The story follows Will, who recently lost his mother and gets sent to live with his Uncle in the countryside. A child uprooted during an intense time in their life to live with a virtual stranger in an environment the complete opposite of what he is used to.
My daughter and I really enjoyed this book. It was a moving story. Heart breaking in many places but overall heart warming. My 10 years old daughter really loved the main character. The theme of loss is dealt with in a way that give hope. High recommended.

This was wholesome and enjoyable! Not a standout for me, but really sweet and would totally resonate with kids who are bird and nature lovers.

Bird Boy isn’t an easy read but real life isn’t easy. It is however a book full of hope which beautifully showcases the importance of connections - how family can be found and how nature helps to heal. It sensitively includes how difficult it can be to trust after trauma and how important it is to allow young people to ask for help and finding their voices. This is a book I look forward to sharing with the children I teach - knowing it will shape and stay with them as all good stories do.

I adored Catherine Bruton's No Ballet Shoes in Syria (review here), and she's done it again! Every bit as moving and empathetic, Bird Boy is a story of grief, upheaval, family, friendship, mental health and nature.

As with No Ballet Shoes in Syria, Bird Boy sensitively explores the effects war can have on young people and families; here we meet Omar who is a refugee from Afghanistan, having fled and made a dangerous journey here, losing his father on the way and living now with no idea where, or how, his family are. However, unlike No Ballet Shoes, Omar's story is not our main focus here.

Instead, Omar's main role here is a supportive one. He is the one helping someone else find their feet after their life is turned upside down and they are uprooted from what they know.

I loved this. In a world where the far right are a presence going nowhere and the tired, incorrect and deeply upsetting narrative of refugees and immigrants as burdensome, a drain, inferior... it feels so important to have books like this challenging that.

Omar is not Other; he is a regular, smart and hopeful kid. We see his own struggles too, and there's some particularly moving scenes towards the end of the book that you may want to have some tissues at the ready for, but in the main, Omar is Will's rock and the kindest friend.

Which is lucky, because Will is going through it. He has spent years caring for his mum in their flat which she has become increasingly scared for either of them to leave. When she dies, he is sent to live with his unknown uncle in the mountains - about as far removed from his previous life as could be.

Or so he thinks, but he soon discovers the one thing that does overlap is his love of birds, so when he and Omar find a family of ospreys in trouble, they make it their mission to help them...at any cost.

And so begins an atmospheric adventure, full of the power and wonder of nature; I felt the hail and rain and wind battering me; I slipped and wobbled nervously through the treacherous climbs, hearing pebbles skitter off below my feet.

There are some incredibly tense scenes, you will find yourself holding your breath more than once, and moments of such sorrow and pain. But alongside them is an incredible amount of joy, hope, community and positivity. Which really feels like what the world needs right now.

Hugely moving, utterly gripping and immensely relevant - Bruton has done it again.

I really liked this book and I think it was really interesting.
I love that the two friends worked together to care for the baby chick.

A wonderful read. I would highly recommend this and I think it would work well as a class read or English text for Y6 or Y7.

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What an emotional book!
Imagine losing your mum, thinking it's your fault, being sent to live with a relative you didn't know you had before being sent to another country to live with family you hardly know. Well, that's the start of the story for Will. He's lived with his mum for years, and she has gradually declined healthwise until it was just the 2 of them living in the flat, not seeing anyone. One day, something tragic happens, and Will has to move away to his uncle's.
Throughout the story, you find out about his life and what happened to make him move. The backstory is drip fed in, and you have to piece it all together until there's a final blowout, and he explains it all.
It's really cleverly written, and the parallels between Will, the birds, and his new friend Omar are lovely.
There are some tough themes and conversations in here, but this is a story that should be read by children, especially those who are in similar situations or know people like Will.

A moving and searingly emotional read, reminded me of the classic A Kestrel for a Knave by Barry Hines. I loved No Ballet Shoes in Syria and this is just as good!

This story is just stunning - a beautifully written and compelling story for younger (and older) readers themes of nature, grief, friendship and family, and love. I felt all the emotions reading this, and it took me back to my love of nature and classics such as A Kestral for a Knave, but with a much better ending. This is definitely a classic in the making, and a story with characters I adored and know I'll want to reread and lose myself in the beautiful connections between the characters and nature.

A lovely, delicate and empowering exploration of several difficult themes about grief, change and anxiety.
It is beautifully told - it is life and nature affirming, and promotes resilience and friendship.

A wonderful new book by Catherine Bruton. Touching and beautiful. I know this will be loved by my class.

I have read several of Catherine Bruton's other novels, but 'Bird Boy' is my favourite. Touching on a range of topics including mental health and child carers, this is a carefully nuanced read for children in year 6-year 8. A gripping read, I found myself cheering for Will to succeed as he made all the wrong choices for all the right reasons. Far more than a 21st century update of Barry Hines' classic story 'A Kestral for a Knave', 'Bird Boy' deserves a place in every school library. Thank you to Netgalley for my ARC novel, I will definitely be buying copies for my school library.

A great read. As soon as I finished, I started to think about how I could fit in reading it to my class! Bird Boy is definitely not an easy read but in showing the impact of trauma on children, and their potential to heal, it is an important one. Whereas the themes are tough, the prose is effortless to read.

Two children from massively different backgrounds, both dealing with huge amounts of trauma, come to live in a valley in the Lakes.

Will’s mother has recently died in an accident. She was suffering terribly with mental ill health before her accident and Will, removed from school and isolated from everyone, was in a very vulnerable and difficult position- not wanting to let his mum down but not getting his needs met.
Omar is a refugee from the conflict in Afghanistan. He made a dangerous journey to the UK and does not know the status of his loved ones.


The boys are brought together and bond over their appreciation of birds. For both boys, birds represent a connection to a happier past and to family.
Life in the valley takes a surpising turn when they happen upon a family of osprey. One of the baby birds is thrown from her nest during a storm leading the boys into a battle to keep her alive.

Parallels are drawn between the baby bird, Whitetip, in the hands of her would-be saviours and Will and Omar’s lives in the British countryside, learning to trust, learning to hope again.

When the baby bird becomes ill in their captivity, Will begins to experience flashbacks to his mum when she was critically ill in hospital- it’s at this point we learn more about the horrors he has experienced and the thoughts he is harbouring.

In Bird Boy, we see the healing potential of nature; storytelling as catharsis; and the need for consistent, patient, trustworthy adults who give children with trauma time and the tools to heal. Will’s mother’s mental ill-health is dealt with sensitively and with empathy but it is also a stark depiction of how children can become very vunerable, where a lone parent becomes seriously ill in this way. Catherine Bruton is keen to foreground stories of refugees and the story of Omar here is another brilliant counter-narrative to the newspaper headlines.
Anyone should consider the themes of the book ahead of reading or recommending to children.

When 12 year=old Will's mum dies in a accident, he is sent far away from his high-rise home in the city, to stay in a remote Lake District village with an uncle he's never met, while he waits for a permanent home with his grandparents in Australia.

With echoes of The Secret Garden and A Kestrel for a Knave, Birdboy has the feel of a timeless classic. Perhaps what is referred to these days as a quiet book, it never feels quiet. Will's beautifully rendered story pulses with a sense of place, vivid characters and a perfectly-paced revelation of his traumatic past, as it collides with his current quest to save an injured osprey chick and nurse it (and himself) back to health.

By turns heart-rending and joyful, Catherine Bruton's deceptively simple prose provides a tender exploration of mental illness, grief and the role nature and human connection can play in recovery.

A book which will linger in my heart.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for providing the chance to listen to the audiobook version of this title.

I've recently read the amazing 'No Ballet Shoes in Syria' by this author so leapt on this, her new book for 9-12-year-olds (published this week), with great anticipation. And it's great! Perhaps not as surprising or original as Ballet Shoes, but a fabulous read with emotion, grief, healing and hope, and strong messages about family and community, conservation and the environment.

Eleven-year-old Will has recently lost his mum and is due to be sent across the world to live with grandparents in Australia. Until the details can be finalised, he's sent to stay with his uncle in the mountains. 

Naturally he's finding everything difficult to deal with but enjoys losing himself in the countryside, and making friends with Omar, a refugee fro Afghanistan.

The boys discover an osprey nest with two chicks and build a strong bond with the birds. So much so that when one of the chicks, which they've named Whitetip, is knocked out of the nest, Will rescues it, takes it home and seeks to keep it alive.

This is a great read, full of adventure, courage and resourcefulness. There are powerful messages in the book but overall it's a story of hope and community. Uplifting and moving.

Oh my goodness. I loved No Ballet Shoes in Syria so this was definitely one I had to beg Nosy Crow for a copy of (thanks Sîan). Was I disappointed? Absolutely not. The fact that Catherine Bruton is a teacher, and still has time to research and write books of this calibre is amazing.

Bird Boy is in fact Will. He lived with his mother, who is clearly suffering with her mental health, in a high rise flat, until the accident. When his mother dies, he meets her brother for the first time. Ian Oakley's life is far removed from Will's city home, but he has to stay here until his Grandparents in Australia can collect him. Ian lives in rural Scotland, by a lake and mountains. And Ian is not exactly talkative, although to be fair neither is Will. Will has hardly ventured outside in two years, now he has to join a Nature Club while his uncle is at work, he works for Mountain rescue.
At Nature Club Will meets Omar, a refugee from Afghanistan. Omar quickly notices Will's tapping and counting, but he isn't bothered - he says they're all different he can't keep still. Omar lives with Carrie-Ann who runs the Nature Club.
When the boys see something that can't possibly be they go up the mountain to investigate. It is an Osprey - in fact it is a pair with two chicks, and one looks straight at Will - his mother always said that everyone comes back as a bird. Will and Omar watch the, but one day the male doesn't return and the boys decide to help. Will takes it one step further when the female chick falls from the nest. He takes it back and hides it in Ian's barn. It is against teh law to touch an osprey but he couldn't leave her to die. The boys feed her, hiding her from Carrie-Ann and Ian. Until the day Will has no choice he has to ask for help....
Can Will overcome his grief? Will Omar find out about his family? Will has to go to Australia soon, how can he do this with the chick in the barn? As she grows, so does Will's confidence but can he ask Ian that question?

This book has themes of mental health, loss, grief, immigration and refugees plus the obvious need for the healing touch that nature gives when we look after it. I totally loved this and will be placing it straight into the hands of one of the year 5 girls who came to my reading group as I think she will love it. This will appeal also to all those fans of Gill Lewis's nature based books. Again, thanks to Nosy Crow for this early copy. Out 9th May, this should fly off the shelves! (sorry couldn't resist)

I loved this book. The characters were well developed and you rooted for them. This book lets children see how different and difficult childhood can be for some children and should evoke empathy for both Will and Omar. Furthermore, it highlights the importance of engaging with nature to boost your mental health. A very moving, touching book which I feel my class would really enjoy and I will be recommending. It reminded me of some of Katya Balen's books, she's another great children's author.

Catherine Bruton has written a beautiful book on the power of nature to heal.
Will is broken. His mentally unwell mother has just died and he's moved out of the city to live with his uncle Ian who is a part of a mountain rescue team - deep in the mountains. Will didn't know that Uncle Ian existed and reeling from his mother's death and her previous illness Will finds himself having to be outside and go to school after two years of being bound to their highrise flat.
But Will is obsessed with birds. Bruton avoids clichédapproaches to liberty and freedom but Will does recognise the freedom that he's missing. What emerges from this wonderful Nosy Crow book is an exploration of the powers of nature to heal even the most broken. Uncle Ian is a vetran of the Afghan wars and as an air rescue pilot of a helicopter he can find ways to continue with his passion for flying but in a way that brings help not hell.
Exploring broken people of a wide variety, Will's new friend Omar is a wonderful character, Bruton focuses on not the being broken but on the ways that community and nature can mend them. Gorgeous descriptions of landscape as well as a wonderful rensition of young 12 year Will's experiences and perceptions make this a beautiful book for a class read or to share with Year 7 and 8.
Incredibly moving and thoughtfully explored, Bird Boy is a strong recommnedation from me. It should do well in awards season - I really hope it does.

This is such a lovely book. We read this together with the children and it had us all crying. It is such a compassionate book dealing with grief, fear of change and the healing power of nature. We cannot wait to buy a real copy to add to our carefully curated book shelves.