Wild Bird

Ages 8 to 12

Get lost in a sweeping middle-grade adventure following Rype, an abandoned girl in fourteenth-century Europe, as she walks from Norway to England looking for safety from the plague.

"Her name was Rype. That wasn’t really her name. It was what the strangers called her. She didn’t remember her real name. She didn’t remember anything at all."

Rype was hiding in the hollow of a tree trunk when they found her. She was hungry, small, cold, alone. She did not speak their language, or understand their mannerisms. But she knew this: To survive, she would have to go with them.

It is the fourteenth century, in Norway, and Rype’s entire village has been killed by the plague. By a miracle, Rype survives. In order to remain alive, though, she must embark on a sweeping adventure across Europe in search of a brighter future, and a new home.

Expertly crafted, beautifully written, and completely unique, Diane Zahler has created a historically rich and stunning story of survival and hope in the face of a great sickness.

About the Author

Diane Zahler grew up reading children's books and never wanted to do anything but write them. She worked in the children’s room of her public library and in a children’s book publishing company, and now she’s the author of seven middle-grade novels and two nonfiction books for older readers. She lives in the Hudson Valley with her husband and slightly neurotic dog in what is aptly nicknamed the Bug House.

dianezahler.com