Scan barcode
mel_j's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying
Moderate: Child death, Death, and Grief
Minor: Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Cancer, and Abandonment
noodles01's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
nightshade_novels's review against another edition
4.0
I saw the film of this book several years ago, but had little memory of the actual story, so was looking forward to reading the book. The film was the first thing I had seen Thomas Sangster in and therefore he will always be the face of Robert in Feather Boy and whenever I see Thomas in something I think: Feather Boy. So it was interesting coming to a book for the first time with a perfect idea of what the main character looks like, yet little knowledge of what the story contains.
The story is perfectly written to capture the way in which a child may feel misunderstood by everyone around him, yearning for understanding and knowledge of why these things happen to him. Although the story is partly based around Robert’s naïve belief that finishing the feather coat will save Edith’s life, he also shows a more mature side in understanding what is happening to her and what she wants. Particularly at the end of the story you see how much Robert has matured in the way he interacts with Niker, Kate and particularly his Dad.
The stories of The Silent Prince and The Firebird are artfully interwoven with the main story, revealing more of each of them as the book progresses, helping to show the progression of the story.
You know that Edith is going to die in the end, but Singer does a very good job of capturing the feelings in that moment. It is both a happy scene as Edith finally sings again one last time and finds happiness and also very sad as along with Robert you learn more about her past and how she blamed herself for the unavoidable death of her son and therefore refused to ever sing again.
Overall, I think this is a lovely little story which carefully captures the joys and sorrows of real life and the wisdom we can gain from our experiences. This book receives 4 stars.
The story is perfectly written to capture the way in which a child may feel misunderstood by everyone around him, yearning for understanding and knowledge of why these things happen to him. Although the story is partly based around Robert’s naïve belief that finishing the feather coat will save Edith’s life, he also shows a more mature side in understanding what is happening to her and what she wants. Particularly at the end of the story you see how much Robert has matured in the way he interacts with Niker, Kate and particularly his Dad.
The stories of The Silent Prince and The Firebird are artfully interwoven with the main story, revealing more of each of them as the book progresses, helping to show the progression of the story.
You know that Edith is going to die in the end, but Singer does a very good job of capturing the feelings in that moment. It is both a happy scene as Edith finally sings again one last time and finds happiness and also very sad as along with Robert you learn more about her past and how she blamed herself for the unavoidable death of her son and therefore refused to ever sing again.
Overall, I think this is a lovely little story which carefully captures the joys and sorrows of real life and the wisdom we can gain from our experiences. This book receives 4 stars.
aotora's review against another edition
5.0
Oh wow - I think that I may have one of my new favourite books over here!
Someone was selling a bunch of books they no longer needed- I only picked this one because the description sounded interesting - a bullied kid that always gets picked last goes on a mysterious quest? Count me in! But I really didn't expect this story-
So the main character, Robert is being relentlessly bullied. He and a few of the other kids volunteer to do a project with a nursery home- he originally gets paired with an elder named Albert, but then another elder, Edith calls to him and demands that they be paired together. He feels like he has no other choice but has to accept the switch.
Edith has a dementia/Alzheimer's. She chose to push some of the bad memories away and throughout the story we get to see her entire story, how her husband wanted her to be a mother and a housewife and not have a career in singing because the times were different, how she rebelled and sang anyways but in the process her son dies and she blames herself so she divorces her husband and never sings again. Throughout the book we get to see her story slowly unfolding and Robert slowly becoming more confident and even standing up to his bully and dealing with the fact that his parents divorced and his father has a new family now.
This story is short, it's a kids book after all- it's an really easily read that pulls you in- I managed to finish this one in about two hours and it was amazing. I loved the story, loved the characters and it's just so beautiful, the ending managed to make me cry and I rarely cry when I read books, let alone kids books. It's a great story about growing up and finding courage, and finding yourself.
Someone was selling a bunch of books they no longer needed- I only picked this one because the description sounded interesting - a bullied kid that always gets picked last goes on a mysterious quest? Count me in! But I really didn't expect this story-
So the main character, Robert is being relentlessly bullied. He and a few of the other kids volunteer to do a project with a nursery home- he originally gets paired with an elder named Albert, but then another elder, Edith calls to him and demands that they be paired together. He feels like he has no other choice but has to accept the switch.
Edith has a dementia/Alzheimer's. She chose to push some of the bad memories away and throughout the story we get to see her entire story, how her husband wanted her to be a mother and a housewife and not have a career in singing because the times were different, how she rebelled and sang anyways but in the process her son dies and she blames herself so she divorces her husband and never sings again. Throughout the book we get to see her story slowly unfolding and Robert slowly becoming more confident and even standing up to his bully and dealing with the fact that his parents divorced and his father has a new family now.
This story is short, it's a kids book after all- it's an really easily read that pulls you in- I managed to finish this one in about two hours and it was amazing. I loved the story, loved the characters and it's just so beautiful, the ending managed to make me cry and I rarely cry when I read books, let alone kids books. It's a great story about growing up and finding courage, and finding yourself.
mimiathereader's review against another edition
5.0
I have no words to say about this book. It’s as good as that.
aprilbooksandwine's review against another edition
4.0
Robert Nobel is the type of kid most of us were in school, not picked first for sports, dorky, but with a sense of humor. Feather Boy by Nicky Singer is Robert's story of coming of age. Robert's class is asked to participate in a project where they are paired with an old geezer, and must connect the past with the present. Robert is pair with a woman who tells him, "You look like a boy who could fly if he wanted to." He gets fairly obsessed with the Elders project.
Read the rest of my review here
Read the rest of my review here
inedible_yuqi's review against another edition
emotional
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying
tardycreative's review against another edition
5.0
Absolutely loved this book, I would never have known it existed had it not been on TV 10yrs ago first. I am glad I read the book and I have to admit, this is the first time ever I've cried over a book!
xanthekm's review
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0