Birdy, N. West Moss
Birdy, N. West Moss
List: $29.99 | Sale: $21.00
Club: $14.99

Birdy

Author: N. West Moss

Narrator: Taylor Meskimen

Unabridged: 6 hr 46 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Oasis Audio

Published: 02/17/2026


Synopsis

After the death of their mother, Birdy and Mouse are forced to start over in this debut novel about discovering where you belong­­—for fans of Forever This Summer and The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise.

Eleven-year-old Birdy and her younger brother, Mouse, have always looked out for each other. They make the perfect team: Birdy is realistic and practical, while Mouse is affable and trusting. After their mother dies of cancer, Birdy and Mouse are forced to move out of the city to the country with relatives they’ve never met. Aunt Mitzie and Uncle Shadow’s house is full of organized chaos, and it takes Birdy time to adjust to having adults around. But the kitchen is always stocked, and both kids are allowed to play outside as often as they want. There’s only one problem: it’s all temporary. Their social worker has promised to find them a permanent home by the next school year, whether they want to leave or not. As the summer unfolds, Mouse starts to feel attached to their new life. But Birdy knows better—adults have never been reliable. When Birdy’s fears get the best of her, she makes a big mistake that could jeopardize their future.

Heartfelt and emotionally resonant, this literary coming-of-age novel explores the unbreakable bond between siblings—and how family can be found in the most unexpected places.

About The Author

N. West Moss is author of BIRDY, a middle grade novel coming from Christy Ottaviano Books at Little, Brown. She is also the author of FLESH & BLOOD: Reflections on Infertility, Family, and Creating a Bountiful Life, published by Algonquin (October 2021). Her work has appeared in The New York Times, McSweeney's, The Saturday Evening Post, Salon, Brevity, The Blotter, and many other fine publications. Her work has been nominated for several Pushcart Prizes, and has won The Saturday Evening Post's Great American Fiction Contest, as well as the Diana Woods Memorial Prize for Creative Nonfiction. Her work was also awarded three Faulkner-Wisdom gold medals for essay, short story, and memoir. Her first book, THE SUBWAY STOPS AT BRYANT PARK, was published by Leapfrog Press in 2017. She is a fellow at: MacDowell, Art Omi, VCCA- the Virginia Center for Creative Arts, and Hawthornden Castle in Scotland. She was the 2023 Writer-in-Residence at Gladstone's Library in Wales.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Lyon.Brit.andthebookshelf on December 31, 2025

Book Report: Birdy by N. West Moss This is one of those middle grade books that quietly burrows into your heart and stays there. 💛 After losing their mother…eleven year old Birdy and her younger brother Mouse are sent to live in the country with relatives they barely know. The house is chaotic but wa......more

Goodreads review by Mildly Mad Hatter on October 17, 2025

So I’m not really sure about this one. It had some really good ideas and it could have been great but it was off. Language: Holy moly, jeez, fool, jerk, Good Lord, shut up, loser, dang. A mother is said to have screamed in a child’s face and called him stupid. A girl called her father a jerk. A bully tel......more

Goodreads review by Vicky on October 09, 2025

What a poignant coming-of-age book about loss, belonging, family, and changes when Birdy and Mouse have to live with their aunt, Mitzie, and uncle, Shadow, (fourth cousins) after their mom dies. Birdy likes being alone but worries about having to leave and go back to New York City so she begins to s......more

Goodreads review by Aliceson on February 20, 2026

This book started out a little wordy with some complex sentences that I had to read a couple of times in order to grasp the meaning. The introduction to Alma’s house at the beginning of the story seemed to sprout out of nowhere and could have used some more easing into it. I really enjoyed this book......more

Goodreads review by Ann on January 23, 2026

N. West Moss has crafted a beautiful character-driven middle grade novel about 11-year old Birdy and her younger brother Mouse, learning to trust the world again after their mother’s death. The children move upstate from New York City to live with relatives after losing their mother, where everythin......more