Nightingale's Nest by Nikki Loftin

John Fischer junior is known as Little John. His family are suffering. Ten months ago Little John's younger sister Raelynn has been accidentally killed. Little John blames himself for this horrific tragedy but so does his father and his mother has withdrawn into a world of mental turmoil. The family were struggling for money prior to the accident but things have now become much worse. They have been forced to sell things to raise money for the funeral and Little John's father is drinking away any money he makes felling trees. It is the summer and Little John now works with his dad. The local, rich, store owner  nicked named The Emperor, has employed them to clear and prune some old pecan trees. On their first day working in the summer heat Little John hears Gayle. She has a nightingale voice:

"The notes were high and liquid, a honey-soft river of sound that seeped right through me. ... The song sailed over the fence, like it was meant for me alone. No words to it. It was pure melody."

"That's when I realised the singer was a person. A little girl. She was plain, with brown hair the same colour as mine. But hers was ratted around her face like she'd never seen a brush, and she had dirt smeared on her cheeks and nose. Too thin, I thought, as she climbed over the edge of the bundled mess of sticks and out onto the branch to see me better."

Gayle is a foster child. She is living with Mrs Cutlin and her son Jeb. They are so horrid to this tiny child and there is frequent violence. Little John is worried about Gayle but there is another threat. The Emperor (Mr King) has heard Gayle sing. Her voice is exquisite. He wants this voice for his collection. The taking of her voice is far more sinister than just making a recording. The money ($500) offered by Mr King is actually 'blood money' but what should Little John do? He has made promises to his tiny fragile friend Gayle but he also need to think about his family.

Breathtaking; powerful; disturbing; mesmerising; raw; and tender - these are some words I would use to describe Nightingale's nest by Nikki Loftin. I started this book last night and finished it today. This is another of those books that you simply cannot put down but I do need to say there is some terrible violence to endure and so I would say this book is for very mature readers aged 11+. Read some background to this story on the blog Nerdy Book Club.

I held by breath when I clicked on the reviews for Nightingale's nest. When I adore a book as much as I adored this one, when a book moves me as deeply as this book moved me, I would have been so crushed if reviewers that I respect did not echo my reading experience. I am happy to say nearly every reviewer I have read loved this book. I don't usually quote reviewers from Goodreads but I am also going to put a few quotes here just to show the range of opinions.

School Library Journal : Smart and beautiful by turns, The Nightingale’s Nest does one thing that few will contest. Once you’ve read it, you’ll have a hard time getting it out of your head. Elizabeth Bird

Kirkus Star review: Unusual, finely crafted story of loss, betrayal and healing.

Nightingale’s Nest also thoughtfully reflects on poverty, power, gender dynamics and the question of masculinity as well as the desperate, bitter choices good people are moved to make when living under pressure. But it’s also about second chances, making amends and righting wrongs. The Book Smugglers

Goodreads comment 5 stars: "Thoughtful tween readers who enjoy a powerful story with a bittersweet ending will want to pick this one up. It’s a rare and beautiful treasure, lightly brushed with magic."  Shanshad Whelan

Goodreads comments 2 stars: "The plot is driven by something you know is going to happen, even though it seems so unlikely." Destinee Sutton

Here are some companion reads:

Bird

After reading Nightingale's Nest you are sure to want to revisit the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale:

The Song of the Nightingale by Tanya Landman illustrated by Laura Carlin

Blurb: "The painter calls all the animals together and opens up her paintbox. She paints crocodiles green and elephants grey; lions yellow and whales blue. At last, when the sun does down and the paints are used up, she is finished. But then a little bird flies out of the forest's shadows. What colour will it be?"

Image Source: ebird

The language in this book is lyrical and rich. Teachers often ask for books that use different language conventions such as metaphor and alliteration. The Song of the Nightingale contains some wonderful examples.

"By night the moon lay on a quilt of velvet black, draped over snowcapped poles."

"As the morning went on she slicked stripes on zebras and painted pentagons on giraffes. She popped penguins into sharp suits, and furnished flamingos with feathers of delicate pink."

To the painter the animals look so dull when compared with the golden sun, the bright blue sky, the deep green ocean and the flaming red deserts. So all of the animals are summoned. They form a line and the painter "opened her paintbox."

The Song of the Nightingale is an example of a pourquoi story. What does that mean I can hear you say? Pourquoi means why in French. 

A pourquoi story, also known as an origin story, pourquoi tale, is a fictional narrative that explains why something is the way it is, for example why a snake has no legs, or why a tiger has stripes. Many legends and folk tales are pourquoi stories. Here is a list you could explore.

In this book Tanya Landman and Laura Carlin look at the way or the why the nightingale can sing so beautifully. You can hear the song here. The voice of the nightingale is liquid gold and gold is a colour. Before we arrive at that moment in the story, though, we need to explore how and why all the animals got their colours. I especially love the page that looks at the colour bottom of the mandrill.

Image source: Animals.net

Read an interview with Laura and Tanya on the Walker Books Picture Book Party blog.

Here is an idea I have not seen before. The front and back covers of this book match the back and front end papers. The back end paper is the front cover and the front end paper is the back cover. 

This is a rich text and a book filled with visual delights. I think it should be an essential purchase for all school library collections.

Here are some other books illustrated by Laura Carlin and books written by Tanya Landman. I was excited to discover I had talked about Mary's Penny by Tanya Landman previously on this blog. Tanya won the Carnegie Medal in 2015 for her Young Adult book Buffalo Soldier.

Here is the original cover for Flotsam and Jetsam: