Sky Hawk

Even as a child, I loved stories about the environment, especially stories where children make difficult decisions to save an animal. So many books I’ve recently read fit the bill too–book club reads like the Bat series, Trunk Call for Ajju, and, in a very different way, At Least a Fish.

Sky Hawk by Gill Lewis is about difficult decisions too. It is another beautiful book, one that I’ve been meaning to read for ages. It begins slowly, but draws you in, making the loch in which it is set come alive. When Callum and his friends discover Iona–practically an outcast–on Callum’s farm, they chase her away. But Callum is uneasy. He meets Iona and thanks to her, he discovers that an osprey is nesting on their land. Callum and Iona know how important it is to keep the osprey secret because all too many people think of it as a game to steal osprey eggs.

Yet, when circumstances change, Callum needs to make a decision–should he guard their secret or share it and stand a chance of saving not just the bird but a human life too?

A powerfully told story, Sky Hawk is about friendship and loyalty. More, it is about making connections when you have seemingly little in common, about having the courage to step out of your comfort zone and act. Birds and people come together in this book, showing us just how interconnected we are, no matter how isolated we may feel.

I’ve read and reviewed two other books by Gill Lewis on my blog:

• White Dolphin
• Gorilla Dawn (also one of my favourite middle-grade books from 2019)