Brunner, Kym. Flip
the Bird. Houghton Mifflin/Harcourt
Brace 2016 357p
$17.99 ISBN 978-0-544-80085-4 Hardback
ms/hs Realistic fiction VG
Fourteen-year-old Mercer Buddie is determined to prove to
his master-falconer father and brother Lincoln that he can be just as serious
and successful a falconer as they are. Then he meets Lucy, a hot girl with a
great personality. With adolescent hormones raging, he is set to impress her and
claim her as his girlfriend. Then Mercer realizes that Lucy and her family are
members of HALT, a fanatical activist animal-rights organization. With his
mother being the head of a research department trying to find cures for cancer
by testing medications on dogs, and his passion for falconry, he is faced with
moral and ethical dilemmas that make him think about what is right. When his
family’s history in falconry is revealed to the group, Mercer must face the
ensuing consequences.
This well-written, fast-paced book will delight adolescent readers. The plot is filled with tension that bounces between animal rights, ethics, morals, and young teenage minds and antics. It is further complicated by the protagonist’s passion for falconry, which contradicts the beliefs of his girlfriend and her fixated parents. This book introduces a new and refreshing story. There are not many novels about falconry or animal-rights activists. Brunner has captured the experience of being an adolescent boy and juxtaposed it with an original plot. A warning, though: this book is not for the faint of heart, as accurate but brutal aspects of hunting and falconry are described. It is highly recommended for any middle- or high-school library and will appeal to adolescent readers.
This well-written, fast-paced book will delight adolescent readers. The plot is filled with tension that bounces between animal rights, ethics, morals, and young teenage minds and antics. It is further complicated by the protagonist’s passion for falconry, which contradicts the beliefs of his girlfriend and her fixated parents. This book introduces a new and refreshing story. There are not many novels about falconry or animal-rights activists. Brunner has captured the experience of being an adolescent boy and juxtaposed it with an original plot. A warning, though: this book is not for the faint of heart, as accurate but brutal aspects of hunting and falconry are described. It is highly recommended for any middle- or high-school library and will appeal to adolescent readers.
Summary: Fourteen-year-old Mercer Buddie is determined to
prove to his father and brother that he can be a serious falconer, but when he
meets Lucy, who is a part of HALT, a fanatical activist animal-rights
organization, he must make a decision about his own beliefs and face the
consequences of his involvement with her and the HALT group.
Falconry-Fiction, Animal rights-Fiction —Virginia McGarvey
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