by Lisa Maxwell
First published 2024
Xavier T. Fletcher loves birds more than anything else. His neighbors in the suburbs call him an odd duck, but Xavier takes it as a compliment since ducks are birds too. When his father loses his job, the family moves to Nana Susan's farm in the countryside. Xavier meets Clementine, a wild girl who shoots birds with her slingshot. She doesn't think Xavier is strange at all, which surprises him. What surprises him more is when Clem tells him the creatures she hunts aren't actually birds. Xavier thinks she's making excuses for killing the animals he cherishes. Then he sees the truth for himself. The flying creatures invading the farm only look like birds. Something dangerous hides behind their feathers and beaks. Xavier must decide whether to trust Clem and help her fight these mysterious invaders, even if it means abandoning everything he thought he knew about the natural world he loves.
Genres: animals, adventure, mystery, fantasy
Vibes: emotional, suspenseful, whimsical
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, fish-out-of-water
Setting: Countryside, Nana Susan's Farm, Suburbs
317 pages · Kindle Edition · Margaret K. McElderry Books