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Bird in a Box

by Andrea Davis Pinkney, Sean Qualls (Illustrator)

3.62 of 5 stars 3.62 · rating details · 416 ratings · 107 reviews

Otis, Willie, and Hibernia are three children with a lot in common: they've all lost a loved one, they each have secret dreams, and they won't stop fighting for what they want. And they're also a lot like their hero, famed boxer Joe Louis. Throughout this moving novel, their lives gradually converge to form friendship, family, and love. Their trials and triumphs echo those...more

Hardcover, 288 pages

Published April 12th 2011 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

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Apr 14, 2011 Doret rated it 2 of 5 stars

The story takes place in 1936,during the middle of the great depression. The three main characters, are 12yr old Otis, Willie and Hibernia. At the beginning the three have yet to meet. All of them are fans of Joe Louis. The author enterwines some of the fights throughout the story. With so much going wrong the great fighter gives the three someone to hope and believe in.

Hibernia lives with her father a reverend. Her mother left to follow her dream to sing at the Savoy. Willie is forced to leave...more The story takes place in 1936,during the middle of the great depression. The three main characters, are 12yr old Otis, Willie and Hibernia. At the beginning the three have yet to meet. All of them are fans of Joe Louis. The author enterwines some of the fights throughout the story. With so much going wrong the great fighter gives the three someone to hope and believe in.

Hibernia lives with her father a reverend. Her mother left to follow her dream to sing at the Savoy. Willie is forced to leave home after a terrible incident with his abusive father. Soon Otis must go live at Mercy Home For Negro Orphans as well. That's where the two meet.

The chapters alternate between the three characters. Sometimes this can be tricky, especially when dealing with more then two characters. The author runs the risk of not developing the characters or storylines enough. After one characters scene would end, I'd still have questions. When the story returned to that particular character, it was already onto something new.

After the last awful encounter with his father, Willie goes to live at Mercy. When he arrives Lily, the woman working there, tells him he needs some salve. The next time Willie appears there's drastic change without an explanation. The salve didn't work. This happens more then once. It felt like I was missing important parts of the story. Hibernia's father is set in his ways and very strict. Yet one day he simply decides to open up and talk about Hibernia's mother. Again, I wondered about the why of this.

The characters voices were blending together. I think part of it had to do with the short chapters, but I had a difficult time distinguishing between Otis and Willie.

Pinkney has a great body of work. All the books I've read by her I've loved. I went into Bird in a Box (a book I was really looking forward to ) wondering not if but how much I would enjoy it. So I was surprised, that it simply didn't work for me.

Bird is Box is being very well recieved by other bloggers. It also got a starred Kirkus review(less)

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Dec 17, 2011 Sharon rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, juvenile-fiction, mock_coretta_scott_king

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I thought the multiple perspectives in this book were very well-done. Each voice felt really distinct. Hibernia was the daring preacher's daughter who was always chasing her dreams, Otis was the goofball with a heart of gold who'd been struck by tragedy, and Willie was a little tougher, but he still had that desire to connect with people. The scene where Willie lets Otis help him make a gum-wrapper chain for Hibernia is particularly moving. And when the voices comes together and start to interwe...more I thought the multiple perspectives in this book were very well-done. Each voice felt really distinct. Hibernia was the daring preacher's daughter who was always chasing her dreams, Otis was the goofball with a heart of gold who'd been struck by tragedy, and Willie was a little tougher, but he still had that desire to connect with people. The scene where Willie lets Otis help him make a gum-wrapper chain for Hibernia is particularly moving. And when the voices comes together and start to interweave, Pinkney connects the narratives well without them becoming too distracting and without losing their voice.

As far as portraying historical events with accuracy, I feel like Pinkney was really able to deliver a sense of how African Americans felt like Joe Louis was an important symbol for them during this time and how much hope everyone had riding on him. The sense of community built around the radio broadcasts and in particular the Max Schmeling fight was palpable. She was also able to show some effects of the Great Depression (such as in the way it affected Otis's dad and he had to look for another job). Other nice historical touches were Otis's fascination with funny radio programs like Jack Benny and Hibernia's love of jazz musicians and dreams to sing at the Savoy.

I think it's usually the hallmark of good historical fiction that these details are worked into the background in such a way that they are believable and don't distract from the story too much, and I believe Pinkney accomplished this. As far as the CSK criteria go, I definitely learned from this book how important those boxing matches were as a cultural experience for African-Americans, and also a bit more about how inspirational jazz music must have been.

If I had one criticism of the story, I feel like it was almost a little too upbeat at times for kids living in an orphanage who has lost parents or had abusive alcoholic parents. I realize this is a story about recovery and hope, but I feel like I never very strongly got that sense of sorrow and loneliness to begin with. I guess that feeds into my view of the ending, which was a little too hopeful and sentimental. I would have liked for the more upbeat ending to have been a little hard-won, and there definitely didn't seem to be a traditional plot or story arc here, just three characters moving forward with their lives who connected.

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May 18, 2012 Erin Reilly-Sanders rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: audio, fiction, historical, multicultural

While I'm not totally in love with this one, I rather enjoyed it. The audio version is pleasant although some of the voices sound intentionally a bit immature. I also would have liked to have the musical pieces mentioned sung rather than read, but I'm picky. The story is well told, the perspectives of the three children engage without being confusing. It has some really great potentials for connections to history and social organizations that unfortunately might go unused in classrooms that typi...more

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Feb 13, 2012 Barb Middleton rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical

African Americans Hibernia, Willie, and Otis each tell their stories of life during the Great Depression when Joe Louis was fighting to win the heavyweight title. Hibernia is a typical teenager wanting to be independent. She wonders about her mom, who left them when Hibernia was born, in order to pursue her dream to become a famous singer. Hibernia’s dad is the Reverend who doesn’t like it that Hibernia can sing like her mother. He’s been mad about her mom leaving and wants to squash Hibernia’s...more African Americans Hibernia, Willie, and Otis each tell their stories of life during the Great Depression when Joe Louis was fighting to win the heavyweight title. Hibernia is a typical teenager wanting to be independent. She wonders about her mom, who left them when Hibernia was born, in order to pursue her dream to become a famous singer. Hibernia’s dad is the Reverend who doesn’t like it that Hibernia can sing like her mother. He’s been mad about her mom leaving and wants to squash Hibernia’s singing dreams. He only lets Hibernia sing in the church choir, but she eventually changes his mind. Hibernia reminds me of Anne of Green Gables: impulsive, melodramatic, self-centered, irritating, loveable and filled with a good heart. Willie dreams of being a boxer like his dad. Except his dad no longer boxes, has trouble holding a job, and constantly criticizes Willie. He’s also a drunk. During one bought of drinking, he harms Willie so badly that Willie has to runaway to an orphanage to be safe. He makes friends with a boy there named, Otis. Otis lives at the orphanage after his parents die in a horrible crash. His parents were loving and happily married. They loved to tell jokes, laugh and spend time as a family together. His dad had to live in a different city because of a new job, but when Otis and his mom saw him they had quality time with him. When the family car crashes, Otis is the only survivor and devastated by the loss of his parents. He deals with it by telling riddles – something the family loved to do together. His mom used to be a good singer and when Hibernia comes to the orphanage to sing with the church choir he is attracted to her magnificent voice and personality. He seeks Mrs. Weiss’s help on how to get Hibernia’s attention. When all three finally do get together, it’s a meeting of hope, symbolized in the fights of Joe Louis.

The writing is descriptive and rich throughout the story. Hibernia talks about herself as Happy-Hibernia and Not-Happy Hibernia, Willie likes the words Uh-huh and Uh-uh, while Otis spews riddles like water from a faucet. The language is rich in similes and metaphors giving the words a rhythm of their own: There is practically nothing that could ever make me leave my wagon, but when five special words – Sing,Voice, Win, and Big wave at me with both hands and jump up like new friends ready to say hello, my wagon takes a fast backseat to anything else. Not to mention those dollar signs, which are pretty chorus dancers doing high kicks right next to Big. I thought the beginning and end were not as strong as the middle of this story. The beginning was confusing with all the names. I had no clue who Hibernia was talking to between Skip Gibson, the Savoy, Speaky, and the Reverend. The Savoy is a popular ballroom in Harlem. Skip Gibson is the commentator on the radio for Joe Louis fights. Speaky is the name of the radio, and the Reverend is her dad. In addition, the ending seemed too abrupt. Willie changed emotionally at the end but Hibernia and Otis didn’t which made it less satisfying. Also, when Willie is injured I didn’t realize it was that serious. I thought he would have ended up at the hospital and going to doctors. But these are little quibbles in a very satisfying, wonderfully told story.
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Aug 10, 2011 Linda Lipko rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult

This is yet another instance when words won't flow to describe the feeling of this wonderful book.

This is a marvelous story of chaos and hope, about abuse and redemption, about surviving amid insurmountable odds, about friendship that lasts and about emotional and physical scars that are painful and long to be healed.

Set in 1937 when mighty Joe Lewis (Brown Bomber) gained the world heavyweight boxing championship, the author showed the miraculous ability of Lewis to be a springboard of hope, not...more

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Jun 13, 2011 Phoebe rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical, juv, realistic-fiction

Three children and their stories intersect in a small town in upstate New York, in the years 1936 and 1937. Hibernia is the reverend's daughter, gifted with an amazing singing voice and emotionally scarred by her mother's abandonment of her. Otis arrives at the Mercy Home for Negro Orphans after his mother and father are killed. His most precious possessions is his father's radio, empty paper gum wrappers, and the riddles his father always told. Willie lives there for his own protection, sent th...more

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Jun 08, 2011 Chelsea rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: middle-grade-fiction

I was completely charmed by this book. 3 young kids in depression-era Harlem, 2 in an orphanage and 1 living along with her preacher father, struggle to make their dreams come true. For Hibernia, that means convincing her dad that allowing her to become a famous singer is really God's will. For Otis, it's finding a place in the world after the tragic death of his loving parents. And for Willie, it's adjusting to the double loss of his mother, who sent him out in the world to escape his abusive f...more

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May 25, 2011 Cindy Hudson rated it 5 of 5 stars

Hibernia sure can sing. She loves to belt out songs just like her mama, who left many years ago seeking to perform in the nightclubs of Harlem. Willie is a boxer. When he’s sparring he pretends he’s jabbing Sampson, the father who gets mean drunk and takes it out on Willie and his mama. Otis got his love of riddles from his daddy, who was always trying a new one out on his family. Now Otis dreams of riddles and tries to forget about the accident that took away his parents.

Three children in a sma...more

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May 02, 2011 Ari rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2011

While Hibernia is annoying, she has a distinctive voice, in contrast to Otis and Willie, whom I kept mixing up. The voices of Otis and Willie blended together. I knew that one of them had scarred hands and that the other was an actual orphan but I could rarely remember who was who. Furthermore there was no character development, no growth in maturity and Otis was a saint. As it was Otis and Willie had to grow up fast, but then their growth stagnated. I'm not even sure why Hibernia was in the sto...more While Hibernia is annoying, she has a distinctive voice, in contrast to Otis and Willie, whom I kept mixing up. The voices of Otis and Willie blended together. I knew that one of them had scarred hands and that the other was an actual orphan but I could rarely remember who was who. Furthermore there was no character development, no growth in maturity and Otis was a saint. As it was Otis and Willie had to grow up fast, but then their growth stagnated. I'm not even sure why Hibernia was in the story to be perfectly honest. She wasn't living at the orphanage and I think her character would have been more interesting if she was actually an orphan and set off to pursue her dreams. I wasn't thrilled by the dialogue and descriptions either. Phrases such as "[i]t's as if a mighty hand is yanking the room to its feet." (pg. 253) and "Carmen turns her voice in popcorn blips. I backflip the melody into flatted riffs." (pg. 228) made the book seem like it was trying to hard to be creative with words. I don't even know what a 'flatted riff' is. The flashbacks were stiff and I didn't understand why the story couldn't just start at the beginning instead of a year later, as a teaser it was rather ineffective. Finally the narrative would abruptly end at points and never be revisited such as when *SPOILER, highlight to read*: The boys get the radio back from the bleach man. I refuse to believe the bleach man wouldn't know it was them, so why was no mention made of their punishment?*End spoiler*

Occasionally the creative wording/descriptions worked well such as when Hibernia "put pepper on that tune." (pg. 227). I loved the details about the radio though. I really did get the impression that this was the "Golden Age of Radio" the commentators had personality and it was easy to see through the author's words how the radio programs affected the listeners. The variety of programs was shown ranging from jazz music, to of course, the Joe Louis fights. The other historical tidbits gel quite well with the fictional characters, places and events, there is a real sense of time and place. The illustrations were lovely, simple but expressive. The only character who became fully fleshed out (in my opinion) was Lila, the orphanage worker. She was a doll, tough when needed but always ready to give the children a hug, she has a tough past but doesn't wallow in depression. Although I would like to know why she randomly showed up at Hibernia's church...

Bird in a Box left more questions in my mind than answers except when it came to the importance of radio during the 1930s. Storylines were abruptly ended and the three children had interesting backgrounds but remained flat with no development. I don't much about the 1930s but all the facts seemed to be in order to me, the town of Elmira, New York came to life. A town that was filled with people who wanted to work but couldn't find jobs and yet still mustered up the cheer to DRESS UP (I mean that in the best of ways) for church. Personally, I wish the story had actually taken place in the more exciting New York City but at least Elmira developed a presence in my mind (and I could understand Hibernia's frustration with the town). A hit or miss read I think
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Apr 20, 2011 Megan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical, intermediate, multicultural, music-and-dance, realistic, rms, sports

Set in the 1930s, this book traces a year in the life of three children whose lives eventually intertwine.

Hibernia is the daughter of a pastor. Her deepest wish is to become a famouse singer, but her father discourages it because dreams of fame are what led Hibernia's mother to abandon them.

Otis's family struggled while his dad was out of work and then had to move away for his job. However, they were loving and fond of telling riddles and always had a great time together. When Otis's parents wer...more

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Apr 17, 2011 Nancy rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book is geared for ages 9-12 and provides a toe-hold for not only the importance of Joe Louis to the African American population but also an understanding of the historical setting. Joe Louis was the underdog in all kinds of ways. He was black, he was poor, and he was just trying to fight himself up to the top.

The latter part of the 1930's finds the nation in the depths of the Great Depression. World War II had not yet begun and the economy was in the pooper. Everybody related to the underd...more

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Mar 02, 2011 Reader rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-read-february-2011, meh-reads

I had really hoped to like this one, since I figured it was worth waiting for. Unfortuanately, Ms. Pinkney isn't entirely on her game with this book. Told from the point of view of three different children, this Depression-era tale follows their lives as they listen to the Joe Louis matches on their radios. Hypernia is the daughter of a reverend, but would like nothing better than to impress the world with her vocal linguistics. Willie and Otis live in an orphanage, Otis because he's all alone i...more

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Feb 26, 2011 Margo Tanenbaum rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, african-american, 1930-s

Set in 1936, at the height of the Great Depression, Bird in the Box is described by the author as "mostly a book about the power of the human spirit, and of how one man's triumph brought glory to so many people." This moving novel weaves together the story of three different children in Elmira, New York: the sassy Hibernia, the daughter of a reverend, whose mama ran away to New York City right after she was born with dreams of being a jazz singer; Willie, who lives with his abusive, drunk father...more Set in 1936, at the height of the Great Depression, Bird in the Box is described by the author as "mostly a book about the power of the human spirit, and of how one man's triumph brought glory to so many people." This moving novel weaves together the story of three different children in Elmira, New York: the sassy Hibernia, the daughter of a reverend, whose mama ran away to New York City right after she was born with dreams of being a jazz singer; Willie, who lives with his abusive, drunk father and his suffering mama while he dreams of being a boxer like his idol Joe Louis; and Otis, an orphan whose parents were killed in a tragic accident, and who keeps their memories alive by remembering his father's riddle-jokes. All three children idolize Joe Lewis, the Brown Bomber. As Otis' ma tells him,
"When Joe Louis fights, it's more than just throwing punches, Otis. That boy's fighting for the pride of Negroes. When he loses, every colored man loses a little piece of his own pride."
Andrea Pinkney captures the unique voice of each of the three narrators, whose lives converge at the Mercy home for Negro Orphans, where Willie's mother sends him to escape the abuse of his violent fathers. At Mercy, he becomes friends with Otis, as the two bond over Otis' Philco radio. Hibernia meets the boys while singing with the church choir at a special holiday performance for the orphans. A stray cat the boys name Bird joins their ersatz family, and before you know it, they're all gathered by the radio listening to Joe Louis' championship fight. By using actual transcripts from radio broadcasts of Joe Louis' boxing matches, Pinkney provides an immediacy to her descriptions, as we can feel the excitement of the children listening to the matches on the radio.

This book is filled with appealing characters, from the three children to the supporting cast, from the strict Reverend to the kind Lila, who works at the orphanage. Pinkney skillfully weaves in historical information about Joe Louis, a key figure in African-American history, and as Pinkney describes him in her author's note, "a strong and beautiful symbol of hope." The author's note includes biographical information on Joe Louis, as well as information on her great-grandfather, an amateur boxer in Elmira, New York, who was the model for the character of Willie in this novel.
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May 03, 2012 Laura rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, children-s, historical-fiction, audiobook

Three African-American children living in the depths of the Great Depression find their lives intersecting in surprising ways. Hibernia, the daughter of a reverend, wants to know her mother and wants to si-i-ingg. Otis is orphaned after his parents die in a horrific car accident on the way to church. And Willie ends up in an orphanage after his father forces his hand into a pot of boiling hominy. What ultimately brings these kids together is Joe Louis, the great boxer, music, and a little coinci...more

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Mar 21, 2011 Beth G. rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, netgalley, historical-fiction, fiction, ebooks, arcs, african-americans, boxing, orphans, books-for-kids, author-female

The only thing folks are talking about is that this will be the fight to end all fights. And nobody seems to care about the tough times we're in, either. People are putting down their last little bit of money, betting on Joe Louis.

In this moving historical novel, Pinkney introduces three young African-Americans in Depression-era Elmira, New York. Hibernia is a 12-year-old preacher's daughter with dreams of becoming a famous jazz singer. Otis is trying to keep his memories of his father and mothe...more

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Apr 17, 2011 Edi Campbell rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: mg, african-american

I really do think MG books can and should develop characters.

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May 05, 2011 Zoë (In The Next Room) added it

Shelves: review-copy, historical-fiction, childrens

Bird in a Box by Andrea Davis Pinkney takes place in a small upstate New York town during the Great Depression and tells the story of three children- Hibernia, Willie and Otis- and how their lives comes together. Hibernia is the daughter of a Reverend and her mother left to have a singing career in New York City and now Hibernia dreams of someday doing the same. Willie and Otis both live in a home for orphans, but only one of them has lost their parents. Willie left home because of his abusive f...more Bird in a Box by Andrea Davis Pinkney takes place in a small upstate New York town during the Great Depression and tells the story of three children- Hibernia, Willie and Otis- and how their lives comes together. Hibernia is the daughter of a Reverend and her mother left to have a singing career in New York City and now Hibernia dreams of someday doing the same. Willie and Otis both live in a home for orphans, but only one of them has lost their parents. Willie left home because of his abusive father and is recovering from his injuries, ones that shattered his chances of being a boxing champ. Meanwhile Otis' only family is the radio he listens to every night, his reminder of the mother and father he lost. The three children find hope in the boxing matches of Joe Louis and his potential to become the country's next heavyweight champion, what they don't realize is how Joe will bring the three of them together.

Bird in a Box book is intended for children aged 9-12 and that is definitely the appropriate audience for it. The story deals with an interesting part of history and lets the reader know what that times was like for three different, yet connected, kids. Although it is certainly a novel, each chapter is divided using an illustration like the one on the cover and I thought the pictures were great. Within each chapter the perspective alternates between the three main characters and although the voices were realistic, I did find the story disjointed at times. Each character's narrative was fairly brief, and as a reader, I'd just be getting interested in their story only to have Pinkney switch to another character. Also, while Hibernia's voice was certainly unique I definitely did find the boys blended together at times, probably because of the short chapters following each other. I also didn't understand why Pinkney began the book with a chapter in the future and then went back in time, it made the first chapter very confusing and it felt unnecessary.

With Bird in a Box Pinkney certainly manages to let the reader in on an important part of history, and she even includes a note about what is real and what is fictional in her story which is something I really appreciate with historical fiction. It was also neat that she used real radio dialogue in telling the story, weaving in bits of history that the reader is able to pick up without thinking. The most memorable character was definitely Hibernia, I loved her. She had spunk and sass and she definitely made the novel worthwhile. Unfortunately, I did find some of the character development weak, but it is probably not something I would have picked up on if I'd be within the intended audience age category. Ultimately, Bird in a Box is not only a good way for a middle-grade audience to learn more about the Great Depression, but also a positive book about triumphing against the odds. (less)

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Jul 17, 2011 Kimberly rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 52-books-in-52-weeks-2011

he year is 1937 and the Great Depression has hit everyone hard, especially if you were African American. Three orphans, all alone for different reasons, live at Mercy Home. Three orphans, all with different stories, backgrounds, families, histories have one thing in common. They are going to root and hope and pray for Joe Louis, the first African American boxer to become heavyweight champion of the world.

I'm not going to lie. If not for the Diversity in YA challenge, I probably wouldn't have kn...more

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Aug 22, 2011 Tracey rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, mocknewbery, children-s

Children's fiction; historical fiction. Aside from the really bad cover design (WHY do publishers have to resist black faces on a cover, anyway?) and the bad jacket summary (oh really? The three kids "become friends" at the end of an unforgettable year? Gee, I really want to read about that), the story isn't bad, but it's not super great either (especially if you don't care for boxing), and certain dialogues and characters (particularly Lila and Mr. Sneed) seem especially contrived and even some...more

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Sep 17, 2012 Angie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: children-s-fiction, historical, website

Hibernia is a preachers daughter with a passion for singing. Otis is an orphan with a love for riddles. And Willie is a boxer with an abusive, alcoholic father. Otis and Willie end up in an orphanage and that is where these kids meet when Hibernia's church choir sings for the orphans. The love of Joe Louis brings these stories together. The setting is 1936 during the height of the depression and the beginning of Joe Louis' rise to Heavyweight Champion.

This was a nice historical story about the...more

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Mar 07, 2011 Brittany rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc-own, young-adult, historical-fiction, debut2011

In the middle of the Great Depression, there are three children from different backgrounds that are about to meet. They do have some things in common, dreams, loss and Joe Louis. The running fight commentary of Joe Louis' fights matches up nicely with the children's own struggles to get what they want from life, and what they need.

So this was a well written novel about some african american children in a time when everyone is down on their luck. Joe Louis provides and inspiration to the communit...more

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Jun 02, 2012 Amy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: childrens-literature

Audience- 4-5th grade students, teachers, and young people who are interested in jazz, boxing, or life in the 1930s in America

Appeal- It has an incredibly musical and rhythmic feel to the writing. Using actual commentary from Joe Louis' boxing matches, the author is able to build great suspense and excitement around the fights that will capture any reader's interest and imagination. It would be a great fiction book for Black History Month because it combines the golden age of jazz, the life of A...more

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Jun 10, 2011 Barb Terpstra rated it 3 of 5 stars

This was another Festival of Faith and Writing pick.

Bird in a box is the story of three children who have a love for the Brown Bomber (Joe Louis, heavyweight boxing champion from 1937 to 1949). The Bird in the Box is the radio from which each individual listens to the broadcast of the fights. The story is told in each of the children's voices (the are all African American), who, although their backgrounds vary widely, become friends.

I do think this would be a great discussion book for teens. I...more

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Sep 07, 2011 Anne rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, historical-fiction, psc-reviews, young-adult

Hibernia, Willie, and Otis all live in upstate New York during the time of the Great Depression. They haven't met yet, but events are about to bring them together. The main tie is the hope given them by listening to the bouts of boxer Joe Louis on the radio.

Told in alternating chapters between the 3 voices, the reader slowly learns about each child's hopes and fears. It also gives insight to the time of the great depression and how one black boxer could inspire so many people. However, it is als...more

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Jun 12, 2011 Karen Arendt rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: family, friendship, historical-fiction, middle-grade, multicultural-literature

Otis, Hibernia, and Willie each suffer loss in their own way during the great depression, but each holds on to hope inspired by the Boxing champion Joe Louis during the Great Depression. Otis loses both his parents in a tragic car crash. Willie' mother sends him away after his father injures his hands ending Willie's hopes of a boxing chapmionship. Hibernia's mother left when she was very young to pursue a singing career- a talent that Hibernia has inherited and now dreams of pursuing herself. E...more

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Jan 23, 2012 Mary rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: african-american-fiction, historical-fiction, juvenile-fiction

It's the Great Depression in upstate New York. While they might not realize it at first, Willie, Otis, and Hibernia all share the experience of having lost parents. Hibernia lives with her father, the Reverend Tyson, while the boys live in an orphanage. When Hibernia's church choir starts singing at the orphanage, the three children develop a friendship that will be sealed when they gather to listen to the great Joe Louis win the heavyweight championship of the world. Pinkney beautifully delinea...more

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May 22, 2012 Julie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: children-s-books

This book is a good read for children ages 9-11. I found it to be enjoyable & informative with good characters, fine writing & solid research. I will say that I probably would've enjoyed it more if I was more interested in boxing & its history. I find boxing to be a brutal, distasteful "sport," so I didn't share the characters' enthusiasm for it & felt slightly removed from them & their aspirations. Still, a nice historical novel to share with children, esp. if they're studyi...more

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Sep 23, 2011 Elizabeth rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audio-books, historical-fiction, juvenile, read_2011, realistic-fiction

Hibernia is the daughter of a preacher who has big dreams of being a singer. Willie has what it takes to be a boxer, but issues with his father are preventing it. Otis just lost both his parents and is struggling to deal with that loss. While they may not seem like they have much in common it is the boxer Joe Louis and the Mercy Home for Negro Orphans that draws them together in upstate New York.

Set in the Great Depression and meticulously researched by Davis Pinkney this quiet story comes to l...more

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May 09, 2012 Karen rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-reads

I like that so many authors these days are choosing to write historical fiction for older children ages 9-13. It's difficult for children to respond to history so as a teacher, I'm always looking for books that are about other children living during a time of historical importance. Children can relate much better. Bird in a Box is about three children living under different difficult circumstances during the Depression. Each child dreams for something better for themselves much like their hero,...more

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May 31, 2011 Reading Vacation's Mom rated it 3 of 5 stars

Bird in a Box had the potential to be great. It takes place during The Depression, one of the more interesting times in our nation’s history because of the sheer desperation so many suffered. Also, Bird in a Box teaches the lesson of overcoming tragedy and reaching for your dreams. Sounds great, but I had mixed feelings on how it all played out.

What turned me off were the main characters. The two boys, Wille and Otis, felt interchangeable. Both were scarred by experiences, both were almost too n...more

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About Andrea Davis Pinkney

Andrea Davis Pinkney is the New York Times bestselling author of more than 20 books for children, including the Caldecott Honor Book and Coretta Scott King Honor Book Duke Ellington, illustrated by Brian Pinkney; Let it Shine: Stories of Black Women Freedom Fighters, a Coretta Scott King Honor Book and winner of the Carter G. Woodson Award; and Alvin Ailey, a Parenting Publication Gold medal winne...more

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Books by Andrea Davis Pinkney

Duke Ellington: The Piano Prince and His Orchestra

Sit-In: How Four Friends Stood Up by Sitting Down

With the Might of Angels: The Diary of Dawnie Rae Johnson, Hadley, Virginia, 1954

Boycott Blues: How Rosa Parks Inspired a Nation

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