Nighthawk!

by Jamie Bastedo

Wisp has a learning he can't read stars. For a juvenile nighthawk bursting with wanderlust this means trouble, with his peers, his parents, and the starving colony that tries to fence him in. So he ditches everyone, striking off on a forbidden migratory journey from the Amazon to the Arctic, alone — or so he thinks. Crossing two continents, he wings above South America's soaring Andes Mountains, over the belching mouth of Mexico's Popocatépetl volcano, across the searing Arizona desert, up to the steaming Alberta tar sands, then steers farther north than any nighthawk before him. Can Wisp beat the odds against him? Without the help of stars, can he navigate one of the longest, most treacherous migration routes on Earth? Award-winning fiction writer Jamie Bastedo spins a high-flying adventure that weaves together themes of family and friendship, courage and perseverance, against the backdrop of our fast-changing world where it's tougher than ever just being a bird.

244 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 30, 2013

About the author

As a professional ecologist, outdoor educator, nature tour guide, radio broadcaster, video script writer, actor and children’s entertainer, Jamie Bastedo has been involved in many projects that bridge the realms of science, art and culture. His ability to weave these realms together in creative, street-friendly formats was recognized recently when he received the national Michael Smith Award for Science Promotion (one of only five given each year) and the Queen Elizabeth’s Golden Jubilee Medal.

As for Jamie's knowledge of bears, he has published numerous popular articles, book chapters and one major novel about bears and has first-hand experience working with bear biologists in various arctic habitats. The inspiration for this project arose while doing research and creative writing for a Canadian Museum of Nature exhibit on Arctic climate change aimed at adolescent and teenage audiences.

Reviews

[Gemma · Rating 2 out of 5]

The unique quality about this book is its narration from a bird's point of view. I enjoyed the author's realistic portrayal of Wisp's instinctive pull to migrate, the hierarchies and cultural differences among bird species, the enticement of certain insects vs. others, etc. I thought that the author's descriptions of the birds' flight path were also well illustrated, giving the reader a distinct sense of the different environments through which the birds travel and also of the physical effort it would take to migrate!

I think that the basic story appeals to a general audience with its likeable teenage-boy-bird voice, motley crew of flying companions, and the episodes of chase and race-against-time thrown in to keep the plot going. That being said, I did find at times that the story dragged. Even with the thrill aspect of the Guardians' chase, I found myself waiting for the migration to end (which I suppose, in retrospect, creates an even more realistic context for the story--i.e. migration takes a long time).

I also had some issue with language in that I felt it was unnecessarily crude at times. Granted that this book, with its young male adult protagonist, obviously caters to the older readers in the 8-12/3 group, I still found that there were inappropriate uses of crude/vulgar language ("bird sh--," "ass," etc.), especially considering the younger readers who may take an interest in this book.

Overall, a good creature adventure story with some entertaining characters and a crew of bad guys to spice up the plot.

[Richard Van Camp · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jamie Bastedo's "Nighthawk" is an international winged journey that dazzles with imagination and message. I'd follow Wisp anywhere!

I love how there are themes here of rebellion, inheritance and a hero's journey that takes him to places northern literature has never visited before and it hit me about three chapters in that this is a movie waiting to happen.

Jamie Bastedo really did his homework with the Nighthawk people, and I love how they have their own constellations and their own rituals.

This novel never lets up. With its short chapters, readers will soar with Wisp as he flies the international windstreams, and I am hoping that this is the first of many novels with this series and family. What a read!

[Nancy H · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a unique story told from the point of view of a migrating nighthawk. For readers who like animal stories, this one is a winner. Wisp is a nighthawk with a secret: his inability to read the stars and navigate using them, an essential skill for nighthawks. He tells the story of what happens after his father is killed in a fire, and he, his mother, and sister are imprisoned in a South American bird colony. Wisp decides to escape and migrate north to the Arctic, near where he was born. His trip is full of danger, he isn't even sure he can find the way, and he is resentful of his sister, a weaker flyer, when she tags along. Help comes to him from unlikely places, though, and his sister does turn out to be helpful. This is an amazing animal story told as only Jamie Bastedo can tell it.

[Arlene Richards · Rating 3 out of 5]

A young adult book written with the story teller being a nighthawk. Ultimately this nighthawk is suppose to lead the migrating colony back to the Arctic but he has a learning problem. So he must devise his own methods of finding the route home. A high flying adventure unflolds as he soaring over two continents.

[C.I.]

I will be reviewing this book for the Waterloo Region Record.

[Lester · Rating 3 out of 5]

Young fiction pleases me when it is a good read. This book is very good. Written from the perspective of a young nighthawk..no 'human' voices..yea!