Lynne Kelly’s follow up to Song for a Whale is another beautiful coming of age story about a girl and her efforts to help an animal in need. Nina is one of five in her family, right in the middle, who often feels like the odd one out, preferring birds to people. She agrees to go to her aunt’s summer camp with the caveat that she can go home any time.  During an initiation exercise to an off-limits cabin that is supposed to be haunted, Nina does think that she sees a ghost. Turns out to be a whooping crane, which seems impossible since these endangered birds haven’t nested in Texas, where camp is located, for a hundred years. Nina eventually confides in her bunkmates, three lovely, feisty campers who have labeled themselves the Oddballs, and together they monitor the bird and his mate (spoiler: Nina stays at camp).

Nina tells wildlife authorities about the birds, but not her aunt or any other campers. The secrecy of the bird monitoring makes this feel more thrilling than a book about bird-watching might usually be. And there is a mystery too: the female whooping crane does not have any trackers nor does she appear in any of the databases as a known, live crane. Nina is determined to solve who she is. With a fantastic nod to Kelly’s first novel, Nina reaches out to Iris, her Deaf neighbor, and protagonist of Song for a Whale. Iris is able to manipulate the sound technology that she used to create a whale song to help Nina with the crane identification.

Many kids dread the idea of long-term summer camp, especially if they attend as older campers. This book uses that relatable worry along with fascinating information about an awe-inspiring bird to craft a story about friendship, acceptance, conservation, and finding one’s voice. Recommend for all upper elementary and middle school collections.

Reviewed by Jill O’Connor, Falmouth Elementary School