Listen

Bird Upstairs
Written By

Product Details

Publisher: Bird Upstairs Books
Release Date: May 4, 2021
Formats: Hardcover, Paperback, Ebook
ISBN: HC: 978-1-736357-91-0; PB: 978-1-736324-33-2; EB: 978-1-736324-34-9
Page Count: 166

 

Sourland Mountain Series Book 2

Kristin McGlothlin

Winner of the 2021 Silver Moonbeam Award for Pre-Teen Fiction

In order to play more music in the future, Gwilym first has to deal with the past.

Thirteen-year-old Gwilym Duckworthy has a supportive family consisting of his dad, stepmom Ferguson, grandma, aunt and uncle, and his older siblings, sister Bex and brother Clay. His best friends, Cat and Hattie (who is also his cousin), live on either side of him. He’s going to learn how to play the trumpet, and he has a job delivering Cat’s uncle Hal’s produce. His life is good.

Listen opens on Thanksgiving day—Gwilym’s favorite holiday. It’s a day he can spend with his family and friends playing their annual football game and scavenger hunt. What could go wrong? Maybe a call from his mom—the one family member who left them when he was three years old? She is going to be in town with her jazz band to play two nights at Princeton University. Why has she decided to contact only him? Should Gwilym meet with her without his sister and brother? Does he want to know why she left them?

The second book in the Sourland Mountain series, Listen delves into the issue of abandonment and how through forgiveness or acceptance the characters find out they are more alike than unalike.

About the Author

Before becoming an award-winning author, Kristin McGlothlin was the assistant curator of education at the Norton Museum of Art, where she designed and managed the Norton’s art and music programs. She has a BA in art history and a BA and MA in English. Her debut middle-grade novel, Drawing with Whitman, won the 2019 Moonbeam Silver Medal for Pre-Teen Fiction.

Visit the author’s website at sourlandmountainbooks.com

Reviews

“The straightforward story delivers a strong cast of characters . . .the protagonist is sensitive and observant in ways that are realistic for a 13-year-old boy.” —Kirkus Reviews

“A heartwarming story about parental abandonment and forgiveness. Gwilym Duckworthy is a hero kids will recognize and root for!” —Shannon Hitchcock, author of One True Way and Ruby Lee and Me

“What a poignant and hopeful book for children. Gwilym Duckworthy, 13, has a lovely family and a heart still broken after his mother left him and his sibs to join a jazz band. I loved the quirky characters, the healing reconciliation with the prodigal mom after 10 years, and discussions of the link between art, music, and creativity. A charming tale not long enough (146 pages). Thankfully, another title in this Sourland Mountain Series comes out in the fall, so the story goes on. Hurrah!” —Literary Redhead

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