A GIRL EASILY carried off by the wind.
An elderly widow whose husband died under strange circumstances.
An isolated dwelling that bre... read full description
An elderly widow whose husband died under strange circumstances.
An isolated dwelling that bre... read full description
reviews
Jan 19, 2009
Kathleen
rated it: 
This one is a little like a beautiful balloon - an intricate and interesting exterior, but hollow inside... The protagonist is a tiny girl who is blown around by the wind until she finds a home at Bourne Manor. The old house on the edge of a cliff is rumored to be haunted, and Miranda has strange and mysterious experiences with the house, its mistress, and the kites she finds hidden in the top-most room. She knows no one and nothing beyond Bourne Manor, until a boy named Farley comes into her
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Jan 05, 2009
Patricia
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Another little jewel of a book from Rita Murphy, about a young girl who is so light that the wind picks her up and carries her off. She ends up being rescued by a woman who owns the mysterious Bourne Manor, who takes her in and gives her shelter and clothing. She also makes her mend fishing nets to keep them solvent, homeschools her in whatever she thinks is important, and makes her wear weighted steel boots so she can't fly off again. Miranda secretly explores the huge house, and knows there
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Mar 24, 2009
Tracie
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I really liked this story of Miranda, who blew in on the wind one day and was found by the cold, widowed Wisteria of Manor Bourne. Wisteria literally creates boots that keep Miranda anchored to the ground, but it is Manor Bourne that seems to keep her spirit caged.
Jun 11, 2010
Kate
rated it:
In all honesty, I am at a loss for words on where to begin with discussing my feelings on this novel. When I sat down and thought about how to describe this novel, one word kept running through my head: unique. Now in most cases, this can be a really great way to describe a novel. But, unfortunately, I am not sure that this applies to Bird.
One aspect that makes this novel unique is that it is told from Miranda's point of view in the past tense. In some ways, I really liked this chang More...
One aspect that makes this novel unique is that it is told from Miranda's point of view in the past tense. In some ways, I really liked this chang More...
Mar 05, 2010
Sherry Dale
rated it: 
"Fear is a strange thing. It can creep unnoticed into your mind, seize hold of your reason and take root." With an excerpt like that who would not want to read this book.
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to fly, not in a plane, but like a bird? To be able to soar above the trees and bask in the beauty of all that lies below . . . well . . . if you have then “bird” is the book for you.
Not only is it filled with mystery and love, within its pages’ lies More...
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to fly, not in a plane, but like a bird? To be able to soar above the trees and bask in the beauty of all that lies below . . . well . . . if you have then “bird” is the book for you.
Not only is it filled with mystery and love, within its pages’ lies More...
Apr 03, 2009
Daniel
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There is something very appealing about this book -- partly it's Rita Murphy's writing style, partly it's the just slightly off-kilter characters and story (aptly depicted by the artist of the hardcover version). But at the same time, there's something definitely lacking here. There was no sense of accomplishment; no big "hurrah" for the young girl at the end, and that says to me that we didn't care for her enough.
I've been talking to my theatre class about 'dramatic conf More...
I've been talking to my theatre class about 'dramatic conf More...
Nov 30, 2009
Karen
rated it:
This book is so beautiful, and not just the cover, which is also stunning. I love the main character, Miranda, a girl so light she is carried off by the wind. It is almost like a dream, and has beautiful sentences and poetic imagry. When she discribes the red dragon kite flying away...and other scenes in the book, it almost seemed like poetry. I know some people have written bad reviews for this book and say that it's not good enough for "thier high and mighty expectations for books that th
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May 09, 2009
Lora
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Miranda lives in an ancient house known as Bourne Manor with Wisteria, the old owner of the manor. Miranda has no memory of how she arrived at Bourne Manor aside from the fact that she was blown their by the wind. Now she lives with Wisteria, mending fishing nets, and rarely leaving the house. Wisteria keeps her secure inside the house so that she won't float away on the wind again.
Miranda starts to explore the mansion and discovers a hidden attic filled with kites. She starts to More...
Miranda starts to explore the mansion and discovers a hidden attic filled with kites. She starts to More...
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Feb 14, 2009
Katie
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Though not directly related, this book made me think about light overcoming darkness, goodness overcoming evil and how knowing God helps us do that. Because of Christ's sacrifice and God's grace we are no longer slaves to sin and we owe no allegiance to the Devil-the curse of sin and death have been broken. Our only allegiance is to God and we follow God's Spirit that lives within us. The Holy Spirit leads us to the truth and helps us overcome the darkness, just like Farley helps Miranda overcom
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Sep 25, 2011
Carly
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Jul 13, 2009
Brandy
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As a child, Miranda was carried on the wind to Bourne Manor and taken in by the widow Wysteria Barrows. Wysteria gives her a place to live, work to do, and boots with steel plates to anchor her to the ground, lest she blow away on the next gust. But the house is cold and somehow menacing, and there are secrets in the house that Miranda can only hope to discover while she still has the opportunity to break free.
To call this "breezy" is to do it a disservice, but it does ha More...
To call this "breezy" is to do it a disservice, but it does ha More...
Aug 11, 2011
The premise was intriguing and the setting was impressive, but the plot was slow, explanation was missing, and the climax unclimactic. There was a lot of build up for pretty much nothing. Symbols abound: kites, boots that hold you down, a menacing house that's just not menacing enough, a secret room, keys, doors that lock themselves -- but the book just wasn't meaty enough to sustain the symbolism. I could see the old woman as a Mother Gothel type and the narrator as a sort of Rapunzel, and
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Jan 20, 2010
Min
rated it:
This is a lovely little story. I read it in about an hour and a half, so when I say "little" I mean quite short.
It's kind of a sweet, innocent story too. While there was nothing outwardly fantastical about it, there were hints of ghosts, houses with souls, and maybe fairies or bird-people. What I really loved is that while there were hints, and a mystery, the conclusions of such things were left to the reader's imagination. I enjoyed that Murphy brought images and cha More...
It's kind of a sweet, innocent story too. While there was nothing outwardly fantastical about it, there were hints of ghosts, houses with souls, and maybe fairies or bird-people. What I really loved is that while there were hints, and a mystery, the conclusions of such things were left to the reader's imagination. I enjoyed that Murphy brought images and cha More...
Feb 20, 2009
Bonnie
rated it:
Miranda is a slight girl who is easily lifted and carried by the wind. It deposited her next to Bourne Manor, an imposing house that is home to the widow Wysteria and the four Hounds. Wysteria takes Miranda in - the girl has no memory of where she came from before the wind took her - and puts her to work mending nets for the local fisherman. She also makes Miranda wear a pair of weighted shoes, to keep her from flying off again. As the years pass, Miranda learns some of the secrets of the Ma
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Aug 10, 2009
Terri
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An odd little book. The language is lovely and the tone ideally suits this thoughtful tale of a young girl carried by the wind to a lonely manor on shore of Lake Champlain. I felt that Miranda was a rather flat protagonist and would have liked to have known more about her, but I suppose that's forgivable since Miranda didn't know anything about her own background. The theme of being true to oneself is well realized, but the story left me uneasy and wanting more clarification. There were too many
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Mar 04, 2009
Kathyred
rated it:
Miranda blew in on the wind one day, where the dour old widow Wysteria found her stuck in a bush. Taking Miranda in, Wysteria fashions heavy steel shoes to keep Miranda from blowing away, and gives her the harsh work of mending fishing nets. Wysteria's house is the isolated and gloomy, cursed Bourne Manor, part light house for Lake Champlain, that holds its secrets and dooms all who live there. Then a boy named Farley comes and befriends Miranda. Way too much time getting into the story for
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May 30, 2008
Carter
rated it:
I was really looking forward to this one, but it was a bit of a let down. Still, the story is pretty cool, albeit weird.
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Aug 09, 2010
Erica
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Quirky story. Small teen-aged girl, Miranda, gets carried away by a wind gust and lands in the area of Bourne Manor, home of Wysteria, a elderly widow. With no memory of her past, she resides in the old manor with Wysteria. Stories around town say the old manor is haunted and has deep secrets. With the help of a boy named Farley, she discovers her true being and and the truth of the Manor. Book was a bit slow and fantasy-like. rec for middle schoolers who have active imaginations. Seems m
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Jan 15, 2011
Christina
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Dec 29, 2008
Stacy268
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Jun 06, 2010
Susan
rated it:
Bird is a bewitching little story - as slight as Miranda herself, and as full of enchantment and wonder. Well-written and full of mystery, the plot is intriguing and interesting. What exactly is Miranda? And is Wysteria really the villain of the piece or is it the house itself? These questions and Rita Murphy's vivid descriptions of the coast kept me turning pages until the end. The only thing that I could have wished for would be more pages to help develop the story of Bourne Manor. I would hav
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Aug 26, 2010
Sarah
rated it:
I spotted Bird by Rita Murphy by the beautiful cover art and checked it out from the library at the same time that I got My One Hundred Adventures by Polly Horvarth. Both covers reminded me (in passing) of Up.
Miranda lives with the elderly widow, Wysteria. They live the old seaside Bourne Manor, shut off from the rest of the world. Their lives revolve around the sea and the house: making nets, keeping a lantern lit for ships at sea and keeping the drafts out of the house.
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Miranda lives with the elderly widow, Wysteria. They live the old seaside Bourne Manor, shut off from the rest of the world. Their lives revolve around the sea and the house: making nets, keeping a lantern lit for ships at sea and keeping the drafts out of the house.
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Aug 27, 2010
Tori
rated it: 
This is what I get for judging a book for it's cover. I bought the book because it was pretty and the cover seemed like there was a promising story in it's pages. Wrong. After having read the book, I still don't really know what it's about. It's like the book is going in so many different directions and is starting off on many different stories. I don't know, it was just boring and confusing.
Aug 22, 2011
Adam
rated it:
Rita Murphy's Bird rides the line of whimsy and fantasy, gliding, languidly, on a wind of poetically written prose. While fascinating and captivating enough for an adult with patience for slow moving literature, as a novel for young adults, its metaphor of escaping the confines of the familiar may be lost in its slow-moving pages.
I read several pages for my sixth grade students and they were definitely not overly interested, which isn't to say they would never be interested, but i More...
I read several pages for my sixth grade students and they were definitely not overly interested, which isn't to say they would never be interested, but i More...
Jul 02, 2009
Michele
rated it:
The mystery of a surprise friendship between Miranda and Farley pushes Miranda out of her confinement to fly free. Murphy's prose is amazing and creates vivid pictures of the characters and house at the center of the story. The mystery of the house and its master are spellbinding. While completely implausible, it is a fun read. : )
Aug 12, 2009
Shawna
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I wanted this book to be more than it was. While the descriptions were very polished, the book still needed something. I really wanted the author to build some suspense and play with all the intriguing characters she'd created.
Dec 30, 2009
Robbie
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I enjoyed this book. Although slow at the start, the author had me hooked about a third of the way through. However, I would think carefully who I would recommend the book to at my school.
May 15, 2011
Kat
rated it:
This book is very unrealistic, random, and strange. I really do not recommend it. Honestly, I only got a quarter of the way through it before I noticed how awfully unrealistic this book truly is. BEWARE OF THIS STRANGE AND FAKE-O BOOK!!!
Apr 15, 2011
Jmart
rated it:
This book was interesting and very short. Its a good fast read but i only give it a four because. . well i can`t put 5 stars on all the books i read.
Aug 17, 2009
Heather
rated it:
I think this children's book may be more interesting to adults or teens than to its target audience. The plot felt a bit incomplete, but I really enjoyed the characters.
