The Falcon's Wing [Library Binding]

Dawna Lisa Buchanan (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

Arriving unannounced at her Aunt Pearl's farm in Ontario, Bryn, whose mother, Pearl's sister, has recently died, finds a friend in Winnie, her open and friendly cousin with Down's syndrome.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

When Bryn's mother dies, she and her father move to the farm in Ontario to live with relatives Bryn has never seen. Aunt Pearl stoically takes them in, al though struggling with the news of her sister's death and with meeting Bryn. Buchanan subtly follows the process of Bryn's grieving and her eventual ac ceptance of her mother's death--re flected in a series of dreams--and also the girl's increasingly close relation ship with her cousin, who has Down's syndrome. The close-knit, just-get ting-by community accepts the outsid ers, though Bryn must fight a few bat tles, physical and otherwise, to prove herself to her peers. In her compelling debut novel, Buchanan successfully develops difficult themes--mourning, mental retardation, rural poverty-- without sentiment or condescension, making Bryn and her family charac ters to care about. Ages 10-up.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-7-- Twelve - year - old Bryn Cameron's life is shattered by the sudden death of her mother . Her down-on-his-luck father moves them from Ohio to Ontario , where they are taken in by the widowed Pearl, the apparently hard-hearted, long-estranged sister of the deceased Julia Cameron. While her father works long hours for their board and withdraws into his own thoughts, the lonely girl chafes at heavy new responsibilities and at Pearl's strictness and bossiness. Winnie, Pearl's daughter who has Down syndrome, is a constant presence who annoys, embarrasses, and even frightens Bryn. As months pass, Bryn comes to understand the adults in her life; becomes her cousin's defender against cruel taunts; and embarks on a romance with a boy who shares her love of books and reading. To him, she confides her secret--that her mother's death was self-inflicted, a fact that she has been unable to face. This is a slow-moving story, and the action is forced, or telegraphed far in advance. Several story lines are left hanging, and the explanation of the manner in which Bryn's mother died is awkwardly handled. It will require a mighty effort to become involved with the characters; few readers will have such resolve. --Libby K. White, Schenectady County Public Library, NY
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Library Binding: 131 pages
• Publisher: Orchard Books (NY) (March 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0531085864
• ISBN-13: 978-0531085868
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,518,760 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The first really interesting book., September 3, 2001

By 

Brandon (Columbia, SC USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Falcon's Wing (Hardcover)

This had to be the first really interesting book that I had ever read. I got the book on a whim and couldn't put it down once I had opened it. No book had ever moved me the way this one book had. The way that Bryn eventually opened up to her Aunt Pearl and cousin Winnie. How she showed that there was nothing to fear or laugh at about a child with Down's Syndrome. Everything can trully work out if you give it time. A distant father can come back out of the shelled he sealed himself in. A cousin can learn to accept their cousin for who they are. And a neice can realize that a seemingly bitter aunt can be one of the best friends that you could ever ask for.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Remarkable Book, September 25, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Falcon's Wing (Hardcover)

"The Falcon's Wing" is Dawna Lisa Buchanan's first children's novel. It's about a twelve-year-old girl named Bryn Cameron who moves from Circleville, Ohio, to Kenmore, Ontario, Canada, with her father. Bryn's mother has died recently and her father and her are coming to live with her mother's sister (Aunt Pearl) and her aunt's fourteen-year-old mentally handicapped daughter (Winnie) on their farm.

Bryn's new family takes some getting used to. She soon learns how nonexistent her mother's relationship had been with her sister: Aunt Pearl didn't know Julia (Bryn's mother) had died, or that Julia had a daughter. Even though her aunt welcomes them in to her home, she doesn't show a lot of interest in them at first and has some difficulty in showing affection. But Bryn knows Aunt Pearl isn't a cold woman; she's witnessed how compassionate her aunt can be when she's around Winnie.

Making friends in the small town soon becomes another obstacle, especially with her cousin tagging along (who some have nicknamed "Snake Girl" because of her slanted eyes). Despite their rudeness and jokes, Bryn still hangs out with the local kids (Cecil, Rita, Ed, Rachel, Virginia), and even saves one of them from drowning in the Castor River.

By the end of the book, Bryn is able to cope better with her mother's death, Rita (the bully), and her aunt and cousin. However, her father still seems to be a little distant. The only chance she has of understanding his loss of his wife is by reading the letters he still writes to Julia.

"The Falcon's Wing" is one of my favorite young adult books. The main characters are believable and I could sympathize with Bryn. The reading level is for ages 9 - 13, but I would recommend this book to anyone interested. Another book I would recommend is "The Summer of the Swans" by Betsy Byars (mentally handicapped family member).