Children's and teen author Joy McCullough (Basil & Dahlia; Code Red) offers readers the introspective, unguarded Kestrel Takes Flight, a middle-grade novel-in-verse about an 11-year-old girl's escape from her pastor grandfather's abuse.
Kestrel Sinclair is confused and bitter when her mother sneaks them out of her grandfather's San Diego home without warning. She and her mother "don't keep secrets" from each other, but Kestrel's mother covertly took a summer job training Karelian bear dogs (a breed of hunting dog) at a conservation institute in Montana, where "some lady.../ figured out how to train Karelians/ to keep bears and humans apart." Kestrel's grandfather says that dogs are "unpredictable,/ naturally aggressive/ and filthy" and Kestrel is initially "terrified" of the Karelians. The girl's resentment toward her mother deepens when she learns the move to Montana is permanent. Although Kestrel is at first furious, with support from the institute's founder and the welcoming care of new friend Nico, she starts to feel safe. Eventually, Kestrel questions the reasons for the move as well as Grandpa's beliefs, rules, and cruel words.
McCullough's skillful use of contrast between Kestrel's past and present drives the novel's powerful poetic imagery. The institute's dogs only bark and never bite, but Kestrel's grandfather taught her "how badly a bark can hurt." Flashbacks of painful episodes that reveal the extent of her grandfather's control and his strict church community punctuate Kestrel's healing. Recurring unsent letters from Kestrel to her grandfather poignantly track her development, allowing her to safely confront her abuser and process her experiences. Fans of Jamie Sumner's Deep Water and Megan E. Freeman's Alone will likely admire Kestrel's bravery. --Cristina Iannarino, children's book buyer, Books on the Square, Providence, R.I.