With Just One Wing

Coretta Scott King Honor winner Brenda Woods’s poignant, heartfelt story of an adopted boy and the bird he rescues

Everyone expects Coop to be musical like his beloved parents, but he’s not. That’s one of the few things he finds awkward about being adopted—well, that and the fact that he sometimes wonders why his birth mother didn’t love him enough to keep him. This summer, he’s stuck at home with a broken arm after falling out of a tree trying to get a closer peek at a mockingbird nest. Later, when the eggs in the nest have hatched and the fledglings fly away, he and his friend Zandi notice that one of them stays behind. Taking a closer look, they realize the bird only has one wing. Since it won’t survive in the wild, they adopt it and name it Hop, and then learn everything they can about birds so they can care for Hop properly. Unfortunately, when a hawk injures Hop, the vet says it’s illegal to keep mockingbirds as pets. Faced with a difficult decision about surrendering his beloved little bird to a bird sanctuary, Coop starts thinking about his birth mother’s motivation in a new light.

Brenda Woods, an artist and photographer, has a bachelor of science degree from California State University. Her award-winning books include When Winter Robeson Came, The Unsung Hero of Birdsong, USA, Zoe in Wonderland, The Blossoming Universe of Violet Diamond, Coretta Scott King Honor winner The Red Rose Box, Saint Louis Armstrong Beach, and Emako Blue. Her numerous awards and honors include the Judy Lopez Memorial Award, FOCAL award, Pen Center USA’s Literary Award finalist, IRA Children’s Choice Young Adult Fiction Award, and ALA Quick Pick. She lives in Nevada.

“During a ‘summer of curveballs,’ an adopted boy draws parallels between his own life and that of the injured, abandoned bird he rescues in this emotionally grounded tale of family, love, and perseverance by Woods (When Winter Robeson Came). . . . Woods presents Coop’s ponderings about his birth mother, and how he fits into his adoptive family, with tenderness and sincerity in this smoothly plotted story that captures the fine-tuned rhythms of Coop’s busy, engaged, and musical family.” —Publishers Weekly

“Woods, whose The Red Rose Box was a Coretta Scott King Honor Book, writes Coop’s first-person narrative with simplicity and directness, whether detailing the observations of an increasingly avid bird-watcher or his reflections as he balances his personal longing to keeping Hop with his realization that Hop will be happier elsewhere. A warm, accessible family story with credible conflicts and satisfying resolutions.” —Booklist

“Coop knows all about being adopted because his parents adopted him, yet as Coop and Zandi take care of little Hop, Coop comes to understand more about adoption as he deals with the possibility of giving Hop up so the bird can have a better life. The story offers an opportunity for readers to better understand adoption along with Coop and to expand notions of what it means to be a family. . . . An accessible read for struggling readers. While everything doesn’t work out exactly how Coop hopes, the story ends with him believing he’s done the right things for both himself and his bird friend." —The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

“A boy’s summer takes an unexpected turn, leading him to discover a new passion. . . . Through caring for the bird, named Hop, Coop comes to realize that loving someone sometimes means making hard choices. Woods uses simple, conversational language to bring the briskly paced story to life. Drawing parallels between Coop’s complicated emotions around his adoption and his feelings toward the rescued bird, she makes a complex topic feel accessible while also illustrating what it truly means to love and protect. . . . A heartfelt tale that intertwines a young boy’s personal journey with his love of nature.” —Kirkus Reviews