Birdie and Me

Chapter 1

How to Move Again

 

Today is Saturday, the day we usually eat Honey Bunny Buns for breakfast and read the back page of the newspaper with Uncle Carl while he drinks coffee and smokes on the porch. The back page is the section of the newspaper that has weird news about things like two-headed llamas or people who get themselves stuck in air-conditioning vents or pets that are accidentally sent through the mail and survive.

But today isn t just Saturday. It s also moving day. And right now my little brother, Birdie, is on the couch waiting for me to open my eyes. I pretend to sleep, but even in the half-light, through squinted eyelids, I can see he s got Mama s old purple eye shadow on and a towel draped around his head like a glamorous headscarf.

Jack, Birdie whispers. Miss Jackie Jack Jacko.

I m sleeping. You should too, I say.

I can t sleep any more.

He creeps across the couch, down to my futon, and lays his head next to mine. The smell of Dr Pepper lip gloss fills the air. In my ear he says, I ve got a stomachache and it s probably critical. I don t think we can move today.

I open one eye. Critical?

Birdie leans toward me and whispers, Critical is the worst stage.

You re not critical, I say, sitting up.

Okay, he says, but I do have a stomachache.

I peek out the dusty blinds. Patrick will be here to pick us up in two hours. I do too, Birdie.

Birdie straightens his towel scarf and rewraps it under his chin and says, Do I look like Audrey Hepburn? With my scarf?

Who?

Audrey Hepburn. You know. Charade. Breakfast at Tiffany s. My Fair Lady.

I wait for him to say something about Mama and her obsession with these old movies, but he doesn t.

You d look more like Audrey Hepburn if you had sunglasses, I say. But it s not bad.

He smiles a little, but unwraps the scarf and

J. M. M. Nuanez was born and raised in California, but has lived in other places like Texas and Korea. When she's not reading or writing, you can usually find her outside with her husband and son. In her spare time, she likes to play with her cats, make Korean food, and build miniature things.

* "This singular story of a grieving and unconventional family belongs alongside Holly Goldberg Sloan s Counting by 7s, Cindy Baldwin s Where the Watermelons Grow, and Ali Benjamin s The Thing about Jellyfish. Highly recommended. School Library Journal, starred review

* This strong, emotional, and engaging read is a must-have for any library. The issues are dealt with realistically and challenge the reader to examine their personal feelings, the various modes for dealing with grief, gender fluidity, and how to appropriately support students in their search for who they truly are. A great coming-of-age story. School Library Connection, starred review

Nuanez carefully unfolds a tale of loss, individuality, and community . . . [and] a broken family becoming whole once more. . . . Fans of Jerry Spinelli will flock to Jack and the peculiar residents of her new town and may learn something about acceptance while they re there. BCCB, Recommended

Nuanez s debut tells an endearing story of family in the wake of tragedy, anchored by the wonderfully loving and supportive relationship between Jack and Birdie. . . . [T]he prose flows seamlessly and the dialogue feels undeniably real. Booklist 

Sure-handed storytelling . . . [A] strong middle grade debut. Publishers Weekly

"A beautiful, sensitive story about a sister and brother finding their way through tragedy and grief. Readers will love this eminently satisfying tale; its courageous characters will stay with them long after they turn the last page." Patricia Reilly Giff, Newbery Honor author of Lily's Crossing and Pictures of Hollis Woods

There is so much tenderness in Jack and Birdie s story that you will feel like a better person for having read it. Here is book you will want to hug before you put it down.