The Flight of the Cassowary

by John LeVert

Sixteen-year-old John finds life in high school and at home increasingly distorted when he becomes obsessed with the parallels between people and animals and starts responding to everything around him according to the laws of nature.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult

304 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1986

Reviews

[Andy]

Very few young adult books manage not to overdramatize their protagonist's inner turmoil; this one, with its undersold magical realism, is uniquely accurate in presenting adolescence as something simultaneously reality-destroying and totally benign. The reasoned, casual narrative voice meant a lot to me when I was in the target age. On my recent reread, the problems in pacing and proportion seemed much more serious than I remembered, and I wasn't sure what to think of the way racial issues were handled - but the final page still feels to me like something special and true, and has stuck with me for all these years in a way few things have from my childhood reading.

[DocHawk]

This book is chock full of magical realism, which is refreshing and interesting. But it doesnt seem to serve a function in the plot and the overall story does not provide any resolution.

[Eclecticbookreviewer]

I read this book as a teenager. This book is the reason I love reading and writing. It made a big impression on me. The book gave no indication in its summary that there would be a fantastical element or I would have never read it lol. There were so many dynamics to follow in this story. Father son, mother son, boy siblings, boy girl, boy peers etc. So many subjects were examined romance, depression, mental health,bullying etc. What made this book my favorite however is how similar to my life the story was. My father had similar traits as his father. My siblings reacted similarly to his in the story. I attended a school similar to the one he did. After so much realism when fantasy came into play it just made this book solid. Excellent book. Must read.

[Sarah-Mae]

I bought this book because of the title and not once did it mention a cassowary. I was greatly disturbed by the racial issues portrayed in the book. I do not think it is appropriate for a YA audience.

[Lindsay]

I read this book over 20 years ago, and I can still remember how much I enjoyed it. Don't ask me what it was about, because my memory's not THAT good, but it definitely made an impression. Now if only I could get my hands on a copy for a reread...