Alice Hoffman

Living in a town where fairy tales are real and a monster is rumored to be hiding, young Twig witnesses astounding changes in her efforts to break a witch's curse on her family. A first middle-grade novel by the award-winning author of Here on Earth. Simultaneous eBook.

Nightbird

Twig lives in a remote area of town with her mysterious brother and her mother, baker of irresistible apple pies. A new girl in town might just be Twig's first true friend, and ally in vanquishing an ancient family curse. A spellbinding tale of modern folklore set in the Berkshires, where rumours of a winged beast draw in as much tourism as the town's famed apple orchards.

Cindy Lieberman

Sweet novel that would be an excellent way to introduce young readers (middle school) to magical realism.

From the bestselling author of Practical Magic, comes a beautiful spellbinding tale of magic, friendship and an ancient curse. Twig lives in Sidwell, where people whisper that fairy tales are real. After all, her town is rumoured to hide a monster - and it is these rumours of a winged beast which draw in as much tourism to the town as its famous apple orchards. Two hundred years ago, a witch placed a curse on Twig’s family that was meant to last forever. But this summer, following the arrival of a new family in town, Twig may just have found her first true friend and an ally in vanquishing this ancient curse. It’s time to try and break the spell... but will everything change when the red moon rises? Be enchanted by this magical and endearing new story from highly acclaimed and widely adored Alice Hoffman, who has yet again created a beautiful novel that will bewitch its readers from the first page until the very last. Praise for Alice Hoffman: 'Alice Hoffman can write about love like no-one else' Jodi Picoult 'I love the way Alice Hoffman creates the most ordinary people and then turns their lives magical. She does it here once again, in Nightbird. The book is like re-entering in a wonderful dream that you vaguely remember.' Lois Lowry 'Hoffman knows how to tell a good story' Sunday Times

T.A. Joseph

Anastaciya

Ahh, a cute story. like The Strange And Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender for kids 🙈

Jessica Nottingham

For many years, Alice Hoffman's books have been sitting on my reading list. When I first wanted to immerse myself in Magical Realism, it was her books that most of my trusted fellow bookworms pointed to. Sadly, I still haven't gotten to any of them. Which is why, when I saw that Nightbird was not only a new story by Alice Hoffman, but an MG book as well, I was instantly sold.
 
There are a lot little pieces to completely fall in love with in this story, not the least of which are the characters. Each one is completely original, and has a sense of whimsy about them that just adds to the magic of this story. Twig was absolutely wonderful as a main character. Sweet and honest. Brave and true. Her story of sweets and secrets swept me up, and carried me along. I only wished that there had been a bit more depth to all the amazing people who populated this story. While the writing is gorgeous, the characters felt lacking to me. I loved of a small town full of quirky people, and I would have liked to learn more.
 
In fact, despite my fervent ardor for the story at the heart of this book, I felt like much of it wasn't fully explored. I'm very much in favor of MG stories that don't underestimate their audiences. Young readers deserve complex plots, exciting twists, and honest depictions of emotions just as much as any other age group. Which is why I had to knock my star rating down a bit for Nightbird. As I mentioned above, the writing is lovely and matches the magical nature of this book perfectly. If only the characters had been stronger, and the climactic points a bit sharper, this would have been a perfect read for me.
 
As it stands, Alice Hoffman has still proven she is a strong MG writer. My glimpse into her first book for younger readers has further strengthened by want to read her adult books as well. I'd recommend this story to young readers who love magical realism. Readers who look at the world, and see not only what is, but what could be as well.

Nightbird

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