Henry Holt 1996
Fawcett 1997
Japan: Kadokawa Shoten
Awards
Children's Literature Association Phoenix Award, 2015
Anne Power Book-Length Fiction Award, The Wisconsin Council of Writers, 1995
If you're interested in further rights to this title, please click here.
One Bird
Fifteen-year-old Megumi was very sad when her parents broke up. But now, with her mother running off on a "trip" to her own childhood home, Megumi is left to stay with her father (who is never around) and her cranky grandmother (who is unfortunately always around).
Just when she feels that no one cares, Megumi meets Dr. Mizutani, a smart young woman who offers Megumi a part-time job in her veterinary office helping her heal sick birds. Dr. Mizutani seems to understand Megumi without asking a lot of questions. And as Megumi finally begins to accept why her mother had to leave, she discovers a confident strength within herself.
The New York Times Book Review:
Kyoko Mori's second novel for young adults is so lively and affecting that one imagines its readers will be too engaged by its heroine's situation to notice how much -- and how painlessly -- they are learning about another culture. -- Francine Prose
Kirkus Reviews (starred review):
The text gains an intensity from the discipline with which every detail of this accomplished work is orchestrated from the first page to the last.
Publishers Weekly (starred review):
[Mori's writing has a] startling combination of delicacy in observing moods and incisiveness in defining individual actions ...
School Library Journal:
Stunning, evocative ... [A] well-crafted coming-of-age novel.