Bird Lake Moon

Starred review from April 7, 2008
In a novel as tender as his acclaimed Olive's Ocean
, Henkes probes the psyches of two boys facing family conflicts. Spending long, lonely days at his grandparents' lakeside home, 12-year-old Mitch Sinclair has plenty of time to brood about his parents' impending divorce and to plot against the family of “intruders†who have moved into his favorite spot, the house next door that he assumed was abandoned. What Mitch can't know is that the newcomers have been shaken by tragedy, the drowning of a child in the lake eight years ago, and their stay is destined to be short-lived. Mitch becomes friends with 10-year-old Spencer Stone, the elder of the surviving children, and as trust builds between them, the boys risk exchanging their family secrets. Tranquil Bird Lake serves as an effective setting for this reflective novel, with Henkes alternating between Mitch's and Spencer's points of view. The most remarkable aspect of the book may be the author's ability to isolate the sources of the boys' shared sense of loss and then to express, via easily recognizable and even ordinary experiences, their growing acceptance of what cannot be changed. Ages 10-14.

Starred review from March 1, 2008
Gr 4-7-Temporarily living with his mom at his grandparents' home on Bird Lake, 12-year-old Mitch Sinclair's plans to make the seemingly abandoned house next door his own are shattered when Spencer Stone arrives with his family. Both the Sinclairs and the Stones are in crisisMitch's parents are divorcing, and Spencer's parents are returning to the house for the first time since the death of their son Matty, who drowned there when Spencer was two. While each boy is deeply affected by his family's drama, both are powerless to influence its unfolding. Mitch, indignant at the Stoneses' intrusion, attempts to scare them off by creating mysterious signs that suggest a ghostly presence. Spencer observes these signs but chooses not to share them with his family. Eventually, the boys meet and connect immediately, leaving Mitch resolved to set things right. Characters are gently and believably developed as the story weaves in and around the beautiful Wisconsin setting. The superbly crafted plot moves smoothly and unhurriedly, mirroring a slow summer pace. Alternating perspectives between the boys gives readers deep insights into their feelings and actions. The secondary characters, the adults and Spencer's firecracker sister, Lolly, are also fully limned, complex individuals. Henkes creates compelling, child-centric images, excellent dialogue, and a believable resolution, with humor and just the right amount of tension to make this a significant and highly readable book. A "must-have" for every library that serves young people."Lee Bock, Glenbrook Elementary School, Pulaski, WI"

Copyright 2008 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from March 15, 2008
Mitch Sinclair, 12, is at Bird Moon Lake because his parents are divorcing. But there are tense moments with his grandparents, so Mitch fantasizes about moving into the empty house next door. Then Spencer Stone and his family, who own the cottage, arrive. Spencer and younger sister love the lake, but its also the place where their barely remembered brother, Matty, drowned at age four. Told in overlapping chapters, the story is spare. Mitch tricks Spencer into thinking Matty is haunting them; then hedoes something worse. After the boys become friends, the truth becomes both barrier and bridge. As in his Newbery Honor Book Olives Ocean (2003), every word counts, moving the story forward moment by moment. Yet the writing is as evocative as it is precise: fireflies are pinpricks of topaz. Emotions are just as carefully carved, turning characterization into portraiture; the children stand out in relief, against the deceptive tranquility of the lake. Some children may find the story too quiet or the ending too abrupt. But Henkes knows children and their secrets, and readers will lean close to hear the whispers.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)

May 1, 2008
Two boys meet while vacationing at a Wisconsin lake. Each has a story of loss. In alternating chapters we hear from Mitch, whose parents are divorcing, and from Spencer, whose older brother drowned when Spencer was two. The boys' growing friendship, forged in spite of shame, reticence, secrets, and misunderstandings, gives them a road out of sadness. The haiku-like title and sun-dappled cover illustration convey a reliable sense of this book's style -- unpretentious, spare, and timeless in the way of summers by the lake. "Mitch's sadness grew; it became a rock inside him, pulling him down." Spencer's younger sister Lolly, surely a second cousin to Henkes's picture book diva Lilly, provides a welcome, sparkling grace note. The events in this story are not intrinsically dramatic, but Henkes imbues them with thoughtful intensity by remaining firmly inside his child characters. As in his novel Words of Stone (rev. 3/93), he perfectly captures the power and comfort of odd little self-devised rituals. Bird Lake Moon is a convincing, if understated, depiction of the strength of children.

(Copyright 2008 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

July 1, 2008
In alternating chapters we hear from Mitch, whose parents are divorcing, and from Spencer, whose older brother drowned when Spencer was two. Their growing friendship, forged in spite of reticence, secrets, and misunderstandings, gives the boys a road out of sadness. Spare and unpretentious, the book is a convincing, understated depiction of the strength of children.

(Copyright 2008 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)