The Scream of the Hawk by Nancy Belgue Date of Publication: 2003 ISBN: 1-55143-257-9 Number of Pages: 141

REQUIRED READING ABILITY: Junior: Average Intermediate : Low
GENRES: Realism, Adventure
THEMES : Family - Prejudice - Loyalty - Appearance versus Reality - Coming of Age - Isolation

SUMMARY:
Lissa's family has just moved to Ontario from British Columbia. She misses her best friend, her dad (her parents are now divorced), and her old home. She doesn't really fit in with kids her own age, but she connects, rather unwillingly, with another social outcast, her younger neighbour, Otis. Otis is having a difficult time accepting the death of his mother, and his dad is away a lot, working. Together, they muddle through their days, and slowly Lissa gains Otis’ trust and begins to realize there is something special about him. As they become close, Otis reveals that he has found a red-tailed hawk, which he believes is somehow connected to the spirit of his mother, and has vowed never to let it go. Things come to a head when Lissa notices one day that Scarlet the Hawk is missing, and Otis' life is suddenly in danger…

WHO WOULD LOVE THIS BOOK? A kid who...
- has experienced a loss of family
- has moved to somewhere new
- is interested in First Nation lore
- is from Essex County and is interested in the hawk population.

WHAT ELSE?
Nancy Belgue is a Kingsville author whose settings are recognizable to her local readers. She’s written a number of other books, and this one was selected as a Silver Birch nominee.

RELATED LINK:
You can find out more at the author’s website, http://www.mnsi.net/~nbelgue/scream.html .