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   Summary and Book Reviews

Bird Lake Moon: Summary and book reviews of Bird Lake Moon by Kevin Henkes, plus links to an excerpt from Bird Lake Moon and a biography of Kevin Henkes.

Bird Lake Moon

Bird Lake Moon
by Kevin Henkes
Hardcover: Apr 2008,
192 pages.
Paperback: Mar 2010,
192 pages.

Publication information
Read an Excerpt
Reading Guide
Reader Reviews

Author Biography
Books by this Author
Critics' Opinion:   very good
Readers' Rating:  Five Stars
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BOOK SUMMARY

Spencer thought the house might be haunted.

Mitch knew it wasn't. And he knew why.

The whole time Spencer and Mitch hung out together at Bird Lake that summer, there were secrets keeping them apart.

And maybe a secret knowledge keeping them together, too—together like members of the same tribe. Like friends.


Author Note
Dear Reader,

Olive’s Ocean, my last novel, was published in 2003. Since then I’ve written and illustrated three picture books and two board books. All the while I was working on those books, I was thinking about Bird Lake Moon. In fact, my first notes for Bird Lake Moon are dated June 2003.

My new book revolves around two boys: Spencer Stone and Mitch Sinclair. It was Spencer and his family who came to me first. It’s interesting to me now that Mitch wasn’t part of the story when I began. But once he appeared in my thoughts and on the page, he became increasingly important. In its final form, the book starts with his story.

The creative process is difficult to understand, much less explain.  I do know that bits and pieces of my life and of my family’s life are embedded in Bird Lake Moon, as they are in all my books. And, like a person, a book grows, lives, moves forward in its own way.

After being a huge part of me for years, Bird Lake Moon is ready to find its readers. It’s bittersweet to let a book go, but I’m already thinking of other ones. . . .

Best wishes,

Kevin Henkes

BOOK REVIEWS

Good BookBrowse
With sure, crystalline prose, Henkes discloses the breathless suspense that even the shortest moment can contain, and the enormous courage that loss demands. Young readers who plunge into these extraordinary interlocking stories will discover mysterious, sad, and hopeful things about themselves and the people they love.  (Reviewed by Jo Perry).
Full Review Members Only (1207 words).

Media Reviews

Good  Publishers Weekly
In a novel as tender as his acclaimed Olive's Ocean, Henkes probes the psyches of two boys facing family conflicts.

Very Good  School Library Journal
Henkes creates compelling, child-centric images, excellent dialogue, and a believable resolution, with humor and just the right amount of tension to make this a significant and highly readable book.

Very Good  Kirkus Reviews
Through artfully observed details and perfectly pitched dialogue among the boys and clever Lolly, Henkes deftly locates Mitch's pain and confusion, delivering a novel that's quiet, nuanced and redemptive.

Very Good  VOYA
[T]he novel embodies the sympathy and kindness of which Henkes is capable when creating young characters dealing with loss.

Recent Reader Reviews

Rated 5 of 5 of 5 by Jillian
I loved Bird Lake Moon
Hi I am Jillian and I thought that Bird Lake Moon was a very good book. If you want to know whether it is good or not then it is awesome! You should definitely read it! If you don't agree with my opinion then okay it is my opinion not yours.



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