Nightjar - Katya Balen - ★★★★.½

AUTHOR: Katya Balen

ILLUSTRATOR: Richard Johnson

GENRE: Middle-Grade Fiction.

RATING: 4.5 stars.

In a Nutshell: A beautiful story about how the relationship between a young boy and his father is healed through their encounter with an injured bird. Evocative writing. Important message. Realistic appeal.

Story Synopsis:

Almost-twelve year old Noah’s dad is coming to visit him from New York, but Noah isn’t too thrilled about this. He feels that his dad has different expectations from Noah, who is the happiest while observing birds and sketching them. Moreover, Dad left Noah and his mom to start a new life without them.

When father and son come across an injured nightjar during a walk, they have an argument about what should be done. Noah wants to save the bird at any cost, while his dad feels that the bird should be left there to let nature take its course. Is there any way Noah and his father can come to a reasonable solution?

The story comes to us in the first person perspective of Noah.

I had read Katya Balen’s Birdsong a year ago and was blown away by her lyrical writing. This book further confirms her to be a must-read MG writer.

There are many things to adore about this story:

🐦 Noah’s first person perspective, which reveals his deepest feelings and insecurities while also touching upon his passion for nature.

🐦 Noah’s caring nature. It is rare to see a tween boy depicted as being sensitive and caring towards nature and birds.

🐦 The story offers many interesting facts about nightjars. I love the unusual choice of bird as it offers many learning opportunities and also creates curiosity in kids to know more about a bird uncommonly found in fiction.

🐦 Noah’s character is Jewish, and the book contains some lovely inclusions about Jewish culture.

🐦 Noah’s mom, despite getting third prominence in the story next to Noah and his dad, is still a character worth reckoning. I loved how her character is the voice of reason, not allowing her broken marriage to create poison in Noah’s mind about his father. Her portrayal was brilliant.

🐦 The story highlights the important point about meeting others midway and understanding their point of view before jumping to conclusions. It stresses on relationships as well as responsibilities, and how weighing right and wrong often involves a complicated choice.

🐦 The writing is poetic, offering a beautiful imagery of not just the nature scenes but also of Noah’s life.

🐦 The B&W illustrations enhance the story with their simplistic appeal. This is further relevant as Noah too loves making sketches of birds. So the drawings match the vibe of the book well.

🐦 The writing is, as common with Barrington Stoke books, in HiLo style, which means that the target age of the story is 9+ years but the reading level is age 8. So the content is much more accessible.

Definitely recommended to little ones and their parents, to experience a story about how communication and compromises strengthen a relationship.

My thanks to Barrington Stoke and NetGalley for the DRC of “Nightjar”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

Content warning: There is one brutal animal-related incident mentioned in a flashback scene. While the reason for this is justified in the story, it may still be traumatic for younger children.