It's been a long while since I read Bridge to Terabithia and these days I'm certainly not the target audience for a book like Birdie's Bargain but I received a review copy and felt like giving it a try. The book is centered around young Birdie and her struggles to find her place.

Her father is in the military and has just been shipped overseas (again). Due to the financial stresses on the family, she and her mother are moving in with Birdie's grandmother, a fact that Birdie is not happy about. Birdie acts out in small ways, pouting and fighting opportunities to engage with her grandmother and the new surroundings.

The author keeps us close inside Birdie's head as she narrates her thoughts, feelings and interpretations of what's going on. Early on, we learn that Birdie and her family are rather religious as evidenced by Birdie having attended a Bible camp and proudly wearing her "I love Jesus" T-shirt. So when she makes a bargain with God to be well behaved if He protects her father, it feels fairly natural.

She does put some heavy effort into her behavior and trying to be Christlike based on what she's learned but she begins to question some of her interpretations as she interacts with a new neighborhood friend. Her crises of faith really continues as she learns that her father was injured. She struggles to reconcile what's going on and what she believes.

From my standpoint, the book was an interesting read but felt somewhat superficial and forced. I kept wanting more depth from Birdie or from her grandmother (and possibly her mother, though the author did make it believable that the mother was rather frazzled due to all of her stresses). I would have liked to see deeper interactions and conclusions. But for the target age range of the book, it did well in presenting a tough situation and giving children things to think about and potentially relate to.

***

2.5 out of 5 stars ( )

We have a unit in the senior class on writing children's stories. I have used this book as the model for writing a story that has a universal theme. It goes over well.

When ten-year-old Birdie's dad is sent back to Iraq, she makes a deal with God to bring him home safely, while dealing with a new school where she finds it hard to make friends especially when she could use one. ( )

It's nice to see a MG book that deals with issues of religious faith while still being positive towards religion. It also addresses many of the issues that military children must face. It would be a good book for children of service members. ( )

I have read several books by Katherine Paterson in the past but did not particularly enjoy this one. The plot felt disjointed to me, particularly the storyline involving Alicia May, and Birdie's wrestling with her faith was a bit too much for my taste. It is refreshing to see a poor family represented with dignity, but the lack of resolution to the story left me quite puzzled.