Sparrow

Reviewed by: Brooke Faulkner - McArthur Public Library, Biddeford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: January 10, 2018

Review

Fourteen-year-old Brooklyn dweller Sparrow struggles to cope with worsening social anxiety in this poignant, smart novel filled with literary and music references. Opening just after Sparrow is hospitalized after she's mistakenly assumed to have been contemplating suicide when she is discovered near the edge of the roof of her school's building, this realistic take on living with an anxiety disorder moves at first between flashbacks and the present, bringing readers up to speed about how Sparrow developed a coping mechanism in which she dissociates from her surroundings and imagines herself as flying with groups of birds during episodes of profound stress. Her embarrassment and fear of being labeled crazy prevents her from explaining this to anyone and her profound grief over the unexpected death of her school's librarian, one of the few who really saw her and who'd pulled her into a group of misfits who also loved to read, has brought her isolation to a head. Though her mom adores her, Sparrow often feels pressed beneath the weight of the expectation she feels from her mother to be "normal" even as she feels persistently judged by her peers, one of whom calls her an Oreo because she sees Sparrow, who's black, as having white interests. In three parts, this heart-wrenching, character driven story explores how Sparrow is able, through therapy with a somewhat irreverent psychologist who introduces her to a host of excellent, and mainly punk, singers and bands, to begin to imagine different ways to manage her anxiety and eventually, in the culminating section, to try attending a rock camp for girls. Honest and moving, this compelling debut novel introduces a sympathetic and witty narrator with a unique and authentic voice whose experience will engage and inspire middle and high school readers.

Overall Book Score: excellent