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Bird Lake Moon

3.23 of 5 stars 3.23 · rating details · 640 ratings · 188 reviews

There are ghosts at Bird Lake, and they're haunting Mitch Sinclair and Spencer Stone. Not the Halloween kind, but ghosts of the past. Memories of how life was before--before the divorce, before the accident. Can their ghosts bring Mitch and Spencer together, as friends? Or will their secrets keep them apart?

Either way, it is a summer that neither Mitch nor Spencer will eve...more

Paperback, 192 pages

Published March 23rd 2010 by Greenwillow Books (first published April 22nd 2008)

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Jan 21, 2008 Laura rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: middle-grade

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 expected. I t...more

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Jan 29, 2008 Sarah rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Children's lit devotees

Shelves: arcs

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 insular and reflective to mak...more

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Jun 07, 2008 Roxanne Hsu Feldman rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2008, 4-6grade, realisticfiction

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 those small patches of c...more

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May 29, 2008 Mandy rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 portrays the k...more

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May 01, 2012 Stephanie Jobe rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Mitch Sinclair’s world has been turned upside down by his parent’s separation and when he and his mom go to her parents at Bird Lake he begins to fantasize about living in the abandoned house next door until suddenly it is occupied. Spencer Stone arrives with his parents and little sister at their house on Bird Lake and everyone is nervous because they haven’t vacationed there in eight years since his older brother drowned there. The interaction between the boys seems pretty authentic especially...more

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Jun 05, 2011 Karen Ball rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Mitch Sinclair was not planning on spending all summer at his grandparents' little house on Bird Lake. Because his parents' divorce is underway, he and his mother are now doing just that, and it's not easy. Spencer Stone hasn't been to Bird Lake in years, not since his older brother Matty drowned there, but his mother is finally ready to try to go to the family vacation house there again. The Stone house is right next to Mitch's grandparents, and Mitch was hoping to have the place to himself......more

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Feb 16, 2011 Davina rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: juvenile-fiction

Mitch's parents are getting a divorce, so he and his mother need to stay with her parents at Bird lake. As the saying goes, "Guests, like fish, begin to smell after three days," so although his grandparents welcomed them with open arms, it becomes clear that Mitch and his mom have become a hindrance and need to find a place of their own. Mitch thinks the house next door would be perfect--it is uninhabited, so Mitch begins to think of it as his own, going so far as to hang out under the porch and...more

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Apr 26, 2010 Carolynne rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: outdoor-adventure

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Dec 26, 2008 Matthew rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. NO for black-eyed susan.
NO for our school library.

Sorry, Kevin Henkes, but this one missed the mark.

Henkes is most recognized for his award-winning picture books (Lily's Purple Plastic Pure, Owen, It's a Good Day, Kitten's First Full Moon). He's written a number of novels, including Newbery honor winner Olive's Ocean, but Bird Lake Moon doesn't quite accomplish the wonder he sets out to establish.

In short, this story is about a boy who moves with his mom to his grandparent's house on Bird Lake....more

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Nov 29, 2010 Tracy Katz rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: divorce

Bird Lake Moon, written by Kevin Henkes is a tale with two families that share a reminiscent journey back to Bird Lake. Mitch is staying at his grandparent’s house on Bird Lake with his mother during his parents separation. He secretly longs to move into the empty house next door, away from his grandparents, until the owners arrive after years of leaving the house abandoned. Mitch befriends Spencer, the son of the returning owners, and after bonding over lakeside adventures, he realizes he can b...more

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Jan 28, 2010 Jason Pettus rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: children, ya

(I now maintain a blog just for my kid-lit reviews. Find it at http://kidlit4adults.blogspot.com .)

A friend has convinced me to try my hand this year for the first time at children's literature; but I don't actually know anything about children's literature, so am starting the process among other ways by first reading a stack of existing books that have been recommended to me. Kevin Henkes' Bird Lake Moon was recommended as a good example of books for older grade-schoolers and middle-schoolers (...more (I now maintain a blog just for my kid-lit reviews. Find it at http://kidlit4adults.blogspot.com .)

A friend has convinced me to try my hand this year for the first time at children's literature; but I don't actually know anything about children's literature, so am starting the process among other ways by first reading a stack of existing books that have been recommended to me. Kevin Henkes' Bird Lake Moon was recommended as a good example of books for older grade-schoolers and middle-schoolers (so roughly ages 10 to 13) that deal with dark material in a gentle yet realistic way; it's almost 40,000 words total, on the heavy side of such books, and also contains an expansive vocabulary that will be a pleasant challenge for younger readers. It's the story of two boys who one summer move next to each other in the sleepy Wisconsin cottage community of Bird Lake; one has a set of parents who are going through a divorce, which is why they've temporarily moved in with his mother's cantankerous grandparents, while the other has a brother who drowned at Bird Lake almost a decade ago, with this being the traumatized family's first trip back.

Things I took away from this book, as far as my own struggle to become a better children's writer...

--Although really well done, I can see here why people recommend so much that character-oriented novels for kids be loaded up with a lot of extra drama and unique events, with this book many times coming off as what I imagine is too subtle for many kids, and therefore with only a limited potential audience (although of course with that audience intensely passionate about the book, precisely for these reasons). Also, to reference my own reading habits as a kid, this book many times feels not like the best of someone like Judy Blume (where the characters create and drive the situations being played out) but more like her second-tier work, minor books like Deenie and Iggie's House where it feels like first an issue was picked ("I think I'll write a book about desegregation in the suburbs") and only then were characters created and a plotline written. Although I want to reiterate that Henkes does a great job with the material he's chosen here, just like adult literature these kinds of stories need to feel natural and not forced, which Henkes teeters just on the edge of many times.

--And speaking of all this, I thought Henkes treads a very fine line here as far as how dark is too dark for kids in the 10-to-13 range; this is one of the issues I find fascinating as an author, in that I imagine many of my own future kid's books will be dark in tone as well, and I'm trying to learn exactly where the balance is for the pre-YA crowd. I really loved for example that one of our heroes, Mitch, is in typical divorced-kid fashion acting out just all the time, in ways that are sometimes surprisingly destructive for a person who's supposed to be our protagonist; for example, as part of his ongoing secret campaign to convince his new neighbors to leave again, in the desperate hope that his own family could move in next-door so that his mom and grandparents will stop fighting all the time, he actually unchains their dog and lets it run away while the family is gone for the afternoon, in what could've easily led to the dog's death or permanent disappearance in the real world. The book is full of moments like these, uncomfortably real details of just how dysfunctional people can get in the middle of a divorce or the grieving of a dead child, a polarizing element that I imagine young readers will either intensely love or hate.

--And finally, I thought this book did a particularly great job at examining the subtle relationship between kids at different ages, which I'm told is a topic that's really loved by many child readers at this age; ten-year-old Mitch admires his neighbor Spencer for being twelve, Spencer admires Mitch back for his above-average athletic skills, while both have a begrudging tolerance only for their fairytale-spouting, costume-wearing chatterbox grade-school siblings. And I also think that Henkes does a great job at examining the heavily flawed parents that are around these kids, and how their only so-so dealings with these family dramas end up creating new legitimate hassles sometimes for the kids themselves; just to cite one good example, how Stewart's mother after a few days realizes that the cloud of her first son's death is hanging just too heavily over the entire environment for her comfort, even though the entire rest of the family has quite intensely fallen in love with being there by then. This is such a subtle thing in children's literature, the question of just how much of adult personalities and adult weaknesses one should add to the story in the first place -- because obviously most kids are at least a little fascinated with adult behavior, and especially when they get a chance to glance at truly adult reactions that they suspect they're not supposed to be seeing, although ultimately most kids prefer that the books they read be primarily about other kids, and of the ways those kids live their lives when the adults aren't around. I have a lot more to learn about the various ways that authors deal with this subject, and is something I always keep a close eye on whenever reading yet another character-oriented middle-school drama. (less)

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Nov 28, 2011 Amy Keltner rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

1. Contemporary Realism
2. Mitch is going through many changes in his own life, his parents are getting a divorce and his life feels as if it is crumbling around him. He spends some time with his grandparents where it is here that he learns that sometimes it just takes time to adjust and move forward.
3. a. This book helps students relate to Mitch. You are able to hear his voice in each of the pages and experiences that he faces. It is through the power of friendship where he is able to move on...more

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Oct 28, 2012 Penni Russon rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I really enjoyed this spare book. It documents that shift where children go from being absorbed in their own experience of the world to an awareness of the faults and frailties of the adult world. This is a terrific "sense of place" book, timeless in a sense despite the presence of mobile phones etc - there is something deeply familiar about the place that could just as well be Swansea in Tasmania as a lake in America.

I really admire Henkes ability to hold back, suggesting so much with so littl...more

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Jan 25, 2009 Christy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: chapter-book

Bird Lake Moon, written by Kevin Henkes, portrays the lives of two young boys faced with family hardships. Both boys visit Bird Lake hoping to receive answers to their many questions. The main character, Mitch, is struggling to accept the fact that his father has left his mother for another woman. Henkes skillfully reveals Mitch’s personality by sharing his inner thoughts along with his actual dialogue. Empathizing with Mitch is natural even when he makes wrong choices.
Like Mitch, readers con...more Bird Lake Moon, written by Kevin Henkes, portrays the lives of two young boys faced with family hardships. Both boys visit Bird Lake hoping to receive answers to their many questions. The main character, Mitch, is struggling to accept the fact that his father has left his mother for another woman. Henkes skillfully reveals Mitch’s personality by sharing his inner thoughts along with his actual dialogue. Empathizing with Mitch is natural even when he makes wrong choices.
Like Mitch, readers connect with Spencer easily. Spencer’s family is still coping with the loss of his older brother who drowned at Bird Lake several years before. Spencer’s concern for his mother and drifting thoughts of his deceased brother make him a likable character. Spencer’s little sister, Lolly, likes to use different voices and do imitations. Henkes brings Lolly to life using the voice and language of a typical 7 year-old girl.
Eventually, Mitch and Spencer meet and become friends only to have their trust tested. They share their own stories with each other and learn about family, relationships and friendship together. Although both main characters grow from their experiences and the writing is superb, Bird Lake Moon left me feeling despondent. My despondent feeling, however, was probably due to the fact that the characters were so authentic and the writing so heartfelt. The ending, although positive, does not fix every problem. There is an overall glum mood throughout the book, yet glum is appropriate considering the subject matter.
Bird Lake Moon is definitely for an older elementary and middle school audience. It is not appropriate for primary elementary students. Bird Lake Moon meets the criteria for a Newbery Award. The writing is “distinguished.” There is a clear, well-written theme. Henkes beautifully ties the stories of both boys together. The plot is well-developed and the story makes sense. The characters are believable and three-dimensional. The setting is thoroughly depicted as each scene of the story unfolds. It is easy to imagine the tranquil sights and sounds of Bird Lake.

(less)

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Sep 04, 2009 Josiah rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I would give this book three and a half stars.
"Bird Lake Moon" is wonderful and mysterious, esoteric and pointed and childlike and exceptionally beautiful in the crystalline descriptions that flow from the pen of Kevin Henkes. The same inscrutable qualities that worked to make "Olive's Ocean" such a mystifyingly fine addition to juvenile literature are clearly at work here. Perhaps the genius of Kevin Henkes is in the ways that his stories are allowed to bleed through to the heart of the reade...more

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Sep 16, 2012 Chris rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I loved Olive's Ocean. And half the reason I love that book is because of Henkes writing, so I was more than okay sitting down with this little book.

His writing does not disappoint. Once again, it's lyrical and gorgeous and heartbreakingly wonderful in many instances. However, the story itself doesn't fully work for me.

The dual POV makes for a few interesting dynamics, but one of the characters in particular, didn't engage me as much as the other--a danger of writing dual POVs. And by the end, I...more

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Apr 23, 2008 Karlan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition 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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Jan 30, 2009 BAYA Librarian rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: realistic

Y Mitch and his mom are staying at the lake with his grandparents for the summer, while his parents work out the details of their divorce. He befriends the family next door, who only use their house for summers at the lake, because their eldest child drowned several years ago. The honest emotions, including sadness, loneliness, and anger, will remind many readers of Henkes' "Olive's Ocean," another quiet but memorable summer vacation novel. The little girl next door, Lolly is cute but not entire...more

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Jul 16, 2012 Jill rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: intermediate-4-6, inte-5990, contemporary-realistic-fiction

12-year-old Mitch Sinclair and his mother travel to Bird Lake to spend the summer with his grandparents. Reeling from the news that his parents will soon divorce, Mitch sets his sights on owning the empty house next door. When the owners show up for their vacation, Mitch is envious of the “perfect family” and tries to trick the “intruders” into thinking they have a ghost. What he doesn’t realize, is that one of the family’s sons drowned years ago at the lake. Mitch eventually befriends Spencer,...more

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Dec 31, 2008 Laura rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2008-mt-bookpile

This is one of those very quiet books - not a ton of action, not a ton of emotion (although there is a lot of emotion under the surface), just a simple story.

Mitch's father has moved in with another woman, so Mitch's mom moves them to Bird Lake, where her parents have a house. These are those distant, don't-know-what-to-do-with-kids/don't-really-want-kids-around kind of grandparents, exactly what Mitch doesn't need right now. He starts claiming the decrepit, unlived-in house next door, only to...more

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Aug 05, 2009 Elizabeth K. rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2008-new-reads

I love Kevin Henkes, he's the Kitten's First Full Moon guy -- oh, and the Lily guy -- but I think I like his picture books better. This is a problem novel in the core sense of the word. Two boys move into lake houses next door to each other. The one kid's parents are getting divorced, and the other kid's parents are having a hard time coping with the death of a child. If you removed these kids' problems, there would be absolutely nothing going on with the book. On the plus side, Henkes is a char...more

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Jul 22, 2008 Jamie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Jamie by: Capitol Choices

Shelves: 10-12, family, real-life, friendship

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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Feb 21, 2009 Laura rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: henkes, fiction

brief note because I don't have much time to write a longer review--

as usual, henkes proves that he has incredible insight, especially into the emotions of children during difficult times, but there was something lacking about the book. his writing is definitely captivating, and i loved the two boys at the center of the story, and enjoyed seeing them evolve little by little. but at the end (and I literally finished 5 minutes ago), I was left feeling like there was something missing. maybe it was...more

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Jul 03, 2008 Mary Lee rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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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Oct 11, 2009 Emily Heath rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I don't know why I find Kevin Henkes' novels so soothing that I will read them multiple times, because they all seem to center on quiet yet deeply upsetting and unsettling moments in the lives of kids on the brink of adolescence - a state of being which is so perilously vulnerable to begin with (and which he portrays so poignantly well). Maybe it's because everything seems to come out okay in the end; the protagonists are deeply grounded with a sense of their own self-worth that wins out over mi...more

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May 12, 2009 Megan rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audio, intermediate, realistic

Mitch has decided that the abandoned cottage next to his grandparents' home would be perfect for him to live in with his mother. When Spencer and his family reclaim the cottage, Mitch decides to "haunt" the place to chase them away. However, he doesn't realize that Spencer's family is already haunted by the tragedy that occurred at that cottage eight years ago.

This is a sweet story of growing up, facing reality, and taking responsibility. I liked the way the story was presented; chapters alterna...more

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May 08, 2009 Jennie added it · review of another edition Recommends it for: Highly Recommended.

Recommended to Jennie by: Carol Blake

A story of a boy, Mitch, living at Bird Lake with his mother and grandparents. Mitch is troubled by the fact that his father left his mom for another woman. Mitch explores the area and the house next door. He resents it when Spencer and his family move into that house. Spencer’s parents had another child drown at Bird Lake who was older than Spencer and his sister, Lolly. Mitch, who does not know about this child in the family and his death, tries to scare the family away by leaving messages. Sp...more

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Jan 03, 2009 Snorkle rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: juvenile, read-2009, review-on-blog

I nearly gave up on this book. I just wasn't getting into the story, there was some crucial thing it needed to make it poignant. This book was definitely missing something, but I couldn't quite put my finger on what exactly. The characters were slightly interesting, but I felt at times that they were kind of bland, except for Lolly. I also mixed up the two boys, sometimes forgetting which was which. I wasn't really pleased with the ending, and I was slightly annoyed that I had read this book whe...more

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May 01, 2011 Ashley rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: sunshine-state-10-11-grades-3-5, juvenile-fiction

Pretty good as far as sunshine state books are concerned. The perspective shifted every other chapter between two young boys. Twelve year old Mitch had come to Moon Lake because his parents had gotten separated and they were staying with his mothers parents. Ten year old Spencer was vacationing in a home his family owned on Moon lake. Spencer's older brother had drowned in the lake 8 years earlier and this was the first time the family returned. Some pretty honest feelings about kids and loss. T...more

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Dec 01, 2011 Melissa rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: junior-chapter

Bird Lake Moon
By: Kevin Henkes

Genre: Contemporary Realism

A. Bird Lake Moon is a story of two young boys that meet at the lake during a summer full of turmoil. Young Mitch's mom and dad have recently separated and young Spencer's parents are trying to overcome their grief for a lost son who drowned in the lake. The boys form an instant friendship and they help each other overcome their troubles all the while enjoying the lake.

B. Critique:
The area for critique is the setting.
The story is set at B...more

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About Kevin Henkes

Kevin Henkes became an author/illustrator when he was nineteen years old, working on a card table in his bedroom.
Today he's the author of many award-winning picture books and novels.

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Quotes from Bird Lake Moon

“(His) sadness grew; it became a rock inside him, pulling him down. He carried the sadness everywhere, morning, noon, and night. It hurt to breathe. ” — 11 people liked it

“Didn't it make sense that after something horrible happens, something better should follow?” — 7 people liked it

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