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