'Birdie' is a superb animal story and historical novel for middle-grade readers which tells the beautiful tale of the attachment between a child and a pit pony in a Yorkshire mining village in the 1950s. Birdie Bagshaw has grown up in a special children's home in Leeds for the so-called 'brown babies' (the children of white British women and African-American GIs), meaning that she has been sheltered from much of the racial prejudice that was common at this time. But when she is sent to live with her great-aunt and great-uncle in the Yorkshire Dales, she is shocked by the racist treatment she receives. Hiding from her tormentors in the old coal mine, she encounters and befriends the last of the pit ponies, whom she names Mr Duke. But when she learns that Mr Duke himself is under threat due to the closure of the mine, she hatches a desperate plan to rescue him.

This is a deeply moving story, and readers will find it impossible not to fall in love both with Birdie and with Mr Duke. It also introduces young readers to some important social history of which they may well be unaware - both to do with mining communities and the unsung role of pit ponies but also an important pre-Windrush chapter of Black British history: there were around 2,000 'brown babies, roughly half of whom grew up in segregated children's homes because of the fierce stigma they and their mothers faced. J.P. Rose does not shy away from the ugliness of racism but also shows how people and communities can change their views to become more welcoming and inclusive.

I would highly recommend this book to any older primary and younger secondary readers, and anyone else who is interested in this period of history . Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an ARC to review!

I absolutely loved this book. Birdie is such a wonderful character and it was a beautiful and emotional read. I'll be getting a copy for my classroom.

Set in the 1950s, BIRDIE follows the protagonist of the same name, a ten-year-old girl living in a children’s home in Leeds - until her great-aunt and uncle invite her to come and live with them in their little village in the Dales. However, Birdie stands out even before she leaves Leeds: she’s mixed-race, and in the all-white village, only a tiny proportion of people are welcoming - if anyone. However, Birdie finds a kindred spirit in Mr. Duke, the last pit pony in residence in the now-nationalised coal mine, and soon her mission turns into a race against time to save him from the grinding existence of the mine - and from the knackers.

Almost immediately, the premise of BIRDIE might be familiar, though this isn’t something that works to its detriment (the opposite, in fact): it’s strikingly similar to THE SECRET GARDEN, with a young protagonist leaving their previous life to live with previously unknown relatives in Yorkshire who, though initially spiky and unwelcoming, overcome the lingering pain of their pasts with the help of the new figure in their household, who forms a close relationship with nature in the process. However, unlike Mary Lennox - who I’m sure has aggravated generations since publication - Birdie is a delight to read. She’s a driven little chatterbox, full of opinions, and her love of animals - from the pigeons at the children’s home and her ladybirds kept in numerous matchboxes, to the pony Mr Duke - is beautifully woven in. Particularly enjoyable is the consistent use of Yorkshire dialect within the dialogue for the duration of the novel, which gives it a sense of authenticity and such a concrete sense of location that it’s easy to be transported, not to mention a distinct narrative voice which sometimes gets missing in stricter RP-based editing.

Even if Birdie wasn’t such an enjoyable character to read, the depictions of racism within the novel are heartbreaking despite their tailored appropriateness for a children’s novel teaching about anti-racism. The daughter of a white woman and a Black American GI during the Second World War, the children’s home in which Birdie spends the first decade of her life is one of the numerous homes for ‘brown babies’ established following the end of the war, due to stigma placed on mothers for having illegitimate, mixed-race children, and the belief that only white children would be taken in by foster families (in the second season of her brilliant podcast BAD WOMEN, Hallie Rubenhold does an equally brilliant episode on the treatment of these ‘brown babies’, which I really recommend if you’re curious for further information!). Many of the injustices Birdie faces take the form of micro-aggressions (which often breach into very much macro-aggressions), from jabs about her hair and being stared at in the village, to asking her where she’s really from and assuming she must be cheating when she gives correct answers in school. Especially visceral is her great-aunt’s initial refusal to acknowledge her as her relative, made especially poignant due to Birdie’s background within the children’s home, filled with children alike her, and her relationship with the motherly Mrs Dudley, who she repeatedly thinks of when her aunt treats her coldly: in an all-white environment for the first time in her life, Birdie quite literally cannot work out why she’s being singled out until about halfway through the novel. Heartbreaking from two perspectives - the dramatic irony from readers who understand precisely what’s going, and the jarring truth, perhaps for young readers being introduced to the concept for the first time - I was very much reminded of Sam Selvon’s novel THE LONELY LONDONERS and the comments from its ensemble cast: the only difference between racism in 1950s America and 1950s England was that in England, people pretended to be more polite about it.

One of the biggest triumphs of BIRDIE, aside from its ability to pull on the heartstrings (and make me cry), is the seamlessly woven-in historical context throughout: often, it’s unclear where we designate ‘history’ to really begin, so the 1950s isn’t really a distinct time with coverage in historical fiction. Birdie as a newcomer character is an excellent device to make this accessible, however: her perspective conveys new information in a way which is unlikely to overwhelm young readers, and even complex topics, such as the nationalisation of coal mines by the Labour government following the Second World War, is made tangible and understandable through Birdie’s interactions in Barrington Dale. The shadows of the War are still visible in the village, on a macro level through the almost-closed mine, but on a much more personal level through the lost son of Birdie’s aunt and uncle, who quite literally haunts the narrative as a photograph until his identity is revealed (how very SECRET GARDEN). While Birdie’s aunt is a fairly horrid figure at the novel’s inception, this weaving of historical context - grieving a son lost to war without much closure - she’s also a complex one, and one which, to her credit, overcomes her initial feelings and is soon Birdie’s staunch defender; it’s a really deft characterisation by Rose, to present her as both a suffering and grieving woman while similarly a cold figure in an environment where change is not only rare, but unwelcome, and her change of behaviours is very gratifying to read.

If BIRDIE’s first act is evocative of THE SECRET GARDEN, the remainder of the novel is almost an updated BLACK BEAUTY. Stumbling into the coal mine to hide from bullies, Birdie discovers a pony she names Mr Duke; a pit pony used to pull coal about the mine following the outlawing of children working in mines, Birdie is horrified to learn that he is almost destined to spend his entire life underground, and becomes determined to at first ease his laborious existence, before her outright rescue mission to save him from the (sincerely very creepy) knacker. The pit pony welfare outrage to Anna Sewell’s bearing-rein hatred, the theme of both Birdie and Mr Duke as outsiders in such a distinctive time-period is really touching. Current middle-grade is full of children forming unique bonds with animals, but Rose adopts an approach to this which really stands out in the current market. Birdie also makes for a unique take on the horse-girl archetype in middle-grade: she doesn’t obsess over expensive equipment or winning showjumping competitions, but following a life in urban Leeds and isolation in Barrington Dale, is quite simply enamoured with Mr Duke - established through her gift of an encyclopedia about horses, which she reads aloud at regular intervals in a very relatable depiction of a child with Lots to Say.

Twisting familiar tropes and narratives into a new story altogether, BIRDIE is a really sweet middle-grade with lots of heart. It’s a book I can imagine becoming the basis for numerous classroom discussions, not to mention conversations between young readers and relatives who may have lived during the 50s, and may understand some of Birdie’s more obscure historical references: by taking aspects of history which have been so consistently neglected, Rose has established a book which is bound to take up semi-permanent residence on numerous Waterstones tables, and not just in the North.

Full of emotion and character, Birdie (and Mr Duke's!) story will live in your heart long after you've enjoyed the very last last pages.
A wonderful, heartfelt and gripping story.

Birdie, who is of mixed race, is bullied after moving in with her great-aunt.
A pony has had a similar life, and together, they overcome hatred.
Perfect length, 4.5 stars for children and MG, 4 stars for adult readers.

The healing power and true and complete joy that animals can bring, especially in times of horror. The most beautiful read!

Thank you NetGalley and Andersen Press for this eCopy to review

Birdie was an engaging read about how Birdie overcomes racism and lonliness when she is sent from her childrens' home in Leeds to live with her Great Aunt is a Yorkshire Village. Birdie becomes friends with a Pit horse, Mr Duke who she is determined to rescue, leading to Birdie running away with him. After a disaster at the mine she rushes back, will they make it in time?

A great story of how friendships are made, finding the courage to do what is right, and never giving up.

Once I had started this book, I couldn't put it down and that is all down to Birdie herself. A positive, honest, unbeatable girl, full of character and strength and one who personally I would have loved as a friend.
Birdie is sent from a foster home for children of babies born from British women and American GIs in post war Britain, to live in the Yorkshire Dales. Birdie does not see the colour of her skin as different as she has only lived with similar children and experiences harsh racism, comments and patronising from people she meets. This upsets Birdie but she rises up against it with her undefeatable spirit. It is this generosity and spirit that comes in to play when she forms a friendship with a pit pony she calls Mr Duke. She can't bear the thought of him being sent to the abbatoir and takes off with him. They soon run into trouble and I won't spoil the ending but I was heartbroken and sobbing at one point!
JP Rose writes in such an accessible style for all and gives lots of historical information about coal mining, pit ponies and post war Britain. This book is an absolute triumph.

What an emotional rollercoaster! I have been transported back to Yorkshire in the 1950s in a story full of courage, hope and resilience. Birdie herself is such a beautiful character and it has left me in tears at the end. I read this in one sitting because it was impossible to stop.
I should also mention the wealth of information at the end about mining and pit ponies, children’s homes and racism after the Second World War. Thoroughly recommend you find a copy when it is published in October.

Immerse yourself in the captivating tale of Birdie, the latest literary gem from the pen of J.P. Rose, published by Andersen Press. This middle-grade historical fiction is set to grace bookshelves in October 2024, marking the second release of a riveting two-book deal.

Journey back to the 1950s in Leeds, where young Birdie’s life takes an unexpected turn. Uprooted from the familiar surroundings of a children’s home for mixed-race children, she finds herself whisked away to the Yorkshire Dales to live with her Great Aunt Mabel. But the welcome she receives is far from warm. Birdie quickly learns that she is not the niece the town—or her family—anticipated.

Facing a barrage of bullying from both kids and adults alike, Birdie runs for safety when things take a turn, and her hiding place is lowered into the depths of the town’s coal mine. There, in the shadows, she encounters a majestic pit pony, abandoned and forgotten in the dimming light of the mine’s closure. Naming him Mr. Duke, Birdie discovers solace in their shared isolation.

As Mr. Duke’s safety is called into question, Birdie devises a daring rescue that could not only secure his fate but also that of the entire town. Will her plan ignite a spark of hope and change, or will it collapse like the mine that encases them?

Not only does Birdie capture what I believe to be the true magic of historical fiction (sharing experiences, voices, and facts that most of us may never have encountered), but J.P. Rose has managed to capture that Northern heart and soul effortlessly. From the North myself, it’s rare to find Northern protagonists who successfully capture the language, relationships, and culture that comes with being so.

Devoured in a single session, the book’s rhythm canters across the pages, a testament to Rose’s narrative prowess rather than mere chance. Every line trots with purpose, distilling secondary actions into mere phrases, allowing the reader to live in the throes of action and emotion. Alongside Birdie, Great Aunt Mabel has one of the most incredible character arcs of the book, so much so that I found myself in tears at several points.

Birdie confronts the shadows of the 1950s—racism, ignorance—with a light that also touches on grief, loss, and the profound bonds of adoption, both human and animal. All these themes are crafted brilliantly into the storytelling so that even the youngest of middle grade readers will be able to learn a thing or ten from this novel. Moreover, the historical annotations that conclude the book were extra informative, even to myself in my 30s, continuing to prove that we’re never too old to learn from children’s books!

Birdie is a story of resilience and the power of friendship, where a girl and her pony dare to challenge the status quo and dream of a brighter tomorrow. A story that I will be telling anyone and everyone to purchase in October. To those as lucky as myself to read this before then, prepare to be enchanted by the northern voices, historical reference points (that even the oldest of us may not even know) and the heart-warming bond between a girl and her animal companion, in a release that promises to tug at your heartstrings.