Nest by Esther Ehrlich

Nest

by Esther Ehrlich

 

For fans of Jennifer Holm (Penny from Heaven, Turtle in Paradise), a heartfelt and unforgettable middle-grade novel about an irresistible girl and her family, tragic change, and the healing power of love and friendship. In 1972 home is a cozy nest on Cape Cod for eleven-year-old Naomi “Chirp” Orenstein, her older sister, Rachel; her psychiatrist father; and her dancer mother. But then Chirp’s mom develops symptoms of a serious disease, and everything changes.
   Chirp finds comfort in watching her beloved wild birds. She also finds a true friend in Joey, the mysterious boy who lives across the street. Together they create their own private world and come up with the perfect plan: Escape. Adventure. Discovery.
   Nest is Esther Ehrlich’s stunning debut novel. Her lyrical writing is honest, humorous, and deeply affecting. Chirp and Joey will steal your heart. Long after you finish Nest, the spirit of Chirp and her loving family will stay with you.


I've been in a bit of a reading slump lately.  I've been moving and going through our things.  Packing, unpacking, and organizing all of our stuff is so ridiculously overwhelming that I haven't felt like doing anything at all.  Add NaNoWriMo and NBRC's Tower Teams on to that and you have a perfect storm, which led to me saying "screw that, I'm just going to read". 
I'm glad that Nest is the book I chose to read.  I'm not sure that any other book would have been able to pierce through the wall of 'meh' that I was putting up. 
Chirp is an amazing character.  She's the sort of character that feels more real than the pages of the book(or the Kindle, in my case). 
This is a beautiful story about family and hope, heartbreak and friendship.

I received an ARC from the publisher via Netgalley.