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Within the Folds of a Swan's Wings
What if the one element that has always defined you as a geeky outcast has the potential to catapult you into being the next big thing? A Black girl adopted into a White family, Jodie has always felt out of place, especially at her mainly middle-class, white high school. Used to being a ghost in the halls, she has always found solace alone in her room surrounded by a world of Stephen King novels, Oreo cookies, Dave Brubeck jazz riffs and origami. Forever classified as a geeky outcast, she finally finds two unlikely friends who share her interests and accept her as she is—Bethany, the visually-impaired new girl, who has autism, and Jared, the home-schooled, self-proclaimed nerdy frozen-yogurt clerk who she’s crushing on big-time. But when the origami tutorial videos she creates go viral and have the potential to thrust her into the center of popularity, fortune and fame, Jodie is faced with a decision. She needs to choose whether to expose her identity and capitalize on the chance of being accepted by all those who have always shunned her or run the risk of jeopardizing the only real friendship and true relationship she’s ever had.
202 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 24, 2020
10 people want to read
About the author
Jennifer Walker
2 books11 followersJennifer Walker is a teacher and writer from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. She lives with her husband, her two children, and her floppy, impossible-not-to-love Bernedoodle puppy, Leo. When she's not teaching, writing, or reading, you can most likely find Jennifer in a yoga studio, in the kitchen baking muffins, or running off the calories of the muffins she's just baked. She's also famous for publicly embarrassing her family by singing terrible show-tunes and practicing 90's dance moves, and if this whole writing thing doesn't work out, she's pretty sure she could make it as one of the Wiggles.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
November 23, 2020
There is so much hope tucked into these pages.
Jodie was a well rounded and loveable protagonist who changed in so many exciting ways through the course of this novel. When I first met her, she was a withdrawn, socially isolated teen who often turned to overeating to help her deal with difficult emotions like loneliness or embarrassment. I appreciated the fact that her problems were so well written. They gave me compassion for her struggles and made me yearn to find out if she’d develop healthier coping mechanisms and if she’d find a way to make genuine connections with the people around her.
What made me adore it even more than I already did through Jodie alone was how beautifully the secondary characters were written as well. Bethany was such a sweet, gentle girl, and the friendship between these young women soon blossomed into something marvelous. Similar patterns were repeated with several other teens and adults in Jodie’s life. There were multiple times I paused from reading and wished these characters truly existed in our world. Not only did they genuinely feel real, they were also the sort of folks I’d happily become friends with because of how kind and welcoming they were to everyone.
This was one of those young adult books that could easily cross over to the adult section of any library. There were many themes in it that were just as relevant for readers decades older than the intended audience as it was for. Sometimes folks of all ages need to be reminded why inclusivity is important or how a series of small and seemingly inconsequential changes in one’s life can ultimately lead to transformation.
I’d heartily recommend Within the Folds of a Swan’s Wing to young adult and adult readers alike. This is a must-read in my opinion!
Jodie was a well rounded and loveable protagonist who changed in so many exciting ways through the course of this novel. When I first met her, she was a withdrawn, socially isolated teen who often turned to overeating to help her deal with difficult emotions like loneliness or embarrassment. I appreciated the fact that her problems were so well written. They gave me compassion for her struggles and made me yearn to find out if she’d develop healthier coping mechanisms and if she’d find a way to make genuine connections with the people around her.
What made me adore it even more than I already did through Jodie alone was how beautifully the secondary characters were written as well. Bethany was such a sweet, gentle girl, and the friendship between these young women soon blossomed into something marvelous. Similar patterns were repeated with several other teens and adults in Jodie’s life. There were multiple times I paused from reading and wished these characters truly existed in our world. Not only did they genuinely feel real, they were also the sort of folks I’d happily become friends with because of how kind and welcoming they were to everyone.
This was one of those young adult books that could easily cross over to the adult section of any library. There were many themes in it that were just as relevant for readers decades older than the intended audience as it was for. Sometimes folks of all ages need to be reminded why inclusivity is important or how a series of small and seemingly inconsequential changes in one’s life can ultimately lead to transformation.
I’d heartily recommend Within the Folds of a Swan’s Wing to young adult and adult readers alike. This is a must-read in my opinion!
November 13, 2020
Many thanks to the author for providing an ARC of Within the Folds of a Swan’s Wings.
Within the Folds of a Swan’s Wings tells the story of 15-year-old Jodie, who struggles with issues of self-confidence and has never felt more like an outsider than she does as she navigates the first year of high school. It doesn’t help that the class bully torments her at every opportunity, the popular girls snub her, and that she’s an African-American at a predominantly white high school.
But things begin to change for Jodie when she meets Bethany, a visually impaired student who’s on the autism spectrum, and Jared, the nerdy but cute guy who works at the local frozen yogurt shop. Bethany doesn’t judge Jodie and teaches her the art of an unconditional friendship, while Jared supports and helps her build her confidence as she inadvertently becomes a YouTube sensation.
This novel really tugged at my heartstrings. I saw a lot of myself in Jodie and rooted for her to find her place in the school and among her peers. The author does an excellent job of fleshing out the world Jodie lives in and painting a vivid picture of the obstacles many teens face, especially the struggle to fit in. I loved seeing how Jodie gained confidence in herself and her abilities. The writing is strong, the dialogue realistic and the emotions spill out onto the page without being overdone. The descriptions of Jodie’s origami are like poetry.
Within the Folds of a Swan’s Wings is a book for anyone who’s ever felt like an outsider…or anyone who wants to feel inspired. I highly recommend!
Within the Folds of a Swan’s Wings tells the story of 15-year-old Jodie, who struggles with issues of self-confidence and has never felt more like an outsider than she does as she navigates the first year of high school. It doesn’t help that the class bully torments her at every opportunity, the popular girls snub her, and that she’s an African-American at a predominantly white high school.
But things begin to change for Jodie when she meets Bethany, a visually impaired student who’s on the autism spectrum, and Jared, the nerdy but cute guy who works at the local frozen yogurt shop. Bethany doesn’t judge Jodie and teaches her the art of an unconditional friendship, while Jared supports and helps her build her confidence as she inadvertently becomes a YouTube sensation.
This novel really tugged at my heartstrings. I saw a lot of myself in Jodie and rooted for her to find her place in the school and among her peers. The author does an excellent job of fleshing out the world Jodie lives in and painting a vivid picture of the obstacles many teens face, especially the struggle to fit in. I loved seeing how Jodie gained confidence in herself and her abilities. The writing is strong, the dialogue realistic and the emotions spill out onto the page without being overdone. The descriptions of Jodie’s origami are like poetry.
Within the Folds of a Swan’s Wings is a book for anyone who’s ever felt like an outsider…or anyone who wants to feel inspired. I highly recommend!
December 31, 2020
I heard about 'Within the Folds of a Swan's Wings' from a family member who highly recommended it to me. This is a realistic story about a young adolescent girl and her struggles growing up which a lot of teenagers will relate to. I am pleased to report that I enjoyed the book thoroughly and had a tear in my eye after reading the surprising and heartwarming ending. I recommend this book for teens and adults alike.
November 29, 2020
A wonderful story of a young girl finding her footing. Being different in high school is hard. The main character is beautiful and real. An amazing storyline and lovable characters. I recommend for teens and up.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
January 5, 2021
Within the Fold's of a Swan's Wings, is an honest and well written portrayal of a 15 year old girl growing up and learning to be comfortable in her own skin. This book reminds us of what it can be like to navigate the halls of high school and the well rounded characters will leave you smiling. I loved reading this book.
March 3, 2022
I really don't think white authors should be writing Black characters. There are so many amazing BIPOC authors out there that you can skip this book and find a Black author writing a Black main character.
For further information:
https://www.ebony.com/entertainment/o...
https://yourtitakate.com/white-author...
For further information:
https://www.ebony.com/entertainment/o...
https://yourtitakate.com/white-author...
December 16, 2020
Written with truth, love and empathy, the author truly understands what it is to be a girl in middle school. A wonderful read, looking forward to more from this author.
January 11, 2021
What a great book! It has a wonderfully diversity of characters and some beautifully genuine relationships. It left me feeling hopeful. Would be a wonderful read for young adults and adults alike.
August 24, 2022
I liked the premise for this book. Jodie is a great idea for a main character. Anxious, overweight, and with low self esteem, she is bullied at school and lacks friends or interests outside of origami, Stephen King books and music.
There are scenes with Jodie and her friend, Bethany, in the second half of the book that I genuinely enjoyed. Bethany is autistic and visually impaired, and in the scenes where it’s the two girls together, I think the author writes their friendship very well.
The book certainly finds its flow in the second half, with Jodie sounding more like a teenager when she thinks about her crush and hangs out with her friends.
Unfortunately, the first half of the book is full of infodumps that negate any of the immediacy of writing in first person present tense. The book starts with Jodie experiencing a humiliating incident at school, yet she describes everything so articulately and precisely, taking time to detail everyone in the school, that it takes away all the emotion from the scene and provides no character building for Jodie.
It’s hard to see Jodie as a person. She tells us she is awkward and lacking in self esteem, but with a clinical detachment that doesn’t seem to be deliberate. She comes across as supremely confident in every situation, so it would be nice to see some of her shyness rather than just be told about it. It’s hard to know why she is friendless. She appears to have no interests, apart from origami. I find it hard to believe that she wouldn’t have found other enthusiasts online. YouTube has everything these days (is even a plot point in the book), yet Jodie hasn’t learned how to style her hair? The fact she is adopted seems to have zero impact in the story, and she has none of the defenses or quirks that lonely, outsider teens usually assume in order to survive.
I liked the character of Bethany, and at times she’s very well written, but I found it distressing how her care assistant and teachers talked about her in the most personal way without ever including her in the conversation. I especially found it chilling how her care assistant always talked about her in the past tense - she was so smart. She recalled her feisty personality. While I have no doubt that people with special needs are often so casually dehumanized in real life, I found it upsetting to read characters who were supposed to champion Bethany treat her like this.
While the premise for this book was strong, the main character never seemed real to me, and I felt like I was reading an after school special. 2.5 stars rounded up.
There are scenes with Jodie and her friend, Bethany, in the second half of the book that I genuinely enjoyed. Bethany is autistic and visually impaired, and in the scenes where it’s the two girls together, I think the author writes their friendship very well.
The book certainly finds its flow in the second half, with Jodie sounding more like a teenager when she thinks about her crush and hangs out with her friends.
Unfortunately, the first half of the book is full of infodumps that negate any of the immediacy of writing in first person present tense. The book starts with Jodie experiencing a humiliating incident at school, yet she describes everything so articulately and precisely, taking time to detail everyone in the school, that it takes away all the emotion from the scene and provides no character building for Jodie.
It’s hard to see Jodie as a person. She tells us she is awkward and lacking in self esteem, but with a clinical detachment that doesn’t seem to be deliberate. She comes across as supremely confident in every situation, so it would be nice to see some of her shyness rather than just be told about it. It’s hard to know why she is friendless. She appears to have no interests, apart from origami. I find it hard to believe that she wouldn’t have found other enthusiasts online. YouTube has everything these days (is even a plot point in the book), yet Jodie hasn’t learned how to style her hair? The fact she is adopted seems to have zero impact in the story, and she has none of the defenses or quirks that lonely, outsider teens usually assume in order to survive.
I liked the character of Bethany, and at times she’s very well written, but I found it distressing how her care assistant and teachers talked about her in the most personal way without ever including her in the conversation. I especially found it chilling how her care assistant always talked about her in the past tense - she was so smart. She recalled her feisty personality. While I have no doubt that people with special needs are often so casually dehumanized in real life, I found it upsetting to read characters who were supposed to champion Bethany treat her like this.
While the premise for this book was strong, the main character never seemed real to me, and I felt like I was reading an after school special. 2.5 stars rounded up.
December 21, 2020
"Jodie whats-her-name-again? The tall, fat one. You know, the black girl, the ninth grade dorky wallflower"
Jodie McGavin is what people would call an introvert or a wallflower. Through this book she blossoms into who she is meant to be. Find your TRIBE and you will find the happiness to be who you are meant to be.
Jodie McGavin is what people would call an introvert or a wallflower. Through this book she blossoms into who she is meant to be. Find your TRIBE and you will find the happiness to be who you are meant to be.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews