Every Bird a Prince

by Jenn Reese

Overview

Nominated for the 2023 Andre Norton Nebula Award for Middle Grade and Young Adult Fiction

A girl's quest to save a forest kingdom is intertwined with her exploration of identity in Every Bird a Prince, a gorgeous middle-grade contemporary fantasy by Jenn Reese, the award-winning author of A Game of Fox & Squirrels, perfect for fans of Josephine Cameron and Barbara O'Connor.

The only time Eren Evers feels like herself is when she’s on her bike, racing through the deep woods. While so much of her life at home and at school is flying out of control, the muddy trails and the sting of wind in her face are familiar comforts.

Until she rescues a strange, magical bird, who reveals a shocking secret: their forest kingdom is under attack by an ancient foe—the vile Frostfangs—and the birds need Eren's help to survive.

Seventh grade is hard enough without adding “bird champion” to her list of after-school activities. Lately, Eren’s friends seem obsessed with their crushes and the upcoming dance, while Eren can’t figure out what a crush should even feel like. Still, if she doesn’t play along, they may leave her behind…or just leave her all together. Then the birds enlist one of Eren's classmates, forcing her separate lives to collide.

When her own mother starts behaving oddly, Eren realizes that the Frostfangs—with their insidious whispers—are now hunting outside the woods. In order to save her mom, defend an entire kingdom, and keep the friendships she holds dearest, Eren will need to do something utterly terrifying: be brave enough to embrace her innermost truths, no matter the cost.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250909268
Publisher:	Square Fish
Publication date:	05/14/2024
Pages:	256
Sales rank:	1,089,242
Product dimensions:	5.15(w) x 7.55(h) x 0.65(d)
Age Range:	9 - 12 Years

About the Author

Jenn Reese (she/they) writes speculative fiction for readers of all ages. She is the author of A Game of Fox & Squirrels, an NPR Best Book of 2020, a finalist for the Andre Norton Award and the Mythopoeic Award, and winner of the Oregon Book Award. Her other publications include the Above World trilogy and numerous short stories and essays. Jenn lives in Portland, Oregon where she makes art, plays video games, and talks to the birds.

Editorial Reviews

"Reese's splendid story skillfully combines everyday experiences with a fantastical world, and though the talking birds and ferocious frostfangs are a surface-level treat, they're also thoughtful explorations of selfdoubt and asexuality. A powerful testament to self-knowledge and boldly living in your truth." —Booklist

"Using frostfangs as a metaphor for the debilitating effects of self-doubt, this contemporary fantasy realistically examines Eren’s confusion, fear of alienation, and suffocation as she grapples with her true sexuality. Multidimensional supporting characters with their own identity issues and vulnerabilities add veracity and depth.." —Kirkus Reviews

"Reese gives equal weight to each storyline and captures how the urgency of self-identification and fear of your own truths can pervade every moment and feel just as catastrophic as the potential end of the world. It’s a comfort that Eren and her pals save the day—perhaps even more so that they each find new truths in themselves and each other. " —The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"Meanwhile, a conversation with Alex’s asexual, pan-romantic sister gives Eren the framework to consider her own sexuality. Eren’s relatable effort to find her own path is sympathetically wrought, while the conflict between the birds and frostfangs provides an alternate lens for a protagonist working through layers of feelings." —Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

04/11/2022

Reese’s (A Game of Fox and Squirrels) contemplative contemporary fantasy delicately addresses middle school fears and social anxieties alongside one Oregon adolescent’s exploration of sexuality. When white seventh grader Eren Evers’s boy-crazy best friends, Black science enthusiast Jessie and white theater kid Kayla, pressure her to reveal her crush, Eren names popular Latinx athlete Alex Ruiz, even though the whole idea of crushes makes her ill at ease. But when the bird princes of the magical Resplendent Nest recruit Eren and Alex as their champions in a fight against the wolflike frostfangs, which feed on doubt and have already conquered other animal kingdoms, the two develop a close friendship. To counter the frostfangs, the duo must discover their inner truths, which for Eren come closest when she rides her beloved bike through the woods, and for Alex involve music. Meanwhile, a conversation with Alex’s asexual, pan-romantic sister gives Eren the framework to consider her own sexuality. Eren’s relatable effort to find her own path is sympathetically wrought, while the conflict between the birds and frostfangs provides an alternate lens for a protagonist working through layers of feelings. Ages 9–12. Agent: Holly Root, Root Literary. (May)

Publishers Weekly

2022-03-02
Recruited by a magical bird to thwart encroaching creatures, an insecure teen explores her sexual identity.

Seventh grader Eren Evers likes escaping on her bike into the woods near her Oregon home, “away from school, her mom, and even her friends.” Ambivalent about boys and dating, Eren reluctantly accepts an invitation to a dance with classmate Alex Ruiz because her best friends expect it rather than considering what she really wants. After Eren rescues a small, frost-covered bird named Oriti-ti, it speaks, pronouncing her its champion in the war its nongendered bird community is waging against villainous frostfangs—icy, wolflike creatures who exploit self-doubt to undermine their prey. When Oriti-ti saves Eren and Alex from an attacking frostfang, Alex also commits to the fight. Eren’s friendship with Alex grows, and she develops clarity about her feelings through her friendship with his older sister, Luisa, who is asexual and panromantic. With a frostfang attack on the school dance looming, Eren must accept her true self: Asserting her aromantic identity helps her be strong and brave enough to stop the frostfangs. Using frostfangs as a metaphor for the debilitating effects of self-doubt, this contemporary fantasy realistically examines Eren’s confusion, fear of alienation, and suffocation as she grapples with her true sexuality. Multidimensional supporting characters with their own identity issues and vulnerabilities add veracity and depth. Eren reads as White; Alex is Latinx.

A timely middle-grade fantasy grounded in themes of friendship and truth. (Fantasy. 9-12)

Kirkus Reviews