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$21.58
Kestrel Takes Flight—
$21.58
The Story
A girl learns to stand up for herself and embrace the true meaning of home against the backdrop of the Montana wilderness in this heartfelt novel in verse by acclaimed author Joy McCullough. A kestrel
is the smallest
bird of prey
in North America. Kestrel doesn't feel much like the fierce bird for which she is named. Not after being rushed away from her grandfather's strict church community to the wilds of Montana. Her mother has gotten a job at a conservation institute, where she'll work with a special breed of dog to help make interactions between humans and bears safer. At first, Kes is terrified of the dogs and angry at her mother for ripping her from the only world she's known. But with some distance from her grandfather, she starts to understand how badly his bark hurt. In this new terrain, can Kestrel discover a safe place to spread her wings and soar?
Author: Joy McCullough
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Published: 05/26/2026
Pages: 304
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.87lbs
Size: 8.29h x 5.80w x 1.13d
ISBN: 9781665972659
Audience: Ages 9-12
Review Citation(s):
Booklist 04/01/2026
School Library Journal 04/03/2026 pg. 1
Horn Book Magazine 05/01/2026 pg. 87
Publishers Weekly 02/02/2026
Kirkus Reviews 03/01/2026
About the Author
Joy McCullough writes books and plays from her home in the Seattle area, where she lives with her husband and two children. She is the author of the middle grade novels Across the Pond, A Field Guide to Getting Lost, Not Starring Zadie Louise, Code Red, Kestrel Takes Flight, and Basil & Dahlia, as well as the middle grade series Team Awkward, and the picture books Harriet's Ruffled Feathers, Champ and Major: First Dogs, and The Story of a Book. Her debut novel Blood Water Paint was longlisted for the National Book Award and was a William C. Morris Debut Award Finalist. Visit her at JoyMcCullough.com.
is the smallest
bird of prey
in North America. Kestrel doesn't feel much like the fierce bird for which she is named. Not after being rushed away from her grandfather's strict church community to the wilds of Montana. Her mother has gotten a job at a conservation institute, where she'll work with a special breed of dog to help make interactions between humans and bears safer. At first, Kes is terrified of the dogs and angry at her mother for ripping her from the only world she's known. But with some distance from her grandfather, she starts to understand how badly his bark hurt. In this new terrain, can Kestrel discover a safe place to spread her wings and soar?
Author: Joy McCullough
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Published: 05/26/2026
Pages: 304
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.87lbs
Size: 8.29h x 5.80w x 1.13d
ISBN: 9781665972659
Audience: Ages 9-12
Review Citation(s):
Booklist 04/01/2026
School Library Journal 04/03/2026 pg. 1
Horn Book Magazine 05/01/2026 pg. 87
Publishers Weekly 02/02/2026
Kirkus Reviews 03/01/2026
About the Author
Joy McCullough writes books and plays from her home in the Seattle area, where she lives with her husband and two children. She is the author of the middle grade novels Across the Pond, A Field Guide to Getting Lost, Not Starring Zadie Louise, Code Red, Kestrel Takes Flight, and Basil & Dahlia, as well as the middle grade series Team Awkward, and the picture books Harriet's Ruffled Feathers, Champ and Major: First Dogs, and The Story of a Book. Her debut novel Blood Water Paint was longlisted for the National Book Award and was a William C. Morris Debut Award Finalist. Visit her at JoyMcCullough.com.
Description
A girl learns to stand up for herself and embrace the true meaning of home against the backdrop of the Montana wilderness in this heartfelt novel in verse by acclaimed author Joy McCullough. A kestrel
is the smallest
bird of prey
in North America. Kestrel doesn't feel much like the fierce bird for which she is named. Not after being rushed away from her grandfather's strict church community to the wilds of Montana. Her mother has gotten a job at a conservation institute, where she'll work with a special breed of dog to help make interactions between humans and bears safer. At first, Kes is terrified of the dogs and angry at her mother for ripping her from the only world she's known. But with some distance from her grandfather, she starts to understand how badly his bark hurt. In this new terrain, can Kestrel discover a safe place to spread her wings and soar?
Author: Joy McCullough
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Published: 05/26/2026
Pages: 304
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.87lbs
Size: 8.29h x 5.80w x 1.13d
ISBN: 9781665972659
Audience: Ages 9-12
Review Citation(s):
Booklist 04/01/2026
School Library Journal 04/03/2026 pg. 1
Horn Book Magazine 05/01/2026 pg. 87
Publishers Weekly 02/02/2026
Kirkus Reviews 03/01/2026
About the Author
Joy McCullough writes books and plays from her home in the Seattle area, where she lives with her husband and two children. She is the author of the middle grade novels Across the Pond, A Field Guide to Getting Lost, Not Starring Zadie Louise, Code Red, Kestrel Takes Flight, and Basil & Dahlia, as well as the middle grade series Team Awkward, and the picture books Harriet's Ruffled Feathers, Champ and Major: First Dogs, and The Story of a Book. Her debut novel Blood Water Paint was longlisted for the National Book Award and was a William C. Morris Debut Award Finalist. Visit her at JoyMcCullough.com.
is the smallest
bird of prey
in North America. Kestrel doesn't feel much like the fierce bird for which she is named. Not after being rushed away from her grandfather's strict church community to the wilds of Montana. Her mother has gotten a job at a conservation institute, where she'll work with a special breed of dog to help make interactions between humans and bears safer. At first, Kes is terrified of the dogs and angry at her mother for ripping her from the only world she's known. But with some distance from her grandfather, she starts to understand how badly his bark hurt. In this new terrain, can Kestrel discover a safe place to spread her wings and soar?
Author: Joy McCullough
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Published: 05/26/2026
Pages: 304
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.87lbs
Size: 8.29h x 5.80w x 1.13d
ISBN: 9781665972659
Audience: Ages 9-12
Review Citation(s):
Booklist 04/01/2026
School Library Journal 04/03/2026 pg. 1
Horn Book Magazine 05/01/2026 pg. 87
Publishers Weekly 02/02/2026
Kirkus Reviews 03/01/2026
About the Author
Joy McCullough writes books and plays from her home in the Seattle area, where she lives with her husband and two children. She is the author of the middle grade novels Across the Pond, A Field Guide to Getting Lost, Not Starring Zadie Louise, Code Red, Kestrel Takes Flight, and Basil & Dahlia, as well as the middle grade series Team Awkward, and the picture books Harriet's Ruffled Feathers, Champ and Major: First Dogs, and The Story of a Book. Her debut novel Blood Water Paint was longlisted for the National Book Award and was a William C. Morris Debut Award Finalist. Visit her at JoyMcCullough.com.
