normal. She was adopted on a whim and came without a birth certificate. Her adoptive parents gave her up to her grandmother when she was only two, but River is certain her parents will come back.

River's hopes fall apart when Gram uproots them from their farmhouse and decides to move to Birdsong, West Virginia, the most miserable town River has ever seen. There she makes an unlikely friendship with an unusual boy and learns about acceptance, hard work, forgiveness, and the love of Jesus.

Discover the unforgettable story of one girl's search for a place to call home.

Genres: Middle Grade, Christian, Contemporary, Christian Fiction, Fiction, Friendship, Childrens

134 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 1, 2015

About the author

Wendy Dunham is the author of two middle-grade novels: My Name Is River (a 2016 Selah Awards finalist) and Hope Girl (2017 Selah Award winner for best middle grade novel). She is also the author of The Tales of Buttercup Grove series, for early readers ages 4-7. In the forthcoming book, Reagandoodle and Little Buddy: The True Story of a Labradoodle and His Toddler Best Friend, Wendy writes Sandy Swiridoff's story as the voice of Reagandoodle.

When she's writing, Wendy works as a registered therapist with children who have special needs.

Reviews

[Lindsey (Books for Christian Girls) · Rating 4 out of 5]

About this book:

“It's 1983, and twelve-year-old River Starling's life is anything but normal. She was adopted on a whim and came without a birth certificate. Her adoptive parents gave her up to her grandmother when she was only two, but River is certain her parents will come back.
River's hopes fall apart when Gram uproots them from their farmhouse and decides to move to Birdsong, West Virginia, the most miserable town River has ever seen. There she makes an unlikely friendship with an unusual boy and learns about acceptance, hard work, forgiveness, and the love of Jesus.
Discover the unforgettable story of one girl's search for a place to call home.”


Series: Book #1 in the “River” series.


Spiritual Content- Scriptures are quoted, mentioned, read, talked about, & referenced; Prayers; Church going, Hymns, & Sermons; Being witnessed to; River’s Gram mentions “the wind” many times (could be taken as the Holy Spirit); Talks about God, praying, & Heaven; ‘H’s are not capital when referring to God; Mentions of God & Jesus; Mentions of prayers, praying, & blessings over food; Mentions of churches, church going, services, sermons, hymns, & a pastor; Mentions of faiths & Heaven; Mentions of Bibles, Bible reading, & those in the Bible; A couple mentions of a church’s stained glass windows; A couple mentions of miracles; A couple mentions of an angel; A couple mentions of sin & sinners; A mention of a ‘Thank God’;
*Note: A “God Almighty” is said and River gets embarrassed (thinking it’s a sin to say it like that).


Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘darn’, two ‘blasted’s, four ‘stupid’s, and five forms of ‘dumb’; A mention that pastors aren’t allow to swear; *Big Spoiler* River’s new best friend dies from an accident near the very end of the book. His body is found (barely-above-not-detailed), also brings mentions of dying & what would it be like. Another boy later confesses to have pushed him. (barely-above-not-detailed) *End of Big Spoiler*; Mentions of murdered birds (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of a mean boy breaking a window & threatening another; Mentions of a child being taken & a wife leaving her husband after that event happened; Mentions of lies & lying; Mentions of smoking, smoke, & cigarettes; A few mentions of a man in jail for murder; A few mentions of a break-in & thieves; A couple mentions of a cat that was hit by a car; A couple mentions of tattoos; A mention of a child drowning (he’s saved); A mention of urine; A mention of mouse waste; A mention of a run-over dog; A mention of dead fish;
*Note: A few mentions of car brands; A couple mentions of a cigarette brand; A couple mentions of aliens.


Sexual Content- River wonders if her biological mother was a teenager who got pregnant;
*Note: Mentions of a birth injury when a baby came out of his mother.

-River Starling, age 12
1st person P.O.V. of River
Set in 1983
143 pages

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Pre Teens- Two Stars (and a half)
New Teens- Three Stars (and a half)
Early High School Teens- Three Stars (and a half)
Older High School Teens- Three Stars (and a half)
My personal Rating- Four Stars
{ Ratings truly depend on the reader, there is a death that may be triggering for young readers. }
I was expecting this to be a fun, light read of a pre-teen book.
But, oh, it was so much more.
From the opening page, I adored River. She reminded me a bit of April Grace from “Confessions of April Grace” series, and I personally think they would be dear friends—and probably get into some mischief together. River often wonders about both set of her parents, biological and her adoptive parents, which she believes neither loved her. While a few parts could probably be triggering for adoptees, there is a wonderful message of having God be your Father throughout this small book. (It would still probably be best for a parent or trusted adult to read the book before the young adoptee, so content can be cleared as okay and later discussions can happen.)
If y’all have been following this site or any of our social media accounts for any amount of time, you most likely know that I very rarely cry while reading. Due to an expected twist in this story, I actually ended up crying and sniffing. But, I can’t say much due to spoilers! While I liked the very ending (that part I did see coming!), it did leave off in a cliffhanger, so I’m eager to read the next book.


Link to review:
https://booksforchristiangirls.blogsp...


*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.

[Kate Willis · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second book actually caught my attention first with its promise of a scoliosis rep, but I picked this one up too and really enjoyed it. (It was actually one of the last books I bought at my local Christian bookstore before it shut down. A moment of silence for brick and mortar, please.)

It was so good. Definitely love-at-first-paragraph with the writing style. The characters really leapt off the page, and I felt like I knew them. River was a super cool, resilient kid. I especially loved her parenthetical asides and (sometimes theologically incorrect XD) tween-logic. She made me feel just what it would be like to be her. Gram reminded me so much of someone I once knew and loved as my own adopted grandmother. Just the little quirks of her saving up for her pitcher or doing makeshift physical therapy were lovely. And her no-nonsense love for River was the best.

I loved Billy. I’d be friends with him in a heartbeat. His creativity and his knowledge of birds, his upstanding and gentle heart, and his absolutely wonderful attitude toward his disability were just a few of my favorite things about him. His relationship with his family was super sweet as well.

I also loved how the Gospel message and theme of true identity were skillfully and seamlessly woven through the story.

I originally picked up this book for my younger sisters, but it ended up being more tragic and dark than I was expecting, so I’m having second thoughts about sharing it with them now. One character’s backstory included kidnapping, and there was bullying that lead to the death of a child. *cries*

Altogether, I enjoyed this book though it made my heart hurt with sadness and some hope by the end.

I would also love to hear from an OwnVoices reviewer what they thought of the portrayal of Billy’s disability.

[GabbyB · Rating 5 out of 5]

River is an absolute amazing person, this is one of my favorite books! I love how determined she is to find her parents and then Mrs. Wendy Dunham added little clues to make us wonder. I love the drama(well not all of it). It is a book that could make you laugh and cry(I know I did) overall this book is a heartwarming story!

[Abby · Rating 4 out of 5]

This. Book. 😍😭

[Heidi Lynn’s BookReviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

First, I want to thank Wendy Dunham for providing me with this book so I may bring you this review.

My Name Is River by Wendy Dunham is an incredibly sweet book based on the bond of that a grandmother and granddaughter has, two best friends from different sides of the tracks, and strong faith in God. Throw in some pull on your heart strings moments-which you will need a box of Kleenex for- you have yourself an amazing book in my eyes!!

Kudo’s to Wendy’s graphic artist whom designed the front cover it is beautifully done. The girl on the cover looks like a spitting image of the tomboy River! The background is breathtaking and the cursive title is perfectly done. The book cover caught my eye first, then the unique title (I love the name River for a girl) and then I had to read he back of it. From there I just had to read it. I am so glad I did. I even picked up the second book in the series. The cover is just as beautiful with hands holding a butterfly.

Gram had to be one of my favorite characters in the book. Some of the sayings she said reminded me of my late Gram. That put a smile on my face big time when I read about her. One thing I loved about her was once they moved and she started going to Physical Therapy she starting living life again. It was great seeing her come out of her shell! She is a spunky lady!! Sometimes way too much for someone her age!!

I read a lot of Christian Romance and Inspirational books from various authors whom focus on faith and God in their stories. However, I have never read one on a middle school level. This aspect of the book was so needed and was so refreshing at the end of the book. Wendy puts part of scripture in the book that relates to the story going on.

Wendy taught me a lot in this book and one of those things were about Billy Rivers BFF. He was born with a Brachial Plexus Injury. Billy was born Breached. His shoulder got stuck coming out of his mom and the nerve got stretched out way too far and they got damaged. So, his arm is just lays there…it cant feel anything or do anything. I just found that interesting. I wasn’t the only one. So did River.

You could tell Wendy wrote this book from the heart. That she cared a lot about the characters and the situations that she put them in. That faith in God is important to her as well as children with disabilities of some form. It means more to a reader when you can read between the lines and sense these things. I hope she keeps writing what she loves and is passionate about. She has a gift.

[RebekahAshleigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I went into My Name is River thinking it would be a quick, fun middle grade book. Well in some ways it was and in other ways it was much deeper than I thought.
I can’t say much because of spoilers but towards the end it definitely had a really sad part! I almost cried.
I was happy about something at the end of the book though and was glad my suspicions were right! I’m curious to see what book 2 will be like.

[Jan Norton · Rating 2 out of 5]

SPOILER: I enjoyed the first 3/4 of the book. The author lost me when Billy died. This took away from the story. I won’t be recommending this book

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a sweet story, with some mystery, definitely is how life can be.

[Bethany Tyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, this was really good!
It made laugh and cry. It was happy, then sad, and then very happy at the end.

[Eva Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

read it!!!!!!!!

[Jalynn Patterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

About the Book:
It's 1983, and twelve-year-old River Starling's life is anything but normal. She was adopted on a whim and came without a birth certificate. Her adoptive parents gave her up to her grandmother when she was only two, but River is certain her parents will come back.

River's hopes fall apart when Gram uproots them from their farmhouse and decides to move to Birdsong, West Virginia, the most miserable town River has ever seen. There she makes an unlikely friendship with an unusual boy and learns about acceptance, hard work, forgiveness, and the love of Jesus.

Discover the unforgettable story of one girl's search for a place to call home.

My Review:
River Starling has always wondered who her biological parents are and where they were. But all she knows is her adoptive parents found her and after two years they didn’t even want her. Now at twelve years old, her life has been pretty amazing all due to her grandparents, that lovingly kept her. But time has changed, River and Gram move to a brand new town. River believes her life will never be the same. And maybe she is right.

She befriends the class geek, William, when they are assigned to do a school project together. As they begin working on a birding place, River believes she has never had so much fun on a school project. Everything seems so wonderful, that is until she meets the town bully who seems to have something against William.

When something unexpected happens, River knows her life has never been her own and it will definitely be changed forever.

My Name is River is an epic book with tons of twists and turns. This book will have you both laughing and crying. The ending was amazing! I really, really loved this book and I hope to read more from this author real soon.

**Disclosure** This book was sent to me free of charge for my honest review from the author.

[Tracy Muller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disclaimer--I know the author. That said, I found this book to be delightful. I loved all the bird references, they made me smile each time a new one was presented. I felt like I was sitting on the log, watching the birds with Billy and River. For me though, the spot looked very similar to the garden in the front yard of the house Wendy lived in when I met her!

[Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

did not see that whole Bridge to Terabithia situation coming (nor did I appreciate it) but it had me sobbing. This dealt with some really heavy topics very well and the characters were just delightful. It's middle-grade but I would recommend to anyone.

[Mary E. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tough topics; well done;

[Valerie McEnroe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despite giving this book just 3 stars, I really liked it. The beginning was amazing. I felt like I was reading a Sharon Creech book. That's a high compliment given that she's won the Newbery medal. But over time, the characters and descriptions, so rich and vibrant in the beginning, started to slump a little. I lost the Sharon Creech vibe with River's character. Thankfully her grandmother kept things going with "Sugar Pie" and her southern idioms. But I have to give a big fat eye roll to all the characters having a bird last name.

The backstory is that River was abandoned by her biological parents, then her adoptive parents, so she lives with her grandmother. She and her grandmother pick up and move to West Virginia where she gets assigned to a project with Billy on the first day of school. He wants to make a bird sanctuary by the river. She's easy and agrees. They put up bird houses, plant flowers, make suet and take pictures. River and Billy have found the perfect friendship. But every good story must have conflict and that conflict is in the form of a bully named Robert who leads the story to a very sad ending.

This is a Christian book. Billy's dad is a pastor. The incorporation of the Christian theme into the story is seamless. Many authors are unsuccessful and it ends up feeling forced or like an after-thought. Not here. It's well done. For that reason I would say this book is a must for every Christian School Library. It will be well received, similar to Joan Bauer books.

[Nam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not big on religious books. I am a non-practicing Christian (I don't often go to church or say grace, only pray when I have an important prayer to make, and read Bible passages when interested instead of on a regular.) Despite my reluctance to read such a heavily religious book, I really enjoyed the storyline. I found it a little boring and heavy at the beginning, but after the first few chapters, I really started to get into it. Would have been 5 stars even with the heavy religion, but I deducted one star for the original struggle to find the entertainment in the story.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

So good. So good. My 9yo told me I had to read it, so I finally fit it in, and it was good. I wish there was a bit more to it - somewhat short read (though you wouldn’t know based on how long it took me!), and I can see areas that could have been expanded, some significantly - but I appreciate that all of this was done well, not just fluff, so in that I do appreciate the brevity.

I do recommend for maybe ages 8 & up, but good to be reading along or ready for conversation - an event near the end needs some discussion, especially for sensitive readers.

[Christina Bowman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the character River. This is an easy read but also something to read when your faith may be shaky or just need some Jesus in your life. I like how the author made sure to but people in Rivers life for a reason and purpose.

[Yolanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book made me cry, which is saying a lot for a thin, middle-grade fiction. The characters are sparkling and multi-dimensional. (Some of the plot twists feel a little too dramatic to be real, but I tend to be cynical about such things.)

[debbie muniz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love it

This book is worth 5 stars it is a really good book! So kids should read it, young and old.

[Melissa · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's like a Hallmark movie - cheesy, not to well-done, and with some big errors (like a 13 year old pleading guilty to murder, as if he were an adult). Also some unresolved subplots.

[Sharon CassanoLochman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read for the middle school aged child. Honest and heartfelt family and friend situations that ring true.

[Mindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

My daughter and I read this and loved it!!

[Emerson Boulware · Rating 5 out of 5]

BEST BOOK EVER!

[Rene Aube · Rating 4 out of 5]

A heart warming story of a young girl as she grows as a friend and finds a family.

[Gretchen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sad... but also really good at the same time.

[Brandi Johnson fennell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Though I’m not a religious person, this was a very touching story.

[Kristi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous young adult Christian read.
I loved the character development and emotional connection.
Plot is moving and relevant to kids ages 9 to 14. I recommend.

[Lylah · Rating 4 out of 5]

"My Name is River" by Wendy Dunham is an excellently written story. It's a beautiful tale of a young learning who she is and who's she is.

I enjoyed thoroughly and highly recommend!

[Hailey Seebeck · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first book i ever really loved. If you're looking to get your preteen into novels this is a great start.