Raven Winter by Susanna Bailey

Billie and her mum have moved out of the family home because dad has been sent to jail following a crime involving money (sounds like a white-collar crime). Now mum has found a new partner but he is a horrible and aggressive man who holds an enormous amount of power over her mum. He has excluded their friends and he demands the house be kept spotlessly clean. He has 'hidden' all of her dad's possessions in the garage. Dad loved the outdoors and especially birds and he and Billie share a very special bond and so Billie desperately misses him and she is sure he has no idea that they have moved. She is also certain mum and dad can get back together and that dad can help mum understand Daniel is dangerous. 

Billie decides she needs to find her dad and this decision becomes even more urgent when she discovers letters from her dad hidden in a box under her mum's bed. When she first leaves home she finds a young raven with an injured wing. She abandons her plan and smuggles him into her room. Luckily this is the week Daniel is not home because he is a long-distance truck driver. For her second attempt to run away she decides to look in those boxes in the garage. Daniel is away again and she wants to find her dad's bird books but just as she is unpacking the boxes Daniel arrives home. His violent reaction is utterly terrible. So now Billie really does have to go. But how? Her new friend Nell has accidentally offered the perfect way to do this and Billie now has to stowaway as Nell and her grandmother drive to a market near where dad has been staying. 

Blurb: Ever since Billie’s kind and nature-loving dad went to prison, her life has lost its shine. And now, Mum’s new boyfriend has moved in and home is full of sharp-glass silences. Billie’s never felt more alone. Until one day she discovers an injured young raven and in nursing him back to life, Billie finds friendship, hope and a letter that might bring her one step closer to reuniting with Dad. Raven Winter is the story of friendship, family and the belief in a very special relationship with a young raven set against the beautiful and the wintery backdrop of the Yorkshire Dales.

This is a harrowing story, but I was sure Susanna Bailey would provide a happy ending or at least the glimpse of a better future so I kept reading Raven Winter even though at times I just had to stop, walk away and take a breath. This is a book for a very mature reader aged 11+ and not recommended for sensitive readers. Read a text sample here. 

Raven Winter does suggest domestic abuse and a parent who is absent due to being in jail – tough topics – but I think it is done sensitively and gently. ...  The bigger theme of the book in my view though is how children can find comfort in nature, how non-judgmental animals can help a child who feels alone, and how caring for someone or something outside of themselves, can be cathartic. Julia's Books

There are many strands to this powerful story and binding them together is a celebration of nature and its power to heal: what the author has achieved is a fine balance between sadness and beauty. Not everything is resolved but father and daughter are reunited and there’s hope for the future. There’s also a reassuring message to any reader in a situation similar to Billie about the importance of going to a trusted adult for help. Red Reading Hub

Companion books:

Dragon Skin

The Star outside my window

Here are other books by Susanna Bailey

The Elephant in the Room by Holly Goldberg Sloan

Sila Tekin has so much going on in her life right now. Her precious mum has left their home in Oregon to travel to Turkey because there is a problem with her immigration paperwork. She expects to be away for eight days but the eight days have now turned into eight months. Sila and her dad are trying to cope but Sila desperately misses her mum. 

Sila is a good student at school but she seems to have withdrawn into herself and this does not go unnoticed. The school counsellor sets her up with another student Mateo Lopez. Mateo is also a quiet kid but this is because he finds life so confusing due to his autism. 

Meanwhile Sila and her mechanic dad head out of town to the property of Gio Gardino. Gio worked all his life on a production line but some months ago he and his work mates won an enormous lottery prize. Gio has lost his wife but because she always wanted to live somewhere with land he now lives in a large house, on a large estate, with a huge barn and high walls.

Sila is a beautiful soul. She chats with Gio while her dad works on the truck repairs. Gio talks about his wife who was actually Sila's Grade Two teacher. As dad and Sila head home Gio tells them that tomorrow is his birthday so Sila suggests they should meet for donuts.

The next morning while they sip their drinks and munch their donuts several huge lorries pull into the car park of the Hole in one Bakery. These are circus lorries and the circus is about to close down. Gio knows Sila loves elephants and in the back of one of these trucks there is a real elephant. Her name is Veda.

I am not going to say much more. I am sure you can do the maths think about the way these story elements might add up - new friends; an elephant, that has been badly treated by a cruel circus owner, in need of a new home; a lonely man with lots of land and money; and a powerful lesson in kindness. Oh and I should also mention Mateo's mum is a lawyer and her speciality is labour law. She also has a colleague who works in immigration law - again I hope you are putting this puzzle together. I also hope you are wondering how flamingos fit into this story!

Yesterday my computer decided to have a 'go slow' day so while I waited for things to reset I started this book - The Elephant in the Room. About two hours later I finished the whole book and I sighed with happiness.  Thank you Holly Goldberg Sloan for this powerful, emotional and heartfelt story.

Here are a few text quotes:

"Veda slowly lifted her trunk and let it sway gently in the afternoon air. The elephant inhaled the sharp, tingling smell of the pine needs from grand fir trees. She detected vine maple. White alder. The pungent smooth madrone tree bark. There was wild ginger growing somewhere. Cedar. Sweet woodruff. Western lark. Osoberry. Englemann spruce. Sword ferns. Golden currant. ... The old man stood motionless alongside Veda, whose trunk was carefully investigating the top of his gray-haired head, strand by strand."

"She was my favourite teacher. But she died and now me and my dad are friends with her husband, but that was a coincidence."

"Mateo seemed different when animals were around. Sila watched as he let go of the side of the seat (of the golf buggy) and his face took on a totally new expression. He was relaxed in a way that Sila had only seem when he'd been playing with his dog."

Click these review comments and then go out and find this BOOK! Do not wait - do it now. Ms Yingling Reads has more plot details. 

Sometimes we are so busy living our own lives that we don’t see the connections that could link us to people who might seem very different from us. But, with gentle humour and insight, this book shows how seeing the world through someone else’s eyes can make our own lives better. With short chapters, great characters and plenty of tension, the overriding message is this: many quiet people have plenty to say – we just have to learn how to listen. Book Trust

Get your tissue box ready around page 190.  Just have it handy.  (Not just one tissue...get the box.)   This is grand and glorious and goes right to the heart of things. A Book and a Hug

Companion books:

The One and Only Ivan

The Great Elephant Chase

Small as an elephant

An Elephant in the Garden

The Magician's Elephant

Other books by Holly Goldberg Sloan:

Counting by 7s

Appleblossom the Possum

To Night Owl from Dogfish