MIDDLE GRADE FICTION REVIEW & AUTHOR GUEST POST : Kestrel Takes Flight by Joy McCullough
KESTREL TAKES FLIGHT written by Joy McCullough Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2026 ISBN: 978-1-6659-7265-9 SOURCE : ARC from publisher for review (Thanks!) Ages 9-12 Middle grade contemporary/novel in verse All opinions expressed are solely my own. Book cover, summary, and author guest post provided by the publisher. ABOUT THE BOOK A kestrel is the smallest bird of prey in North America. Kestrel doesn’t feel much like the fierce bird for which she is named. Not after being rushed away from her grandfather’s strict church community to the wilds of Montana. Her mother has gotten a job at a conservation institute, where she’ll work with a special breed of dog to help make interactions between humans and bears safer. At first, Kes is terrified of the dogs and angry at her mother for ripping her from the only world she’s known. But with some distance from her grandfather, she starts to understand how badly his bark hurt. In this new terrain, can Kestrel discover a safe place to spread he...