Finch is an eleven year old girl whose father died of cancer during last year. Her mom is struggling with depression and she feels like she has lost both her parents. Her brother, Harrison, has a very nasty friend who does some things to Finch which could be considered criminal. The person Finch considered her best friend has dumped her for someone more popular and she finds out that she has the same teacher she had the previous year and treated her very badly. She has trouble in school, especially in writing and is very frustrated. She has a dream that someday, she will grow feathers and be able to fly based upon a story about a feather that had grown out of her neck when she was younger. Whenever she is stressed, she rubs the scar from the feather that was plucked from her. As she tries to deal with all these issues, a new family moves next door with two girls and Finch tries to befriend the older one, Pinky. The family is from Punjab and the father is fearful of the girls going to public school or becoming friends with anyone. He thinks they will be teased and/or treated badly or worse, become Americanized. Finch does not give up on her new neighbour and they eventually find a way to become friends. Finch and Pinky both need to find themselves, develop some confidence and stand up for themselves. Through a couple of situations, the girls finally realize they can be friends, be who and what they want to be and stand up for what is right. This book was a compelling read and I could not put it down. I believe that middle grade students will enjoy this book as well as learn from it.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. ( )

Thoroughly enjoyed this story of grief, courage and friendship as experienced by a middle school girl who feels like an outsider. Loved Finch and Pinky's friendship and the eighties setting (fellow Little House fan here!). Kids who have experienced similar losses or consider themselves outside the mainstream, for whatever reason, will find a lot to love here too.

It has been so difficult to put Feathered by Deborah Kerbel for these last two days. This story is so engrossing.

Finch is only eleven years old but her life is falling apart. She managed to survive school with a mean and strict teacher. She has trouble with writing, forming the letters and spelling. Her dad died after a long battle with lung cancer. He had meant so much to her. Her mother is constantly smoking and never gets anything done unlike before his death. Her mother has a scary vacant look to her eyes. Her brother is gone from the house in this summer a lot, spending time with boy who is always very mean to her. Her best friend had stopped acting like a friend. Her father told her that she was named after a famous writer but her mother told her that she had had a bird feather attached to her and there was a scar after it was removed. Right now, she preferred her mother’s story. She wished that she was a bird and could fly away from her troubles.

But a little girl Finch’s age, moves next door. She has darker skin and her mother seems to be praying all the time. She is from India. Maybe things will get better?

The author Deborah Kerbal skillfully weaves many problems that girls Finch’s age have and they are not small ones! If you look above, you can figure out that Finch’s mother is deeply depressed. All the signs are there. Finch is a sensitive person, she doesn’t take her past teacher’s remarks lightly. The whole family grieving over the loss of her father. Her brother is escaping from negative atmosphere at home by staying with his friend so much. And there are other very important problems that I haven’t mentioned that are included in Finch’s story. Yet the story flows smoothly and the pace is even.

I would recommend this book to all eleven year old girls. This book is realistic and also has a little bit of fantasy in it.

I received a finished copy of this book as a win from FirstReads from the publisher but that in no way determined my thoughts or feelings in this review. ( )