A girl in 1920 rural Michigan seizes a rare opportunity in this plucky, big-hearted middle-grade debut from librarian and author Betsy Bird (The Great Santa Stakeout), vivaciously illustrated by Caldecott medalist David Small (Imogene Comes Back!).
Twelve-year-old Suzy Bowles of tiny Burr Oak, Mich., has a strong grip, a double helping of gumption and a secret dream to leave her "dull as dishwater" town. When prodigal Uncle Fred returns home, his pattern of early-morning disappearances attracts her curiosity. Suzy follows him and learns he's training a cantankerous ostrich named Gaucho for retired circus doyenne Madame Marantette, who wants to set a world record for driving a surrey pulled by a horse and the gangly bird. To make the plan work, Gaucho needs a rider. In a flash of inspiration, Suzy offers herself for the position, hoping Madame will teach her the secret to getting out of Burr Oak. The task turns out to be tougher than expected. Aside from Gaucho's attitude and needing to hide her exploits from her parents, Suzy must cope with Madame's insistence she ride the bird sidesaddle. After all, a "farm girl riding an ostrich is a novelty. A young lady... riding an ostrich is an event."
Suzy's wry, folksy first-person narration should elicit plenty of giggles, and Small's striking pen-and-ink illustrations perfectly echo the text's energy and sense of whimsy. Bird's lighthearted, earnest romp is based on real people and events and encourages readers to seize opportunity tightly, even if it comes in a strange, long-necked package. --Jaclyn Fulwood, youth experience manager, Dayton Metro Library