Falcon Wild

June 15, 2017
Lost in the Montana wilderness, two white children and a tame gyrfalcon learn to trust one another. Thirteen-year-old home-schooled Karma lives in Montana on her family's bird-of-prey education center, where she helps her white father train raptors. Karma longs to have friends but worries she talks too much about hawks and falcons--her favorite is a rescued white gyrfalcon named Stark. When Stark's owner reclaims her, Karma reluctantly drives with her father and younger brother to deliver her. Shortly after letting off an unfriendly teenage-boy hitchhiker named Cooper, their van blows a tire and crashes. With her father and brother injured and Stark escaped, Karma sets out to find help. After she falls into a crevice, she is rescued by the mysterious Cooper, who spotted her thanks to the white bird circling overhead. Overjoyed to find Stark, Karma continues her search for help. As she and Cooper hike into the wilderness, they endure a slew of unfortunate events that would make Lemony Snicket proud (grizzly, near-drowning, falling, infection, thunderstorm/hail), and Cooper gradually reveals his past. Karma's simple present-tense, first-person narration is inconsistent in her worry for her father and brother, and interesting information on falconry and raptors is imparted in an academic style that lacks smooth integration into the story. The components are there; the cohesion is not. (Adventure. 9-12)

COPYRIGHT(2017) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

May 1, 2017

Gr 5-8-Karma, a 13-year-old falconer-to-be, has to give her beloved bird, Stark, back to Stark's original owner. As she and her father and brother head out into the backcountry of Montana to return Stark, things suddenly start to go wrong when their van crashes. Karma finds herself in the middle of nowhere searching for help for her family. This book is an adventurous coming-of-age tale with a rich and beautiful natural setting. The imagery of the woods and country will make readers feel as if they are journeying alongside the protagonist. The details about the birds and what it takes to survive in the mountains are enlightening. VERDICT A strong choice for middle grade readers who appreciate nature, animals, and survival stories; an accessible read that could also spark discussions within a classroom setting.-Maeve Dodds, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, NC

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2017
Grades 5-8 Homeschooled 13-year-old Karma loves her rescued falcon, Stark, and is obsessed with learning to be an apprentice falconer; but her father, owner of a bird sanctuary, finds Stark's original owner and insists on returning her. He allows Karma and her younger brother to accompany him and the bird to Canada, but soon after dropping off a young hitchhiker, Cooper, the trip goes terribly wrong. Their van overturns, trapping Karma's father, and she must trek across unfamiliar, rugged terrain in search of help. A day later, she is joined by Stark and Cooper, who both sense Karma needs assistance, and together they endeavor to survive the wilds of Montana. Riveting action and harrowing experiences keep readers on the edge as the kids and falcon race to get back to Karma's father and brother before it's too late. Cooper's character develops as his backstory is revealed, and fans of Gary Paulsen's Hatchet series will see parallels between Brian and Karma, particularly their strength in the face of adverse circumstances. An exhilarating survivalist adventure.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2018
Thirteen-year-old Karma's love of falconry leads to heartbreak when Stark, her foster gyrfalcon, must return to her original owner. But during the trip across Montana, a blown tire means that Karma--with Stark and a runaway boy named Cooper--must traverse the wilderness for help. The girl's deep connection with her raptor, one rarely represented in literature, distinguishes this survival page-turner.

(Copyright 2018 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)