Why Have the Birds Stopped Singing?

by Zoa Sherburne

An epileptic girl suffers a seizure and journeys back into the life of her great-great-great grandmother

Genres: Time Travel, Young Adult, Childrens, Historical Fiction, Science Fiction, Fiction

189 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 1974

About the author

Born in Seattle and reared in Washington, Mrs. Sherburne began writing while attending Whittier Elementary School and in early 1940 had progressed to the point that the weekly Ballard Tribune newspaper published a column of what she called light verse under the headline "The Gremlin's Say."

Then Mrs. Sherburne entered a radio program's limerick-writing contest and won a $250 first prize that was invested in a short-story-writing course. Over the next 15 years she had more than 300 short stories published in Women's Day, Seventeen, Collier's and other magazines.

When television began cutting into the magazines and her agent suggested she start writing books. The first of 13 full-length novels followed. She never learned to type. She said she was beyond that and that she composed as she typed.

All of Mrs. Sherburne's stories and novels dealt with young girls in some kind of crisis, "some kind of problem. One of them was about a girl whose mother was an alcoholic." That book, "Jennifer," eventually won an award from the Child Study Association of America.

Originally it was turned down by a publisher who said they could not publish anything like that. Two years later they called and asked, `Do you still have that book sitting around? " Her books were translated into 27 languages.

Another, "Stranger In The House," became a made-for-television movie starring Lindsay Wagner.

For many years she was a single parent because her husband of 30 years, Herbert, died when the younger children were small. Mrs. Sherburne did not remarry.

Reviews

[Celeste · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this at the tender age of 11 and it has stayed with me till today. This story had it all for a young girl who loved to read: a medical condition, mystery, time travel, love story. And I even loved the cover so much I reproduced it by hand for my own book report cover for school! Still a recommendation.

[Connie Milton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book when I was 11 and it is still one of my all time favorite books. I have read it many times thru the years. (It only takes about 2 hours) My first love story and time travel book.

[Dana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was one of my favorite books as a young teenager. I found it on Ebay - a retired high school library book. I'm sure it took me longer to read it back then, but this time it took me less than two hours.

The tale of teenage Katie going back in time as her great-great-great grandmother enthralled me as a girl, perhaps solidifying my love for time travel in literature. It was not as grand a love story as I remember, although my perspective is quite different some 25 years later.

I was amused by some of the references of a novel written in 1974, and I definitely think this would have been a different story had it been written in the age of Google and the Internet. I doubt my own teenager would like the book as much as I did, but that's okay. I thoroughly enjoyed my few hours of nostalgia.

[Kami · Rating 2 out of 5]

I remember reading this in elementary and not enjoying it. So take this rating for what it is, a vague memory.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved this book as a teenager! My copy says 95 cents. Still thought it was a sweet book, but my tastes have changed a little since then. Wonder what the new generation of young teens would think?
Would they like it as much as I did?
I think they would be shocked at the part where the main character falls, hits her head, and lies unconscious for a long period. They take her to the hotel and call a doctor instead of a hospital visit and after bandaging her wound, the leader of the group asks her if she is alright to go out to dinner and a boat ride that night. The group leader also asks Katie if it is alright if they let her parents know when they get home instead of calling them. What a different world today!

[Min · Rating 4 out of 5]

Katie is taking a tour of the Pacific Northwest with nine other girls and teacher. One day, in Port Townsend, Katie, who has epilepsy, mixes up her handbag with her friend's handbag. She ends up having a seizure (no access to her medication) and when she wakes up, she is a hundred years in the past. Here she is known as Kathryn. Kathryn also has epilepsy but it is not the treatable disease it is in Katie's time. As Katie learns to navigate the past, she is given a glimpse into a world where her medical condition was once considered grounds for institutionalisation.

[Kathryn in FL · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story captivated me for several years in my early life (9-12~). I probably read it until I had parts memorized.

A young woman struggles with her identity and reality when her epileptic seizures alter her perception of her world and those in it.

If you are looking to get a young person intrigued with reading this may be an alternative to purchasing witchcraft or stories laden with sex and foul language.

[A Bear and a Bee Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great story to share with your daughters. It is filled with love, understanding, and triumph.

Reread - One of my favorite middle grade novels. This book definitely reads like it was published many years ago, however I find that is all part of its charm. I read this aloud this time and think it works great for a bedtime story.

[Shelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book for the first time when I was about 11 or 12 and really enjoyed it. It has stuck with me forever and every once in awhile it pops back in and I think I have to find that book, I need to read it again. I was very happy when I unpacked a box that had been in storage for a long time and tada~there it was! I was excited.

[Libbet Bradstreet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely beautiful book. I read it for the first time as a nine year-old and it has stuck with me ever since. A book with everything: romance, time-travel (of sorts), and a very typical peak at the historical interpretation of neurological diseases.

[Wendy · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of my favorites from youth.

[Breanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book puts an interesting perspective on the way society has changed especially with it's out look toward epilepsy I would recommend this book to anyone.

[Shawna Newton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Favorite book of all time .

[Amy]

Loved and still searching for a copy!

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this book when I was about 13 and just re-read it. Hard to find, but it is still just as good as it was all those years ago!

[Jen]

I didn't finish this book because Poe,my dog, ate it. I asked her for her review of the book, but she evidently had nothing to say.

[Alysande · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh nostalgia! I read this when I was 14 (for a library competition) and even now have fond memories of it. Epilepsy and time travel and romance.

[Pamela Bronson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short timey-wimey teen fantasy involving ancestral memories, identity switch, and grand mal epilepsy, also a bit of coastal and island Washington state history. NOT as dark and creepy as you might think from the title - just a little bit of each. Ends well.

I think many teen or tween girls would enjoy it and maybe some boys. There's a sweet, honorable romance. We learn that epilepsy is handled much better in 1974 than 100 years earlier, though even then some doctors had a clue. We are also told that it is not hereditary, though the fact that the heroine and her ancestor both had it might undercut this message if one doesn't read carefully.

I would let any kid read it who wanted to.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book the first time when I was in 3rd or 4th grade. It’s been a book that has stuck with me, however I didn’t really remember what it was about. I just knew it had been a childhood favorite. I was hesitant to read now as an adult, as I wanted to keep the only memory of the book I had (that it was SO good, though I didn’t remember it) alive, untainted. 30ish years later I re-read it. I’m glad I did. It surprisingly is a good story of a young girl. It’s not ground breaking writing, with an in depth plot, but remembering to view the story as a 10/11 year old girl-maybe younger, and I understand why I was enamored with this book.

[Eithne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book while going through some old boxes. This was my first ever time travel book. I loved this book so much and was so happy to have found it I had to re-read it right away. Still holds up after all these years. It's a fun book but with some serious topics. The rights of women, superstition versus science.

[Kellie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! This book has been on my mind for years. I must have read this 35+ years ago and I still remember the plot because it seemed so unique to other YA novels out there at the time.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a gorgeous little book. It was hard to find - paid a fortune for an old copy of it on Thriftbooks. Why is this not had a recent reprint?

[Mckinley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Started out with more potential than it ended up providing. Simple story, girl ends up back in time. There's a lot that's not explained that leaves confusion.
Requiem for a Princess is much like this story and I liked it better along with Magic Elizabeth by Kassirer, Norma.

Other ya books about going back in time: A Traveler In Time by Uttley, Tom's Midnight Garden, The Juniper Game. Hall Family series by Langton and The Aviary Hall series by P Farmer.