This month, the Middle Grade at Heart team is excited to feature Cory Leonardo’s funny, emotional, one-of-a-kind debut, The Simple Art of Flying!
Here’s a bit about the book:
Perfect for fans of The One and Only Ivan, this irresistible debut novel combines plucky humor and a whole lot of heart in a story about the true meaning of family.
Sometimes flying means keeping your feet on the ground…
Born in a dismal room in a pet store, Alastair the African grey parrot dreams of escape to bluer skies. He’d like nothing more than to fly away to a palm tree with his beloved sister, Aggie. But when Aggie is purchased by twelve-year-old Fritz, and Alastair is adopted by elderly dance-enthusiast and pie-baker Albertina Plopky, the future looks ready to crash-land.
In between anxiously plucking his feathers, eating a few books, and finding his own poetic voice, Alastair plots his way to a family reunion. But soon he’s forced to choose between the life he’s always dreamed of and admitting the truth: that sometimes, the bravest adventure is in letting go.
Kirkus Reviews called the novel “delightfully quirky,” and we couldn’t agree more. We hope you’ll join us this month in reading this fabulous book and getting to know Alastair, Fritz, Bertie, and a whole lot of other hilarious pets.
Our newsletter about the book will go out on June 17th and our Twitter chat will be June 25th at 8pm EST, with the hashtag #mgbookclub. And in the meantime, we have a special treat for you: a fun quiz inspired by the lovable animals in the novel.
Take this quiz to find out which kind of pet in The Simple Art of Flying is most like you, and Tweet us @mgatheart to let us know what result you get!
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