If there's any justice in the world, this should be sporting a Medal or two after next ALA Midwinter. If anything, though, I think Doug Swieteck's experiences in a new small town as he finds his balance and helps several other people regain their own is a TOO rich melange of themes, metaphors, characters of varying intellectual and emotional depth, chain-pulling lines for teachers and librarians, twists on conventional triumphs (specifically the Meeting A Famous Real Athlete one and the Being In A Smash Stage Play one), obliquely presented plot and character developments, romance, student-teacher interactions and several other items--any one or two of which would have powered a good novel on their own.

Is the Audubon-birds-as-metaphors a touch too heavyhanded? Maybe....but maybe not for less analytical readers, and anyway, that's just one thread in a complicated, complicated tapestry.

The core audience for this is probably people older than Doug (who are going to get lines like his: "Reader, I kissed her.")

One of several money quotes: "In English, we were still on the Introduction to Poetry Unit, and I'm not lying, if I ever meet Percy Bysshe Shelley walking down the streets of Marysville, I'm going to punch him right in the face." [ARC 273] Five pages later, you'll want to hold the poet still for Doug's shot.

Altogether outstanding. You'll need multiple hankies.