Bird Lake Moon
by Kevin Henkes
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 111)
Read in January, 2008
Kevin Henkes has been a favorite author of mine for a very long time. I read Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse until the pages fell out when I was little, and I was so jealous when the other fifth grade class read Olive’s Ocean. Thus I had great expectations for Bird Lake Moon.
I still am debating whether or not I liked the book. The writing is great, and the stories are real. Sometimes the boy’s emotions seemed dry, but then they act normally again. The ending is perfect, and not what I exp...more
I still am debating whether or not I liked the book. The writing is great, and the stories are real. Sometimes the boy’s emotions seemed dry, but then they act normally again. The ending is perfect, and not what I exp...more
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Read in June, 2008
Henkes is such a craftsman. I can appreciate all the skills and thoughts and wonderful passages that he puts into this and many other titles: all of them high quality works! But my realization today is that I don't particularly love the Impressionistic artworks. I have seen and "understood" the "Water Lilies" of Manet, for example -- hey, I even visited and was thrilled by Monet's garden at Giverny. And I understand how impressive the techniques are to combine Just Right t...more
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Read in April, 2008
recommends it for:
teens, pre-teens, families
Mitch Sinclair (age 12) wants a new life. His parents are separated and he has moved into his grandparents' house on Bird Lake for the summer. It has only been a little while, but his grandmother is already dropping hints, and his mother and grandmother's relationship is straining. The house next door is empty, and Mitch is so sure it would be a perfect place to live that he has begun to stake his claim. Not so fast! Spencer Stone (age 10) and his family just pulled up, and they own the p...more
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Read in July, 2008
While I have yet to meet a Kevin Henkes picture book I don't love, his chapter books are pretty uneven in my opinion. Bird Lake Moon however is pretty great with believable characterization. This is a compelling story about 2 boys becoming friends despite each being nearly overwhelmed with difficult family problems.
I found this story so much more believable than Olive's Ocean (I don't even remember anything about that book, only I thought the girl a fraud). This moved along at a nice clip...more
I found this story so much more believable than Olive's Ocean (I don't even remember anything about that book, only I thought the girl a fraud). This moved along at a nice clip...more
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Read in June, 2008
A quiet summer story. On the shores of Bird Lake, Mitch is twelve and coming to grips with his parents' divorce. He fantasizes about moving into the empty house next door.
Ten year old Spencer is part of the family that owns that house, which has stood unused for eight years ever since his older brother Matty drowned in Bird Lake at age four.
When Mitch discovers Spencer's family, he sees them as "intruders" and decides to play pranks, making Spencer believe that the house is...more
Ten year old Spencer is part of the family that owns that house, which has stood unused for eight years ever since his older brother Matty drowned in Bird Lake at age four.
When Mitch discovers Spencer's family, he sees them as "intruders" and decides to play pranks, making Spencer believe that the house is...more
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Read in January, 2008
recommends it for:
Children's lit devotees
My overriding question upon finishing Bird Lake Moon:
Is this really a book for children, or is it a book about them?
Of course, it's well-written. Kevin Henkes knows exactly how kids and their families react and interact in fragile situations, so the emotions and actions of the characters are believable, even insightful. But to me, the whole thing felt a bit like an out-of-body experience. There's just something awfully adult about the writing itself, something too ...more
Is this really a book for children, or is it a book about them?
Of course, it's well-written. Kevin Henkes knows exactly how kids and their families react and interact in fragile situations, so the emotions and actions of the characters are believable, even insightful. But to me, the whole thing felt a bit like an out-of-body experience. There's just something awfully adult about the writing itself, something too ...more
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Read in May, 2008
The emotions and actions of the characters were very real and true-to-life, but something about the writing was lacking. It didn't seem consistent. Carefully crafted descriptive phrases were followed by dull explanations of the characters' feelings. There wasn't enough suspense or surprise to hold my attention...I felt like I knew too much for the plot to be interesting. However, I'm glad that the "ghost of Matty" wasn't played out as the central plot line. I appreciate how Henkes...more
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Read in July, 2008
Darn the fuzzy, old-fashioned cover - no boy in the world is going to be attracted to it. And this is a fine boy book. Introspective and contemplative, it is true, but who says boys don't have feelings? Two families are staying by a lake. 12-year-old Mitch and his mom are staying with Mitch's grandparents because his father has left the family. 10-year-old Spencer and his family are back at the lake, 8 years after Spencer's older brother drowned one summer. This isn't so much a friendship ...more
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Read in June, 2008
This story is a moment in time of two boys and their families - Mitch, 12, is dealing with the first changes that come with his parents divorce while living with his grandparents. He longs to live in the house next door and is devasted when the actual owners come to stay. Spencer, 10, is visiting the summer home with his family for the first time since his older brother drowned there ten years before. Beautiful writing and wonderful characters make up this story that spotlights a difficult ti...more
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Read in January, 2008
Mitch claims the vacant cottage next door to his grandparents' lake house as his own. When the owners show up, he decides to scare them off by making them believe that the house is haunted. Twelve-yeaer-old Spencer is the only ones who sees Mitch's messages, and he inteprets them as being from his older brother who had drowned in Bird Lake eight years earlier. Effectively told in alternating points of view, a tenuous friendship grows between the two boys in spite of the fabricated haunting.
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I debated giving this book two stars rather than three. I felt Henkes did a great job capturing the spirit of the tween years. The feelings of loss and anger a child of divorcing parents has were spot on. In addition, I thought the "walking on eggshells" demeanor was aptly portrayed by the sibling of a drowned boy. Overall, I thought the book was lacking something, somewhere along the way - I confess to being unable to pinpoint what that something was....
I was taken with the endi...more
I was taken with the endi...more
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Kevin Henkes is usually praised for writing accurately about a child's thought's and feelings. This is nowhere more true than in this book. He captures the frustration and fear of two kids dealing with the fallout of events that are beyond their control, and does so with grace. I only wish there was more of a plot, more of a story arc. I realize that would detract from the realistic feel of the book, so I supposed that is more of a preference than a critique.
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Read in April, 2008
recommends it for:
ages 10 up
Two boys facing a difficult period in their lives meet at a lake near Madison where their families have cottages. 12 year old Mitch's parents are divorcing, and Spencer's family mourns the drowning death of an older child whom Spencer never knew. Henkes' style captures the inarticulate grief and longing of the boys perfectly. A superb novel.
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Read in May, 2008
Henkes' novels are quieter and more introspective than other children's books, but they are beautifully written and deeply respectful of the inner lives of their child protagonists. Also, Henkes has a way of creating a turn of phrase to describe an object or an emotion that is so creative and visual that you can't help pausing for a moment and thinking, "Yeah, that's exactly the way to describe it."
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Read in July, 2008
recommended to Jamie by:
Capitol Choices
The writing is lovely but ultimately I felt it was much more of a "mood" piece than a real child-focused story. I wondered about audience - it's a boy book but it's also quiet and introspective. If anyone has had any child readers I'd really like to know!
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Read in June, 2008
Haven't I already read this book? The plot is similar to that of STONE WORDS (characters aren't quite so over the top, but there's still a lot of tooth tapping) and the book had the feel of OLIVE'S OCEAN. I wanted to love it, but I didn't.
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Read in July, 2008
This book had a great sense of place, and very believable characters -- 12 year old Mitch, suffering from his father's recent abandonment of their family, and 10 year old Spencer, whose family is visiting Bird Lake for the first time in 8 years when a tragedy occurred there. Characters to care about.
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Read in July, 2008
Oh! How I love Kevin Henkes. He respects his young characters by taking them seriously, he respects his young readers by teaching them great words like "bucolic," and his illustrator's eye makes for simply beautiful descriptions of nature. He's particularly good at sounds, I think.
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Mitch and Spencer both struggle with personal and family issues in their side-by-side houses at the lake. Henkes' mastery of language and story draws you in and holds you till the end. A quiet story with enough action to hold interest.
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Well crafted, very thoughtful, Kevin Henkes shows once again that he comprehends the drama of childhood. Bird Lake Moon is no idealistic adventure. Characters deal with death, divorce, and the betrayal of friendship.
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