By Colorado Kids Advisory Board member Natalie Zerwekh

Title: Birdland
Author: Tracy Mack
Illustrator: (none)
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Number of Pages: 198

Enter a bustling New York City neighborhood where the building's roofs have water towers and a boy, Jed, struggles to find his true identity while recovering from his older brother, Zeke's, death. Birdland, by Tracy Mack is an astounding story written completely in present- tense with an array of intriguing characters. When he must describe his neighborhood to his class, Jed, a shy boy who is misunderstood begins a project that not only will earn him a good grade but will bring him closer to Zeke. Zeke was a poet. While observing his neighbors and friends over Christmas break, Jed discovers connections between the poems Zeke wrote and the people surrounding him. But one poem, about a girl with hard-soft eyes that haunted Zeke's dreams, continues to puzzle Jed. Who is she? And can she bring him closer to his departed brother? This is a marvelous tale of gratitude and self-discovery.

I liked how the unique cast of characters makes a fictional neighborhood that seems like a real one. Something I thought was not well done was that it takes a few chapters before you know what's happening in the story.

I would recommend it for middle school students, although younger and older people might enjoy it as well. If you like Birdland, I suggest that you read Jacob Have I Loved, by Katherine Paterson, which is another story of finding one's self identity. You should also listen to some of Charlie "Bird" Parker's jazz music, which Jed enjoys in the book, as well as reading Our House: The Stories of Levittown, by Pam Conrad, which is also mentioned. (December, 2003)