Birdy by Sharon Kernot

Maddy along with her mum and brother Charlie (the Professor) have moved to a remote country town in South Australia. An utterly dreadful thing has happened to Maddy and her anxiety is so overwhelming she can no longer speak. Mum does not pressure Maddy and she has agreed to do regular counselling. Her brother, who is ten, is also supportive. He loves to collect things and has an encyclopedic knowledge of the world. One day he finds a couple of curious things, but he tells Maddy they are of no value - a small bluebird necklace, some bottle tops and the button from a pair of Levi jeans. 

Maddy needs to challenge herself and so she goes to the local general store to gather the family shopping. She is not able to speak to the shop keeper and experiences panic attacks every time she goes there but she persists. One day a young girl is behind the counter. Her name is Levi. Levi is friendly and she does not pressure Maddy once her brother explains Maddy cannot talk. It takes a lot of courage and time but eventually they become friends and Maddy begins to trust Levi - maybe she can tell Levi what has happened.

Meanwhile there is an elderly reclusive lady in the town who has suffered great losses in her life. Her husband worked at Maralinga where they did nuclear bomb testing and he died from radiation sickness many years ago. Alice has also lost her precious daughter Birdie. Birdie disappeared forty-five years ago but Alice clings to the hope that one day she will come home. Alice hurts her foot and so Maddy is asked to deliver her groceries and gradually we watch as this unlikely pair form a friendship.

Birdy is a verse novel. It is a very engrossing story which will greatly appeal to readers aged 14+. This book deals with some big themes such as sexual assault; issues of consent; anxiety leading to selective mutism; and profound grief.

I did appreciate the Australian and literary references in this book. Charlie is described as a mini-Harry Butler (I'm sure only readers of a certain age will recognise this reference); when they go for a drive one day she reads about the story of Bob the Railway Dog (see image of the picture book at the end of this post); also Maddy loves the poetry of Emily Dickinson. There are also 1970s music references such as Carole King You've got a Friend. And there are very important references in this book to the historic events at Maralinga.

Birdy is highly recommended for teens, for both its honest, heart-wrenching content and lyrical free-verse style. Read Plus

Birdy is filled with positive examples of people supporting each other through their words and kind deeds, and touches on some of the different ways of dealing with anxiety. It also addresses the harm that social media can do, and the strength of character required to counter this. The serious issues that shape Maddy and Alice’s lives (implied sexual assault and anxiety, hoarding and depression) are dealt with sensitively and eventually resolved. Read Plus

Birdy is a title on our 2025 CBCA (Children's Book Council of Australia) short list for Older Readers. I don't usually read the books on this list because they are beyond the scope of this blog which is aimed at readers (and teachers and Teacher-Librarians) with books for ages 4-12. I picked up Birdy from the hospital library where I work as a volunteer partly because the cover is so arresting and partly because I was fairly certain the staff who catalogued this title had put in in the wrong part of our collection. They had added it to our middle grade chapter books but now that I have read Birdy I can say it is most definitely a Young Adult title. 

Read more about Sharon Kernot here. I am not sure I would use this book with a class - it feels too much like a personal journey that should be experienced by a solitary reader walking alongside Maddy and her journey to understanding and recovery, but the publisher has prepared some teaching notes if these interest you. Joy Lawn interviewed Sharon Kernot on her blog Paperbark Words. 

Awards for Birdy:

• Shortlisted, CBCA Book of the Year, Older Readers, 2025
• Shortlisted, NSW Literary Awards Ethel Turner Prize for Young People’s Literature, 2025
• Shortlisted, Readings Young Adult Prize, 2024

Here are the CBCA judges comments:

In Birdy, a compelling verse novel, two heartfelt and heartbreaking mysteries slowly unfold and overlap – a powerful contemporary drama intersecting with a historical crime. The main character Maddy is a teenage girl who is experiencing selective mutism and anxiety after what she will only refer to as The Incident. Her family relocates to the country to help her recover and there she makes a surprising connection with the reclusive older woman Alice, whose daughter Birdy disappeared 45 years ago. The novel explores ideas about shame, loss and trauma, the healing power of friendship and kindness, and celebrates the ability of poetry to generate deep feelings in both the writer and reader. We witness the skillful execution of the expressive and poetic language of a verse novel, to create rhythm, pause and silence to reflect the interior mood of the character of Maddy. The language is rich, descriptive and evocative, while still being accessible for the teen audience. This book would appeal to readers who love reading realistic, contemporary, heartfelt stories, and who enjoy crime and mystery. The descriptive, evocative language and complex themes provide much scope for detailed study in a classroom environment.

Companion books:

When Maddy intrudes on Birdy's room which has been carefully preserved by her mother and left just as it was 45 years ago I thought of this older Australian book from 1991:

Blackbird Girls by Anne Blankman

Valentina is a young  Jewish girl living in Pripyat. Even though her family do not follow the traditions of their religion Valentina has experienced terrible bullying at school especially from one girl in her class who also, by chance, lives in the same building. Oksana has been told every day of her life not to trust Jews. Her father who works at the Chernobyl power plant blames Valentina's father for a missed promotion. Neither girl could possibly anticipate that today April 26th, 1986 would be the day of the worst nuclear accident in history.

Here are some text quotes to give you a flavour of this book:

"Outside the air tasted of metal, not the wild roses and cut grass Valentina was used to. No fire should smell like this she thought."

"Every child in Pripyat knew about radiation poisoning. It was a sickness you could catch from working with nuclear power. Thankfully, it was easily cured. All you had to do was drink milk or mineral water and eat plenty of cucumbers, and you'd be well in a day or two."

When I read this I gasped. Oksana's mother has been working on the rooftop garden on the day of the disaster and she has been exposed to the nuclear fall out. Later Oksaya learns her father is now dead. Valentina's father is desperately ill in hospital.  Valentina and her mother manage to visit her him but in doing so her mother is also exposed to dangerous levels of radiation. When they return from the hospital:

"She and mother had each taken a shower, and then Mama had thrown the clothes they had been wearing into the corridor as well. Now she dropped two tablets each into a glass of water. They quickly dissolved. Valentina knew what they were: Papa had bought iodine tables when he's begun working at the power station. Just in case ... "

It is now vital to get the two girls out of the city. The authorities have told everyone to evacuate immediately. But train ticket sales are limited and only two can be bought. Valentina's mother says she will stay behind Valentina and Oksaka must travel to Lenningrad.

The story of Valentina, Oksana and Rita are told through alternating voices. It is 1986 for Valentina and Oksana and 1941 for Rita. Readers need to discover Rita's story from the past because her story set during the war links in unexpected ways with the experiences of the two young girls who now in her care.

Listen to this audio sample from Chapter One.

I didn’t know what to expect from The Blackbird Girls, but Anne Blankman wrote a stunning middle grade novel that brings readers through a whirlwind of emotion. Literary Lizard

Blankman spins a stunningly complex tale out of simple words. Kirkus Star review

Written from multiple perspectives, this book dives into a friendship that evolves over time. One of the reasons that I loved this book so much is that it dealt with themes that are important and valuable. Youth Services book reviews

This story shows that hatred, intolerance, and oppression are no match for the power of true friendship. A Might Girl

Blackbird Girls has been on my "to read" list for a long time. I was waiting for the release of a paperback copy but in the end I decided I just couldn't wait.  When I spied this in a city bookstore with a discounted price I knew it was time to buy this book. Here in Australia the hardcover edition of this book is nearly $30. I do remember the Chernobyl nuclear disaster but beyond some basic facts I guess I had not given much thought to the lives of the Ukrainian people living in the nearby towns such as Pripyat. This book also gave me some idea about life in communist Russia and the constant fear experienced by the people at this time. The final pages of this book also give readers background information about this time in history and also details of Anne Blankman's connection with a Chernobyl child survivor.

I highly recommend The Blackbird Girls BUT I do need to give a warning. This book contains violent episodes of child abuse and so I would say it is suitable for mature readers aged 12 or 13+.

You might also like to look for Letters from Rifka.

I also read this one many years ago: