The Secret Language of Birds

Ages 8 to 12, Grades 3 to 7

From the award-winning author of Song for a Whale comes a poignant and heartwarming tale about a girl who discovers a pair of endangered birds about to lay eggs in the marshes of her summer camp...and the secret plan she hatches to help them.

Nina is used to feeling like the odd one out-- school, in her neighborhood, and especially in her large family. 

But while trying to fit in at summer camp she discovers something even more peculiar: two majestic looking birds and a nest in the marsh behind one of the old cabins. No one had seen a whooping crane nest there for about a hundred years...and now there are two of the rarest birds getting ready to lay eggs. 

When Nina reports the endangered birds to Wildlife Patrol, the male is quickly identified by the tracker around his ankle but the female’s tag is missing and nobody knows how the mother bird got there and there doesn’t seem to be a way to identify her. 

Used to feeling forgotten, Nina is determined to figure out who the mystery bird is before the eggs hatch. She will find clues over the course of the summer that can paint the full picture, but will she discover the secret language of birds?

Story Locale:Texas

About the Author

Lynne Kelly is the award-winning author of Song for Whale which won the 2020 Schneider Family Book Award and was named one of the best books of the year by New York Public Library. She lives near Houston, Texas with her dogs, Abigail and Eloise.

Author Residence: Houston, Texas