The Girl With The Broken Wing
Grade 3-5–On a dark and stormy night, James and Amanda discover a white-winged girl knocking on their attic skylight. Claiming to have a broken wing, she introduces herself as Hilary and quickly makes herself at home in the twins' bedroom. Amanda is certain that they have discovered an angel, while James remains unconvinced. Sure enough, it soon becomes clear that though she has wings, Hilary's no saint. She ruins family outings, trails the twins on field trips and to school, and even steals James's spotlight in the local Christmas pageant. The author of the amusingThe Fish in Room 11(Scholastic, 2004) tells another tale of children caring for a mythical creature. Unfortunately, this one never makes it clear whether or not Hilary truly is divine. Worse still, the winged girl never endears herself to the audience. She's whiny, thoughtless, and self-absorbed. The story itself flits between her numerous escapades, ending without much in the way of conclusion or resolution.–Elizabeth Bird, New York Public LibraryCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.