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Everyone expects Coop to be musical like his beloved parents, but he’s not. That’s one of the few things he finds awkward about being adopted—well, that and the fact that he sometimes wonders why his birth mother didn’t love him enough to keep him. This summer, he’s stuck at home with a broken arm after falling out of a tree trying to get a closer peek at a mockingbird nest. Later, when the eggs in the nest have hatched and the fledglings fly away, he and his friend Zandi notice that one of them stays behind. Taking a closer look, they realize the bird only has one wing. Since it won’t survive in the wild, they adopt it and name it Hop, and then learn everything they can about birds so they can care for Hop properly. Unfortunately, when a hawk injures Hop, the vet says it’s illegal to keep mockingbirds as pets. Faced with a difficult decision about surrendering his beloved little bird to a bird sanctuary, Coop starts thinking about his birth mother’s motivation in a new light.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
May 14, 2024 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9780593867082
- File size: 76888 KB
- Duration: 02:40:10
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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February 26, 2024
During a “summer of curveballs,” an adopted boy draws parallels between his own life and that of the injured, abandoned bird he rescues in this emotionally grounded tale of family, love, and perseverance by Woods (When Winter Robeson Came). Twelve-year-old Coop is ready to spend summer break playing video games at G-Pop and Nana’s house and scoring three-pointers for his youth league basketball team. But G-Pop’s newfound enthusiasm for bird-watching gets Coop and his friend Zandi hooked on the hobby. Things take a literal dive when Coop suffers a concussion and broken arm after falling out of a tree while investigating mockingbird eggs in a nest. After discovering that one of the nestlings has only one wing, Coop and Zandi rescue it and educate themselves about its care and behavior. They also learn that they can’t legally keep the chick, leading Coop to realizations of his own. Woods presents Coop’s ponderings about his birth mother, and how he fits into his adoptive family, with tenderness and sincerity in this smoothly plotted story that captures the fine-tuned rhythms of Coop’s busy, engaged, and musical family. Characters read as racially diverse. Ages 10–up. -
Andr Santana's endearing voice delivers this relatable coming-of-age story. Listeners meet 11-year-old Coop, whose mother left him at a safe-haven hospital when he was a day old. Coop's happy with his adoptive family, especially wise and understanding G-Pop, who is terrifically rendered. Coop's summer plans change after he falls from a tree, breaking his arm, while watching a baby mockingbird. When he discovers it has only one wing, he decides to "adopt" it. He names it Hop. It's heartbreaking when he learns it's illegal to keep him. Santana flawlessly captures Coop's realization that giving up the bird for a better life is what his own mother did for him. This magical listen, including the author's heartbreaking note sharing that she had a similar childhood, will inspire listeners of all ages. S.G.B. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine
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