An award winning modern fairy tale about friendship and family, for
fans of Bridge to Terabithia
Twelve-year-old John Fischer Jr., "Little John" as he's always been
known, is spending the hot Texas summer helping his father to clear
trees for Mr. King, the richest and most powerful man in town. Then one
day he hears a song through the brush, one so beautiful that it stops
him in his tracks. He follows the melody and finds, not a bird, but a
young girl sitting in the branches of a tall sycamore tree. There's
something magical about this girl, Gayle, especially her soaring singing
voice.
Little John's home is full of sorrow over his sister's death and endless
stress over money troubles. But his friendship with Gayle quickly
becomes the one bright spot in tough times . . . until Mr. King forces
Little John into an impossible choice: risk his family's wages and
survival, or put Gayle's future in danger.
Inspired by a Hans Christian Andersen story, Nightingale's Nest is an
unforgettable novel about a boy with the weight of the world on his
shoulders and a girl with the gift of healing in her voice.
Magical realism meets coming of age in this sensitive and haunting
novel.--BCCB, starred review
Smart and beautiful . . . Once you've read it, you'll have a hard time
getting it out of your head."--Elizabeth Bird, School Library Journal
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