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Book Summary and Reviews of Wild Bird by Wendelin Van Draanen

Wild Bird by Wendelin Van Draanen

Wild Bird

by Wendelin Van Draanen

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  • Published:
  • Sep 2017, 320 pages
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About this book

Book Summary

In her most incisive and insightful book yet, Wendelin Van Draanen, award-winning author of The Running Dream and Flipped, offers a remarkable portrait of a girl who has hit rock bottom, but begins a climb back to herself at a wilderness survival camp in the desert.

3:47 a.m. That's when they come for Wren Clemmens. She's hustled out of her house and into a waiting car, then a plane, and then taken on a forced march into the desert. This is what happens to kids who've gone so far off the rails, their parents don't know what to do with them anymore. This is wilderness therapy camp. Eight weeks of survivalist camping in the desert. Eight weeks to turn your life around. Yeah, right.

The Wren who arrives in the Utah desert is angry and bitter, and blaming everyone but herself. But angry can't put up a tent. And bitter won't start a fire. Wren's going to have to admit she needs help if she's going to survive.

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Reviews

Media Reviews

"Featuring evocative descriptions of landscape and psychological insight into a troubled teen, Van Draanen's story is engrossing and inspiring. " - Publishers Weekly

"A hopeful novel that demonstrates that people can change. Give to readers who enjoy survivalist tales." - School Library Journal

"A memorable book about family, friendship, forgiveness, and second chances." - Kirkus Reviews

"I read Wild Bird in one long mesmerized gulp. Wren will break your heart—and then mend it." - Nancy Werlin, National Book Award finalist for The Rules of Survival

"An exhilarating story of survival and second chances." - Dana Reinhardt, author of Tell Us Something True

"Wild Bird grabbed me by the wrist on page one—it's riveting." - Jenny Hubbard, author of And We Stay, a Printz Honor Book

This information about Wild Bird was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

Reader Reviews

Write your own reviewwrite your own review

Joanna

Wild Bird-
After I finished reading this book, I felt so inspired and amazed at the same time! I read this book in 3 days because I could not put it down. This is a really amazing book!

Alex

Amazing book
Wild bird is a heartwarming story that explains how anyone can change if they really try to.

Brooke

Wild Bird
I just finished reading this book and I couldn't put it down. Wren is a hilarious character and she has a very big heart. r The whole book she at the not-so-fun camp her parents have sent her off to. She has 1 canteen of water to survive the week and some other unthinkable things. She also has flashbacks throughout the entire story. I highly recommend this book to realistic/historical fiction lovers.

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Author Information

Wendelin Van Draanen

Wendelin Van Draanen is the author of many beloved and award-winning books. For middle graders, she's written The Secret Life of Lincoln Jones, Swear to Howdy, and the Sammy Keyes mystery series. For teens and tweens, there's Flipped, The Running Dream, Confessions of a Serial Kisser, and Runaway. And for younger readers, check out the Shredderman quartet and the Gecko and Sticky series. Wendelin Van Draanen lives in central California with her husband and two sons. Find her on the Web at WendelinVanDraanen.com

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More Recommendations

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