With Just One Wing

Gr 2-6–Twelve-year-old narrator Coop Garnette is adopted. Coop spends a lot of time with G-Pop who has retired from the Los Angeles Philharmonic. G-Pop watches the birds from his back porch; Coop and Zandi, a girl from the neighborhood, have also started watching the birds. When Coop sees a mama bird sitting on her nest, he wonders about his birth mother. A fledgling who gets left behind turns out to only have one wing, leading Coop and Zandi to cooperatively care for their new friend Hop. Throughout this wonderful story, Coop has several moments where he connects his life to the birds. Although, bird-watching may be a leisurely pursuit, the story is very fast-paced. Coop makes several impetuous decisions that don’t always end up how he imagines, and readers will be turning the pages quickly to see what happens. Regardless of whether readers are adopted or know someone who is, the story sings as an absorbing tale of a young boy who goes off course at times, but with his family’s love and support, comes out just fine on the other side.