October 1, 2021
Sixth grader Birdie Loggerman feels poor compared to classmates at Valley Lake Elementary until she finds a secret stash of cash. After avid skateboarder Birdie accidentally gets her single mother fired from a housecleaning agency, money is so tight they face eviction. Her wealthy best friend Hailey's mom considers Birdie a bad influence because of her social class, and devout Christian classmate Lily ostentatiously passes down clothes to her and urges her to pray for money. Birdie does pray--and soon after, with the help of an insistent cat, discovers a hidden treasure: $500,000 left inside the wall of an abandoned home. Now a believer in miracles, Birdie anonymously mails her mother $100,000. But the sudden influx of cash doesn't automatically transform Birdie into a carefree rich kid like she imagined. The author focuses on how the newfound money forces Birdie to tell her friends and, worse, her mother a series of lies. Birdie is also paranoid that a criminal might be after her, since the money represents the ill-gotten gains of notorious local brothers. Readers will feel invested in Birdie's journey of self-awareness, her strong relationship with her kind, truthful, and hardworking mother, and how she navigates friendships with privileged (and clueless) kids. Birdie and most of her friends are White; there is some ethnic diversity among supporting characters. A touching exploration of class, friendship, and the mother-daughter bond. (recipe) (Fiction. 9-12)
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Starred review from October 18, 2021
Skateboarder Birdie, 11 and white, lives with her single mother in fancy Valley Lake, where they moved so her mom could make more money. But soon after Birdie inadvertently causes her mom to get fired from her housecleaning job, jeopardizing their ability to pay rent, an incident at a local lake sees the wealthy mother of Birdie’s best friend forbidding the relationship, citing Birdie as a “bad influence” from “the wrong side of town.” It doesn’t help that Birdie feels she has to keep secrets about her situation, including her mom’s need for work and her father’s incarceration. All Birdie wants is to not have to worry about finances, so when she follows a cat into an abandoned house and finds $500,000 in a wall, she devises a way to post some to her mom. But the transformation has complicating effects: Birdie tells lies to keep her cover, frets about the origin of the money, and suddenly isn’t so sure who she is anymore. Cohn’s (Spirit’s Key) entertaining tale is infused with timely reflections on class, money, and privilege. Birdie’s frustration and pain is profound, and her feelings about wealth are increasingly complex. A deftly plotted story that thoughtfully renders a close parent-child bond while engaging readers through the mystery of the money. Ages 10–12.
December 1, 2021
Gr 3-7-Birdie moves to Valley Lake so her mother can get high-paying work and Birdie can go to a good school, yet she is not rolling in cash like many of her posh sixth-grade schoolmates. Then Birdie discovers a treasure trove of money in an abandoned house, and their whole lives change. Birdie is excited they've struck it rich, and her mother will never have to work again-now all she has to do is convince her mother to take the cash. Matters go from bad to worse when her friend Hailey's mother starts spreading rumors that Birdie is a thief. Birdie's lies grow as she tries to cover up where she found the money. The main character is well developed, and readers will relate to Birdie's angst at being poor and the challenge of always telling the truth. They will relate to how fragile friendships can be, how being a good friend can mean making tough choices, and how people can judge you before they get to know you. Hailey's mother is well written, cruel and insistent on only her views and judging people harshly. Mom and Birdie's relationship is open and at times feels a bit idyllic. The recurrent themes of not judging a person and always telling the truth can be a little heavy-handed at times, and the story wraps up too conveniently, with everything coming together for the good of all in the end. Fans of Christopher Paul Curtis's Mr. Chickee's Funny Money or Eleanor Estes's The Hundred Dresses may enjoy this title. VERDICT A hopeful story about friendship, prejudice, and overcoming adversity that will keep readers engaged.-Elena Schuck, Mattacheese M.S., Marstons Mills, MA
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