Chasing Redbird Review

TW: Discussions of death

Yes, another great book by Sharon Creech. She is a favorite author of mine now. 

Chasing Redbird follows 13-year old Zinnia Taylor, or Zinny as she is nicknamed. She lives with her large family on a farm in Bybanks, Kentucky (not a real place in Kentucky, by the way). Living next door to them is her widower Uncle Nate. She was very close with her uncle, aunt, and cousin, as she would sometimes go over to their house to escape her noisy big house. But her aunt Jessie and her cousin Rose died a few years earlier, and Zinny feels guilty because she thought that she was responsible for their deaths (she was sick then her cousin Rose got infected and died, and aunt Jessie happen to die shortly after one day Zinny showed her a snake, which aunt Jessie was horribly afraid of). Even after everyone in her family told her it was never her fault. 

Well, one day Zinny discovers that the small stone-paved trail behind her house that she sometimes walked with her aunt and uncle is longer than she thought, and then after a field trip to the local museum she sees some maps and discovers this trail was an old trail connecting her town and another town over. She starts a big project to uncover and clear the trail, thinking that God will forgive her for all the mistakes she made if she could do something good for uniting the two communities. Sometimes her uncle Nate still walks on the trail to find his "redbird" (a nickname for Aunt Jessie), as he thinks she might still be alive and he takes pictures for proof, but their really just pictures of cardinals. As Zinny clears the trail, she discovers more things about her family and her Bybanks community.

While this is all going on, she also deals with a boy she used to have a crush on named Jake, who moved away from Bybanks when Zinny was young but recently moved back and works at the local convenience store. Zinny thinks that Jake likes her back, but she wonders if he actually likes her older sister May, as Zinny has had a history of guys talking to her but who they were really interested in was May. Jake gives her a lot of gifts that she asks for, but some of the gifts usually end in disaster (like when she found out the dog he gave her was stolen from some neighbors). Despite his oddness, Jake does help Zinny with her trail project from time to time. Things are complicated between them!

This book was soooo sad at times, but also soooo uplifting at times too. I think it perfectly captures the feeling of growing up and learning that not everything is what it seems. It's a great coming-of-age story with a small town feel to it. 

I gave it 4 stars. 

The book also takes place in the same universe as Walk Two Moons and Absolutely Normal Chaos, also by the same author. Sal Hiddle from Walk Two Moons used to be Zinny's friend, and her farm was not to far from Zinny's. Zinny references her from time to time in the story.

Do you have a new favorite author this year?