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Falcon Wild
An action-packed, contemporary novel about surviving in the wilderness.
Thirteen-year-old Karma is desperate to become a certified falconer. At her dad's bird education center, she helps give demonstrations to guests and can fly the birds. But when her favorite rescued falcon, Stark, hurts Karma, her parents insist that they return the bird to its previous owner--in Canada. On the way to bring Stark back, a car accident in the middle of nowhere leaves Karma's dad trapped, and it's up to Karma to find a way to rescue him and her younger brother. When Karma loses her way trying to get help, she crosses paths with Cooper, a troubled teenaged boy. Lost for three days, the two figure out how to survive, and Karma teaches Stark to hunt like an actual bird of prey. Karma may be closer than she thinks to becoming a real falconer and having a real friend.
Thirteen-year-old Karma is desperate to become a certified falconer. At her dad's bird education center, she helps give demonstrations to guests and can fly the birds. But when her favorite rescued falcon, Stark, hurts Karma, her parents insist that they return the bird to its previous owner--in Canada. On the way to bring Stark back, a car accident in the middle of nowhere leaves Karma's dad trapped, and it's up to Karma to find a way to rescue him and her younger brother. When Karma loses her way trying to get help, she crosses paths with Cooper, a troubled teenaged boy. Lost for three days, the two figure out how to survive, and Karma teaches Stark to hunt like an actual bird of prey. Karma may be closer than she thinks to becoming a real falconer and having a real friend.
176 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 19, 2017
16 people are currently reading
491 people want to read
About the author
Terry Lynn Johnson
12 books337 followersTerry Lynn Johnson writes outdoor adventures inspired by her own team of eighteen Alaskan huskies. Her passion for adventure has provided her with a rich background to write from.
When she's not writing, Terry enjoys hiking, snowshoeing, and kayaking. She works as a Conservation Officer (Game Warden) in Whitefish Falls, Ontario.
She is represented by Caryn Wiseman of the Andrea Brown Literary Agency.
When she's not writing, Terry enjoys hiking, snowshoeing, and kayaking. She works as a Conservation Officer (Game Warden) in Whitefish Falls, Ontario.
She is represented by Caryn Wiseman of the Andrea Brown Literary Agency.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 95 reviews
June 12, 2017
An absolute delight to read!
Thirteen year old Karma grew up at her Dad’s Bird Education Center in Montana. She has been around birds of prey her whole life and wants badly to become a certified falconer.
Right on the heels of an unscripted event when flying her gyrfalcon ( a rescue bird) named Stark, that leaves Karma injured, her parents decide the time has come to return the rescued bird back to it's original owners in Canada.
Karma is heartbroken and feels responsible for Stark’s behaviour during the demonstration, because she was distracted by other young girls her age in attendance. She cannot believe her parents are making her return Stark who she promised to love always and never abandon.
But Karma and her family find themselves in trouble when a tire blows and their vehicle flips off the highway. Karma’s father is pinned behind the wheel and she must leave her little brother behind with her Dad, and set out to find the nearest highway and summon help. And now she realizes that Stark has escaped from his enclosure in the back of their flipped vehicle.
This, then is Karma’s gritty adventure in the back of nowhere Montana where she encounters a temperamental teenage boy, a little older than herself with whom she has had a previous short lived acquaintance, much to her Father’s chagrin. It is told from Karma’s perspective and along the way she imparts her knowledge, which is considerable, on the art of falconry and why she loves raptors and cannot imagine a life without them. She also faces life threatening challenges as her and Cooper get lost in the backwoods, both poorly equipped for such an adventure. I imagine, children and young adults would be drawn in by the chit-chat nature of much of the narrative. I know I was.
I gobbled it all up and could not wait to learn more. It was compelling, informative without being preachy and highly entertaining. Life lessons quietly, pervade the story and Karma’s incredible bond with her bird of prey is fascinating, irresistible and enchanting.
My ten year old self would have devoured this and went back for seconds. Probably considered to be in the middle grade level, I think this would be suitable for just about anyone over the age of ten.
I have two granddaughters at an appropriate age and cannot wait to introduce them.
Highly recommended. 4.5 of those thirst quenching stars.
My thanks to Charlesbridge Publishing Inc., Terry Lynn Johnson and NetGalley for an opportunity to read this book.
Thirteen year old Karma grew up at her Dad’s Bird Education Center in Montana. She has been around birds of prey her whole life and wants badly to become a certified falconer.
Right on the heels of an unscripted event when flying her gyrfalcon ( a rescue bird) named Stark, that leaves Karma injured, her parents decide the time has come to return the rescued bird back to it's original owners in Canada.
Karma is heartbroken and feels responsible for Stark’s behaviour during the demonstration, because she was distracted by other young girls her age in attendance. She cannot believe her parents are making her return Stark who she promised to love always and never abandon.
But Karma and her family find themselves in trouble when a tire blows and their vehicle flips off the highway. Karma’s father is pinned behind the wheel and she must leave her little brother behind with her Dad, and set out to find the nearest highway and summon help. And now she realizes that Stark has escaped from his enclosure in the back of their flipped vehicle.
This, then is Karma’s gritty adventure in the back of nowhere Montana where she encounters a temperamental teenage boy, a little older than herself with whom she has had a previous short lived acquaintance, much to her Father’s chagrin. It is told from Karma’s perspective and along the way she imparts her knowledge, which is considerable, on the art of falconry and why she loves raptors and cannot imagine a life without them. She also faces life threatening challenges as her and Cooper get lost in the backwoods, both poorly equipped for such an adventure. I imagine, children and young adults would be drawn in by the chit-chat nature of much of the narrative. I know I was.
I gobbled it all up and could not wait to learn more. It was compelling, informative without being preachy and highly entertaining. Life lessons quietly, pervade the story and Karma’s incredible bond with her bird of prey is fascinating, irresistible and enchanting.
My ten year old self would have devoured this and went back for seconds. Probably considered to be in the middle grade level, I think this would be suitable for just about anyone over the age of ten.
I have two granddaughters at an appropriate age and cannot wait to introduce them.
Highly recommended. 4.5 of those thirst quenching stars.
My thanks to Charlesbridge Publishing Inc., Terry Lynn Johnson and NetGalley for an opportunity to read this book.
November 11, 2021
Thirteen year-old Karma is helping her father with a demonstration of how amazingly well trained these birds are at their family’s Bird-of-Prey Education Center in Montana. Her gyrfalcon, Stark, is at her side. Her father has Gremlin, a peregrine falcon, perched on his fist and he’s talking to the crowd. She’s a bit nervous since this will be Stark’s first school demonstration with her, but she tries to slow her breathing down, maintain a sense of calm.
After the demonstration, Karma learns that the true owner of Stark wants him returned. She’s found Stark on the side of the road, emaciated, and brought her to her Aunt Amy who rehabilitates birds. Karma fed her using an eyedropper every few hours until she was stronger, strong enough to eat without Karma’s help. Karma is devastated, of course, all those hours of promises she’s made to Stark, if only she would get better. Now she can’t imagine leaving her, but this is not her decision.
On their way to deliver Stark, with her father driving and her nine year-old brother, Gavin, their van blows a tire, and the van flips and ends up in a ditch on the roadside, Stark escapes in the ensuing confusion. Her father is trapped and has Karma leave to go get help, telling her the direction to follow to get to the highway. Gavin stays to help out their father as much as he can, as he’s unable to move.
There’s much that follows, one big adventure that really is more like a series of adventures, but not a fun one. An adventure that involves a somewhat unpredictable teenage boy, and several hair-raising events. They wander about in the wilderness, facing one challenge after another, trying to find their way to the highway, to get help. There are a few twists and turns that were unexpected, but not necessarily unrealistic. I loved the characters, especially Karma, but then this is really Karma’s story.
While this is marketed as Children’s Fiction / Middle Grade, Ages 10 and up, I think it might have a broader appeal than that, depending upon your child’s reading level, and interests. I was particularly interested in this for two in this age group and I think they both would enjoy this. I think the idea of falconry would appeal to both, but being nature lovers, I would expect that.
This is the first book by Terry Lynn Johnson that I’ve read, but I enjoyed it thoroughly, so I wanted to look up her other books. It turns out that Ms. Johnson has had an interest in falconry since she was a ten year-old herself, which shows in the little pieces of information she feeds you throughout about falcons and falconry. She is the author of “Ice Dogs” as well as a second upcoming novel in October 2017, “Sled Dog School,” as well as the upcoming “Survivor Diaries Series.”
Of Note: “Falcon Wild” was chosen as a Junior Library Guild Selection for Fall 2017
Recommended – Ages 10+
Published: 19 Sep 2017
Many thanks for the ARC provided by Charlesbridge
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November 8, 2017My book! Falcon Wild has been YEARS in the making - in fact it might have started as a germ of an idea when I was ten years old. I read Hawkmistress! by Marion Zimmer Bradley and became obsessed with wanting to own a bird of prey. Sadly, I was only allowed to have a hamster. But I never outgrew my fascination with raptors.
Update: Falcon Wild is a Junior Library Guild Selection fall 2017! I'm so thrilled!
Update #2: Falcon Wild was picked for Scholastic Book Fairs! I loved Scholastic books as a young reader, and I love them still. So excited and proud. Hopefully this means that more readers will have the chance to get to know Stark, the gyrfalcon.
Update: Falcon Wild is a Junior Library Guild Selection fall 2017! I'm so thrilled!
Update #2: Falcon Wild was picked for Scholastic Book Fairs! I loved Scholastic books as a young reader, and I love them still. So excited and proud. Hopefully this means that more readers will have the chance to get to know Stark, the gyrfalcon.
September 23, 2017
Falcon Wild was a really nice story. It is a fairly typical survival story, but is made interesting by the addition of falconry. Falconry is something I knew very little about prior to reading this book, and I really enjoyed learning about it. The book is geared toward middle grade children, and I could see myself loving it if I was that age, but even as an adult it was enjoyable, and I will likely seek out some of the authors other books in the future. Thank you to Netgalley and Charlsebridge for the opportunity to read this book.
May 10, 2017
***Note: I received a copy curtesy of Netgalley and Charlesbridge in exchange for an honest review.
Although it is a coming of age kind of story, and I am WELL past that period in my life, it gripped me good, enough to read it in one sitting.
The characters are well developed, likeable and identifiable with, the narrative is action filled, but also offers interesting and useful information about survival in the wild, birds and falconry, and wildlife in general.
The only thing I didn't like was that, when you thought that everything that could go wrong already happened, some other pericle appeared – at a certain point, it just seemed there were one too many obstacles.
Tags: coming of age, middle-grade, wildlife, female-lead, adventures
Although it is a coming of age kind of story, and I am WELL past that period in my life, it gripped me good, enough to read it in one sitting.
The characters are well developed, likeable and identifiable with, the narrative is action filled, but also offers interesting and useful information about survival in the wild, birds and falconry, and wildlife in general.
The only thing I didn't like was that, when you thought that everything that could go wrong already happened, some other pericle appeared – at a certain point, it just seemed there were one too many obstacles.
Tags: coming of age, middle-grade, wildlife, female-lead, adventures
April 6, 2017
I'm very impressed by this environment survival story, which contains copious detail of falconry. A young teen girl in North America comes of age through her ordeal when a family trip goes badly wrong. She has to leave her father who is injured and trapped in a car, with her little brother, and try to hike out for help. There is nobody for miles except a creepy teen boy hitchhiker and - somewhere in the sky - her snow-white gyrfalcon which escaped the crash.
Young or old, you will learn a lot, especially never to go out alone and always to carry a compass and first aid kit, water and food. The tale is very readable and will have you hanging on to see what comes next, while the vocabulary and characterisation are both rich and well-used. We can't all have a falcon, but reading this book could be the next best thing. The main character is aged thirteen and the tale could be read by anyone from ten to fifteen or older.
I downloaded a ARC from Net Galley. This is an unbiased review.
Young or old, you will learn a lot, especially never to go out alone and always to carry a compass and first aid kit, water and food. The tale is very readable and will have you hanging on to see what comes next, while the vocabulary and characterisation are both rich and well-used. We can't all have a falcon, but reading this book could be the next best thing. The main character is aged thirteen and the tale could be read by anyone from ten to fifteen or older.
I downloaded a ARC from Net Galley. This is an unbiased review.
March 15, 2021
This is a terrific survival story. Written in present tense, the prose really pulls you along. And it's told in a way that is suitable for children, but at the same time it does not at all pull any punches when it comes to putting the kids in seriously dire, life-threatening situations. So it's very exciting! I read it with my 10yo and we ached and held our breath and feared right along with the Karma. And the way it ended provided some good discussion for us too. My son has read all the Survivor Diaries from Terry Lynn Johnson as well, and we're definitely a fan of her edge-of-your-seat style. Recommend!
February 7, 2017
Received this book as an ARC at a conference. Good adventure story set in the backcountry of Montana, with 13 year old Karma trying to find help for her father & brother, injured in an accident on a back road. Released in the accident also was her falcon, Stark, who is not fully trained but faithfully returns to her during her searches for help. Also out in the backcountry is a runaway boy, Cooper. Both teens show great ingenuity in getting rescued. Good characters, great setting. Back cover says ages 10 and up, I think this book would have appeal across several grade levels. Hope that final copy will include a map to help readers orient themselves to the setting.
May 4, 2018
I fell in love with Terry Lynn Johnson's books back when I read Ice Dogs a couple years ago. She writes amazing survival stories for kids ages 10-14. In both books, the main character has a strong bond with her animal(s).
Falcon Wild is about Karma, who works with raptors (birds of prey). On the way to return a falcon to its rightful owner, Karma and her family get into a car accident. She sets out in search of help and gets hopelessly lost in the Montana wilderness.
Along the way, a boy named Cooper shows up and the two of them battle the elements and wildlife to survive and find help.
I LOVE survival stories. If you loved Hatchet or My Side of the Mountain, you'll like this book. Also, there's that lovely bond between humans and animals like in Gentle Ben and The Black Stallion.
It's a short book, and the content stays well within the lower YA category. There's no cursing, sex, or violence. There are some perilous situations (it is a survival story, after all), but it's age-appropriate.
This book probably won't appeal to the older YA crowd. It's definitely intended for kids squarely in the 10-14 age group. But if your kid is looking for something different and exciting to read, this is a great choice.
Content: Perilous situations.
Source: The publisher sent me an Advance Reading Copy of this book.
Falcon Wild is about Karma, who works with raptors (birds of prey). On the way to return a falcon to its rightful owner, Karma and her family get into a car accident. She sets out in search of help and gets hopelessly lost in the Montana wilderness.
Along the way, a boy named Cooper shows up and the two of them battle the elements and wildlife to survive and find help.
I LOVE survival stories. If you loved Hatchet or My Side of the Mountain, you'll like this book. Also, there's that lovely bond between humans and animals like in Gentle Ben and The Black Stallion.
It's a short book, and the content stays well within the lower YA category. There's no cursing, sex, or violence. There are some perilous situations (it is a survival story, after all), but it's age-appropriate.
This book probably won't appeal to the older YA crowd. It's definitely intended for kids squarely in the 10-14 age group. But if your kid is looking for something different and exciting to read, this is a great choice.
Content: Perilous situations.
Source: The publisher sent me an Advance Reading Copy of this book.
February 12, 2018
Fun adventure with lots of interesting details on birds of prey
November 26, 2017
Thank you @kidlitexchange for providing me with a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.
Falcon Wild is a fantastic book! I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I received it, and yet I was thrilled to sit down and find myself lost in 13 year old Karma’s story. Karma wants to be an apprentice falconer. She’ s trying her best with her first falcon, Stark, but it’s not going great. Things become even more difficult when Karma’s family discovers that Stark actually belongs to someone else and they want the falcon back.
Tragedy ensues when Karma, her brother, and her father get in a car accident in the backcountry of Montana. With no help in site, Karma must leave to find help for her father with only Stark, a falcon she has yet to make a bond with, to help her. Along the way, she meets a runaway boy, but can she trust him? This really is a perfect middle grade book. This adventure story will have young readers captivated. This one gets 5 out of 5 stars from me. I highly recommend it!
February 5, 2017
A modern day adventure, with magic that really exists.
This is one of those really good books that develops a great friendship based on survival, and at the same time, is also a coming-of-age book for all ages. The really great part, is that this is a modern day book, so for all those readers out there who hate fantasy because "it can never happen" - this is a part of the world that so few get to experience, but is totally possible.
I think this would be great for young readers, especially fans of Will Hobbs.
The art of falconry is nicely detailed. It brings me back to the time I visited such a farm a few years ago, and I can still recall how the wild birds went after the lure... This is a piece of nature that children will love to read about. Not to mention the whole survival story part, and did I mention the excellent character development and budding strong friendship?
Definitely a 5.0!
Disclaimer: I received a free copy through Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
This is one of those really good books that develops a great friendship based on survival, and at the same time, is also a coming-of-age book for all ages. The really great part, is that this is a modern day book, so for all those readers out there who hate fantasy because "it can never happen" - this is a part of the world that so few get to experience, but is totally possible.
I think this would be great for young readers, especially fans of Will Hobbs.
The art of falconry is nicely detailed. It brings me back to the time I visited such a farm a few years ago, and I can still recall how the wild birds went after the lure... This is a piece of nature that children will love to read about. Not to mention the whole survival story part, and did I mention the excellent character development and budding strong friendship?
Definitely a 5.0!
Disclaimer: I received a free copy through Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
September 16, 2017
FALCON WILD is the must-read middle grade adventure story of fall 2017!
Thanks to the #kidlitexchange network for the review copy of this book.
What a fabulous adventure story! I love everything about this book - female protagonist, unique premise, cliffhanger chapter endings, manageable length for middle grade readers, and most of all, the absolute perfection it will be for a whole class read aloud in any middle school classroom. As a school librarian, I can't keep Gary Paulsen books on my shelves, and I just know this is going to be a huge hit with those readers. I will be purchasing copies for both of my libraries.
Required purchase for middle grade libraries and classrooms - recommended for grades 4 and up as a read aloud.
Thanks to the #kidlitexchange network for the review copy of this book.
What a fabulous adventure story! I love everything about this book - female protagonist, unique premise, cliffhanger chapter endings, manageable length for middle grade readers, and most of all, the absolute perfection it will be for a whole class read aloud in any middle school classroom. As a school librarian, I can't keep Gary Paulsen books on my shelves, and I just know this is going to be a huge hit with those readers. I will be purchasing copies for both of my libraries.
Required purchase for middle grade libraries and classrooms - recommended for grades 4 and up as a read aloud.
June 23, 2017
Karma's life is "not-normal" as outsiders would see it. Her and her family are falconers, they raise raptors and teach others of all their beauty. Which means Karma and her brother are homeschooled until high school. When Karma is struck with bad news that they will have to return her falcon, Stark, she is devastated, but understands. Follow Karma's journey trying to return Stark and having to save her father in the process. All while finally making a friend and learning what understanding, family, friendship, forgiveness, and "normal" is all about! Comes out September 19! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
March 21, 2018
I found this book unexpectedly satisfying. I am the last person you would consider as “outdoorsy,” yet, I found this book to be the right amount of adventure and pace to keep me engaged. I learned a lot about falconry, and found Karma’s way of life to be fascinating. Four solid stars!
December 15, 2023
This was a fun middle grade! I love survival stories though some of this seemed a bit far fetched and Adults Making Stupid Decisions (such as blindly trusting gps) however the characters were believable and likeable with a satisfying ending though I would have liked it expanded a little with Coopers story. 4.5 ⭐
July 4, 2017
I love this book! It has characters who are unique, and real, and relatable, a captivating premise, and a survival adventure that makes it impossible to put down. Now I'm just trying to decide which niece or nephew to give it to.
December 12, 2017
I received this book from #kidlitexchange to read in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 Karma is a 13 year old girl who is raised and homeschooled and lives at The Birds of Prey Education Center with her mother, father and younger brother. She is excited that after this year she will go to a public high school. She is training a falcon named Stark; her family has found, and her father and her aunt found the bird's owner and Karma is forced to take a family road trip to return the falcon home. After a terrible car accident it is up to Karma to endure the wilderness to find help for her father and brother who are trapped in the van. After one day, Karma discovers the GPS is wrong about the highway being close. She falls into a hole and an unlikely friend comes to the rescue. She continues to battle an infection in her arm, the weather, and the mountainous terrain to reach help for her family. Her only hope for safety lies in her love for the falcon, Stark, and the unlikely friend, she doesn't really trust, Cooper. After 3 days Karma finds she's been walking in a circle and ended up right back where she started at the wrecked van. She will have to trust Cooper to get help. Johnson writes in vivid detail of all the birds of prey described and even more detail of the nature walks in this middle grade read. Fantastically written. Review also posted on Instagram @jasonnstacie, Library Thing, Go Read, Amazon, and my blog at readsbystacie.com.
February 24, 2018
Great read aloud for upper ES. Short, compelling stories, & v interesting. I learned a lot about falcons and was entertained.
July 28, 2018
Good story of 2 kids who learn to get along to help each other survive in a wilderness and to rescue the dad and other child from their car accident.
November 7, 2017
Johnson is wonderful at writing riveting survival stories, the kind of stories that instantly grab your attention with characters that you can't help but root for. I also love her settings with previous books being in Alaska and Falcon Wild set in the backcountry of Montana with all the hardships that nature can possibly throw in your way to overcome. Everything from hunger, wild bears, harsh terrain and unpredictable weather to an infection that is getting steadily worse. Always with this sense of urgency. Johnson also brings her passion for animal conservation and personal knowledge to the story through the details Karma shares with Cooper about her work raising and caring for birds of prey, falconry and her love for Stark. It's immensely interesting and educational, not overly done and highlights the sort of bond that can exist between humans and animals. At first, I didn't like Cooper as he's the one suspected in stealing the cell phone, but as he gets to know Karma and starts to share his own backstory, he also started to grow on me and their budding friendship was pretty sweet. Karma and Stark are definitely the stars and I'm happy they were able to stay together. Overall, this is another excellent survival story from Terry Lynn Johnson and now I'm looking forward to checking out her Survivor Diaries series as well.
*In exchange for an honest review, a review copy was received from the author.*
*In exchange for an honest review, a review copy was received from the author.*
November 27, 2017
Thank you to the author for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
.
FALCON WILD by Terry Lynn Johnson is fast-paced and action-packed, with a resourceful female protagonist, and all condensed into 170 pages to appeal to a wide age range. I learned so much about falconry, but the adventure kept the focus on the story, not the facts. Highly recommend for MG collections!
.
FALCON WILD by Terry Lynn Johnson is fast-paced and action-packed, with a resourceful female protagonist, and all condensed into 170 pages to appeal to a wide age range. I learned so much about falconry, but the adventure kept the focus on the story, not the facts. Highly recommend for MG collections!
September 27, 2017
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 for Falcon Wild by Terry Lynn Johnson. Thanks to @kidlitexchange for this free review copy. All opinions are my own.
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Karma has been homeschooled all her life and helps her family run a Bird rescue center where she demonstrates beginner falconry using Stark, a Gyrfalcon she has come to love. On a trip to return Stark to the original owner, however, her father's van gets into an accident and Karma must leave her injured father and young brother behind to go get help. What happens next is terrifying -- she and Stark are lost in the woods of Montana with a runaway boy named Cooper. The two are tested by tough terrain, wild weather, hunger and thirst. As they travel, Karma's bond with Stark grows deeper and Cooper begins to let go of his tough exterior. Will they find help for themselves and Karma's family in time?
_*_*_*_*_*
I loved Johnson's first #mglit book, Ice Dogs, and recommend it all the time to my students so I was very excited to read this book! It's a quick, satisfying adventure read chock-full of information about falcons and falconry. Students who like Hatchet and My Side of the Mountain will love this book, too. The character development is strong and the reader will find him/herself rooting for Karma and Cooper to become friends. I love the pacing of adventure books like this one; just when you think everything will be all right, nature throws another curveball. I highly recommend this book for all upper elementary and middle school libraries. Great read!
_*_*_*_*_*
Karma has been homeschooled all her life and helps her family run a Bird rescue center where she demonstrates beginner falconry using Stark, a Gyrfalcon she has come to love. On a trip to return Stark to the original owner, however, her father's van gets into an accident and Karma must leave her injured father and young brother behind to go get help. What happens next is terrifying -- she and Stark are lost in the woods of Montana with a runaway boy named Cooper. The two are tested by tough terrain, wild weather, hunger and thirst. As they travel, Karma's bond with Stark grows deeper and Cooper begins to let go of his tough exterior. Will they find help for themselves and Karma's family in time?
_*_*_*_*_*
I loved Johnson's first #mglit book, Ice Dogs, and recommend it all the time to my students so I was very excited to read this book! It's a quick, satisfying adventure read chock-full of information about falcons and falconry. Students who like Hatchet and My Side of the Mountain will love this book, too. The character development is strong and the reader will find him/herself rooting for Karma and Cooper to become friends. I love the pacing of adventure books like this one; just when you think everything will be all right, nature throws another curveball. I highly recommend this book for all upper elementary and middle school libraries. Great read!
April 17, 2020
Really enjoyed this middle grade survival story. Upper elementary will like this one.
June 7, 2017
Years ago, I met a falconer and his birds at a medieval re-enactment event, and it made a huge impression on me. I was fascinated! Such small birds, most being smaller than the common crow, and yet so very powerful! Thus, I was very much looking forward to reading Falcon Wild, and I was not disappointed.
This book opens with young teen Karma is helping her dad demonstrate these amazing birds at their education center. Karma’s gyrfalcon, Stark, is the centerpiece of Karma’s life. However, while traveling, the family’s van blows a tire and flips over, trapping her father and allowing Stark to escape. Karma leaves to get help and encounters trial after trial, but through it all, Stark remains with Karma, and their bond deepens considerably. All ends well, but not before several harrowing, even life-threatening adventures occur.
I sometimes judge a book by how many times I have to look up unfamiliar words. I was delighted to be consulting my dictionary a few times while reading this book as I learned new bird-related vocabulary. The characters are well-drawn, complex but not overly-complicated. The trials and adventures are all true-to-life and realistic. Several times, I held my breath, wondering how Karma would be able to survive. It was very gratifying to read about a teen girl whose interests and passions were so unique and about a family with such a strong bond, so strong that they are able to reach other to another in the story and share their strengths with him. Overall, I greatly enjoyed reading this book and highly recommend it for anyone interested in the outdoors, birds of prey, and/or coming-of-age stories. Appropriate ages would be late elementary through high school, but even as an adult, I found the story engaging and hard to put down at times.
I gratefully received this book as an eARC from the author, publisher, and NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased review.
This book opens with young teen Karma is helping her dad demonstrate these amazing birds at their education center. Karma’s gyrfalcon, Stark, is the centerpiece of Karma’s life. However, while traveling, the family’s van blows a tire and flips over, trapping her father and allowing Stark to escape. Karma leaves to get help and encounters trial after trial, but through it all, Stark remains with Karma, and their bond deepens considerably. All ends well, but not before several harrowing, even life-threatening adventures occur.
I sometimes judge a book by how many times I have to look up unfamiliar words. I was delighted to be consulting my dictionary a few times while reading this book as I learned new bird-related vocabulary. The characters are well-drawn, complex but not overly-complicated. The trials and adventures are all true-to-life and realistic. Several times, I held my breath, wondering how Karma would be able to survive. It was very gratifying to read about a teen girl whose interests and passions were so unique and about a family with such a strong bond, so strong that they are able to reach other to another in the story and share their strengths with him. Overall, I greatly enjoyed reading this book and highly recommend it for anyone interested in the outdoors, birds of prey, and/or coming-of-age stories. Appropriate ages would be late elementary through high school, but even as an adult, I found the story engaging and hard to put down at times.
I gratefully received this book as an eARC from the author, publisher, and NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased review.
September 19, 2017
Can you tame a gyrfalcon?
Karma’s parents run a Birds of Prey Education Center in the Beavertree National Forest, Montana. Since a very young age, Karma has been allowed to work with the raptors.
Recently added to this collection is Stark, a gyrfalcon. Karma had found the emaciated bird on the side of the road and with nursing and tender loving care, she is now able to show Stark, and with her father, giving exhibitions at the centre.
Karma has developed a deep and special relationship with Stark and is devastated to hear that the owners have asked for the bird to be returned to them. Her father suggests that he take Karma and her brother, Gavin, on the trip to return the bird to the owners. Little did any of them realise just how hazardous this trip would be.
They are travelling on a little-used road, when their tyre bursts, leaving Karma’s father trapped by the steering wheel. Stark escapes and Karma feels obliged to set off to find help for her father and brother but also to find the gyrfalcon.
Terry Lynn Johnson has painted a perfect landscape for this young teenager to show her true mettle by braving bad weather, dangerous routes and having to join forces with Cooper, a very angry runaway teenager they met at a gas station. He decides to follow them as he wants to extract revenge after feeling they had “abandoned” him.
I loved this book! The author has managed to capture the relationship that falconers have with their birds. Gyrfalcons have to be amongst my favourite raptors and getting to read a story based on the relationship this young girl forges with this mighty bird was definitely awe-inspiring.
Treebeard
Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.
Karma’s parents run a Birds of Prey Education Center in the Beavertree National Forest, Montana. Since a very young age, Karma has been allowed to work with the raptors.
Recently added to this collection is Stark, a gyrfalcon. Karma had found the emaciated bird on the side of the road and with nursing and tender loving care, she is now able to show Stark, and with her father, giving exhibitions at the centre.
Karma has developed a deep and special relationship with Stark and is devastated to hear that the owners have asked for the bird to be returned to them. Her father suggests that he take Karma and her brother, Gavin, on the trip to return the bird to the owners. Little did any of them realise just how hazardous this trip would be.
They are travelling on a little-used road, when their tyre bursts, leaving Karma’s father trapped by the steering wheel. Stark escapes and Karma feels obliged to set off to find help for her father and brother but also to find the gyrfalcon.
Terry Lynn Johnson has painted a perfect landscape for this young teenager to show her true mettle by braving bad weather, dangerous routes and having to join forces with Cooper, a very angry runaway teenager they met at a gas station. He decides to follow them as he wants to extract revenge after feeling they had “abandoned” him.
I loved this book! The author has managed to capture the relationship that falconers have with their birds. Gyrfalcons have to be amongst my favourite raptors and getting to read a story based on the relationship this young girl forges with this mighty bird was definitely awe-inspiring.
Treebeard
Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.
August 11, 2017
Falcon Wild (Hardcover)
by Terry Lynn Johnson
Terry Johnson admits to have researched this book not telling the story from personal experience. Like Gary Paulson, in Hatchet this book looks at the abilities of an individual to survive in the worst of times.
Karma is a young girl who is homeschooled and lives to help her family with their Birds of Prey Education Center. This is the last year that she will remain at home, next year she will go to high school, and apprentice with her aunt to learn falconry. There is just one more test for her. To return her beloved Stark. The Gyrafalcon that she had saved and raised, and helped to retrain. It is her connection to her bird, her connection to falconry and her forgiveness that will bring her all she needs to survive. Although the book does circle back on itself the character is able to work through her struggles and find growth. This is a great story for young middle school girls, teaching about forgiveness, understanding, tolerance, the cost of jumping to conclusions. Karma is a role model and an inspiration. Like Hatchet, this book looks at the role of survival, and knowing your own nature. I would recommend this book to middle school teachers at a contrast to Hatchet, or as a book read along side Hatchet in the classroom to show that not only do boys learn to survive by their wit but that a girl can do that as well with as much resilience and flair.
by Terry Lynn Johnson
Terry Johnson admits to have researched this book not telling the story from personal experience. Like Gary Paulson, in Hatchet this book looks at the abilities of an individual to survive in the worst of times.
Karma is a young girl who is homeschooled and lives to help her family with their Birds of Prey Education Center. This is the last year that she will remain at home, next year she will go to high school, and apprentice with her aunt to learn falconry. There is just one more test for her. To return her beloved Stark. The Gyrafalcon that she had saved and raised, and helped to retrain. It is her connection to her bird, her connection to falconry and her forgiveness that will bring her all she needs to survive. Although the book does circle back on itself the character is able to work through her struggles and find growth. This is a great story for young middle school girls, teaching about forgiveness, understanding, tolerance, the cost of jumping to conclusions. Karma is a role model and an inspiration. Like Hatchet, this book looks at the role of survival, and knowing your own nature. I would recommend this book to middle school teachers at a contrast to Hatchet, or as a book read along side Hatchet in the classroom to show that not only do boys learn to survive by their wit but that a girl can do that as well with as much resilience and flair.
July 23, 2017
Terry Lynn Johnson's "Falcom Wild" finds 13-year-old Karma living on a bird sanctuary in rural Montana. Almost at an age when she can begin her falconry apprenticeship, she has given her heart to a found falcon named Stark. When Stark's original owner is located, a heartbroken Karma leaves with her father and younger brother to return the bird to Canada. On the back roads after a wrong turn, the van has a blowout and flips. With her dad pinned in the car, Karma must fight the elements and wildlife to try to get out of the wilderness to get help. She is aided on her journey by a runaway teen named Cooper and Stark. This book was entertaining and educational as it provided a lot of information on birds of prey and falconry. The danger balances against the humor and a HEA at the end so as not to alarm younger readers. Young readers who want an outdoors story or want to escape from the city/suburbia of their own lives should love this book.
November 25, 2017
This was a fun, fast read. It came to our library in our last Junior Library Guild shipment and I️ selected it to book talk at the middle school. I️ loved Gary Paulsen growing up, and this makes for a good read alike. There seems to be a lack of YA survival stories that aren’t dystopian, so this was a welcome change. I had no previous knowledge of falconry and found myself looking up photos of the various bird species and searching YouTube for videos of lure training. I did appreciate the author explaining in the acknowledgments the liberties she took in regards to some of Stark’s actions, but never felt like the story was unbelievable while reading. Some of the relationships could have been better fleshed out, but overall I️ really enjoyed this.
March 17, 2017
At first I thought this might have been a similar story to A Kestrel for a Knave but any resemblance is only slight, seen in the change in Cooper's attitude and demeanor.
Karma dreams of two things - being an apprentice falconer, and being a normal girl, with friends and sleepovers and all the normal stuff kids do in high school - but sometimes it seems that only the first might be actually achievable. And then the falcon she's rehabilitated is reclaimed by the original owner. En route to Canada to return Stark, they have an accident and now Karma is alone in the Montana wilderness, trying to keep herself, a runaway and her falcon Stark alive.
We experience the falconer's thrill and despair along with Karma as she flies Stark, all the while wondering if she will make it, if Stark will come back or if she will stay wild, with the ability to see the world both as Karma does - where tearing apart a small animal is completely normal - and through Cooper's eyes, but ultimately it's both a story of adventure and self-discovery.
Disclaimer: I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Karma dreams of two things - being an apprentice falconer, and being a normal girl, with friends and sleepovers and all the normal stuff kids do in high school - but sometimes it seems that only the first might be actually achievable. And then the falcon she's rehabilitated is reclaimed by the original owner. En route to Canada to return Stark, they have an accident and now Karma is alone in the Montana wilderness, trying to keep herself, a runaway and her falcon Stark alive.
We experience the falconer's thrill and despair along with Karma as she flies Stark, all the while wondering if she will make it, if Stark will come back or if she will stay wild, with the ability to see the world both as Karma does - where tearing apart a small animal is completely normal - and through Cooper's eyes, but ultimately it's both a story of adventure and self-discovery.
Disclaimer: I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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