“I love the way Alice Hoffman creates the most ordinary people and then turns their lives magical. . . . [Nightbird] is like reentering a wonderful dream that you vaguely remember.” —Lois Lowry, two-time Newbery Medal–winning author of The Giver
In her first novel for middle-grade readers , bestselling author Alice Hoffman tells a bewitching story of love and friendship that is truly magical.
Twig lives in Sidwell, where people whisper that fairy tales are real. After all, her town is rumored to hide a monster. And two hundred years ago, a witch placed a curse on Twig’s family that was meant to last forever. But this summer, everything will change when the red moon rises. It’s time to break the spell.
What Other Authors Are Saying
"I loved Nightbird. Such a clever mix of fantasy and reality; the fantasy is so persuasively meshed with the story that the reader accepts everything. Alice Hoffman enters brilliantly into the twelve-year-old mind and winds her account of a disordered family into the twists and turns of an elegantly crafted narrative in which past and present unite to solve a magically intriguing problem of witches, feathers and owls." —Penelope Lively, winner of the Carnegie Medal and the Booker Prize
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful.
Marvelous and Magical!
By MommaMia
Nightbird is a marvelous, magical story about growing up and coming to terms with our uniqueness. All children want to fit in, it's only natural, and so does Twig, our heroine. Her name is Teresa, but everyone calls her Twig because she loves to climb trees and she's as inconsequential as a twig. Well, at least that's what Twig thinks. She wishes she could have long silky hair, beautiful clothes, and most of all, friends. But Twig can't have friends. She lives an isolated life because she must. Her family has a secret and she can't risk bringing friends to the house, and really, she thinks, even if she could have friends over, who would want to play with her?In the town of Sidwell, anything is possible. There is magic in the air and something is hidden away from sight, something that would mystify, even horrify. The Sidwell Monster is the stuff of legend in town, but in reality, there is no monster. There never really is. Monsters are things we create in our minds to explain something that has no explanation. Twig knows this, but the towns people don't and she fears her family secret will be exposed and she'll be even more ostracized than she is already.When a new family comes to town and takes the cottage down the road from Twig and her mom, things start to happen. Twig is pulled along into situations she never thought possible and she finds herself with the one thing in the world she longs for. A friend. Julia Hall becomes her one confidant, her trusted companion, and eventually she and her sister Agate come to know Twig's family secret and become part of the solution to reversing the curse that has plagued Twigs family for generations.This story has a witch, (who may or may not be a witch) a monster (who may or may not be a real monster) and a young girl with a secret who is on the cusp of growing up and finds more strength in herself than she ever dreamed possible. This story is PERFECT for young readers from the age of 10 - 13. It's a charming story set in a delightful place where magic happens everyday. Alice Hoffman never disappoints and Nightbird is no exception. Brilliantly written, tightly woven tale of magic, friendship and the power of love.
17 of 21 people found the following review helpful.
A twelve-year old fantasy fan raves - it's great
By Scott Schiefelbein
This review comes to you with considerable input from my 12-year old daughter, Nina."Nightbird," by Alice Hoffman . . . oh well, I've already been told that my review is boring. Here is the perspective my daughter would like to share "because now people will read your review.""Nightbird" is an extremely good book. It is funny, sad, and thrilling. Alice Hoffman makes the book seem believable. Plus, I love flying things! Dragons, birds, griffons . . . "Nightbird" is a great book.A brief background of the plot is in order. Twig Fowler's family was cursed two hundred years agoby a witch named Agnes Early. So Twig leads a pretty lonely life. Her faither left for unknown reasons when Twig was little. The curse left her older brother, and all the other Fowler men, with wings! So, wehn Agnes Early's descendants move in next door, her mother isn't exactly friendly. But when she becomes friends with Julia, one of the Early girls, they must stop history from repeating itself."Nightbird" is a great book for people who love fantasy. There are also no annoying gaps in the story. I hate those. But if hyou are just looking for something fun to read, check out this book. There will be no regrets. It's a great book.Now, Dad, you can write what you want to write. Thanks, Nina.I can't top that - check it out. Dad.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful.I loved this book
By thesparklenureyz
I loved this book. I like the majority of the books I read. I read a lot of books. But then there are those special books, the special few. The books I fall in love with. The books that I rush to finish, that I devour. At the end, I smile and think to myself, "I have to tell the world about this book!" This was one of those books. It was written for kids, but I think any adult who is still in touch with their inner child, their imagination, and with fantasy and magic, would love this book. (I also think kids will love this book, too!)It is a wonderful story. I enjoyed how the plot unfolded. I really admired how the main character's secret was slowly revealed. It was like a flower bud, closed up tight at the beginning. But, instead of blooming all at once, it slowly revealed itself, petal by petal. This was how the character divulged her secret. It all made it so much more powerful, and much more interesting to read than if the secret had all been laid out at once, in its entirety.There were also several beautiful sentences, that I stopped after reading, and closed my eyes, just to savor the way they sounded, and the beauty behind their imagery. Although I read many books that are well written, moments where a line is so beautiful you stop and immerse yourself in it, are rare. I would love to post them, but I received an ARC, which is an uncorrected proof, and I would not want to post a line that has since been changed.Thank you very much to NetGalley, and Random House Children's for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.It was a pleasure to read this book. I can't wait to tell my friends about this book.
