SOLVED. YA fiction. Troubled preteen boy in foster system befriends a young? man who rehabilitates injured raptors (hawks, owls, etc.) in a barn. Boy kept running away from foster homes. Pen-and-ink illustrations in book. Read in 1980s.

[Shifty]

I read this book in the 1980s when I was pretty young. As I recall the protagonist was a troubled preteen who kept running away from various foster homes. He somehow met a young (?) man who lived and worked in a barn, rehabilitating injured raptors (hawks, owls, etc.) He ends up helping save them from someone who is attempting to free the birds before they are ready. The book had pen-and-ink illustrations. There was an older woman neighbor with a duck/chicken named Felicity.

[Kris]

Shifty, I added some details to the header/topic title. You can update it by clicking the small "edit" link after the header. This only works on the full Desktop website - not the Mobile website or app. (On the Mobile website, click the "Desktop version" link at the bottom of the page.)

[Shifty]

Kris wrote: "Shifty, I added some details to the header/topic title. You can update it by clicking the small "edit" link after the header. This only works on the full Desktop website - not the Mobile website or..."

Okay thank you.

[Kris]

You're welcome.

[Rainbowheart]

Could this be the same book Rachel is looking for here?

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

[Olivia]

Could the book be The Maze by Will Hobbs?

[Rainbowheart]

The Maze for Olivia's suggestion.

[Bethany]

While the last suggestion sounds like it could be the one, I was reminded of this book and thought I would suggest it just in case: On the Far Side of the Mountain

[Shifty]

Olivia wrote: "Could the book be The Maze by Will Hobbs?"

No but the plot is remarkably similar. Thank you for the suggestion.

[Daisy]

It sounds a lot like The Very Worst Thing, but that wasn't published until 2003.

[Tab]

One More Flight

[Lynn]

I'm not sure if this is it because all I remember about it is the kestrel and it is set in the North of England.
A Kestrel for a Knave

Edit: Just looked at Tab's suggestion - that sounds like it is the book you're looking for Shifty.

[Shifty]

Tab wrote: "One More Flight"

YESSSSS!!! This is it! Thank you so much!