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Birdie and Me

by J M M Nuanez

Subject
LGBTQ+
Age
9-12 years
Format
Trade Paperback
Pages
256
Publisher
Puffin Books
Size
12.7 cm × 19.6 cm
ISBN
9780399186783
An emotional and uplifting debut about a girl named Jack and her gender creative little brother, Birdie, searching for the place where they can be their true and best selves.

After their mama dies, Jack and Birdie find themselves without a place to call home. And when Mama's two brothers each try to provide one--first sweet Uncle Carl, then gruff Uncle Patrick--the results are funny, tender, and tragic.

They're also somehow . . . spectacular.

With voices and characters that soar off the page, J. M. M. Nuanez's debut novel depicts an unlikely family caught in a situation none of them would have chosen, and the beautiful ways in which they finally come to understand one another.

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What reviewers said

* "This singular story of a grieving and unconventional family belongs alongside Holly Goldberg Sloan’s Counting by 7s, Cindy Baldwin’s Where the Watermelons Grow, and Ali Benjamin’s The Thing about Jellyfish. Highly recommended.”
School Library Journal, starred review
This strong, emotional, and engaging read is a must-have for any library. The issues are dealt with realistically and challenge the reader to examine their personal feelings, the various modes for dealing with grief, gender fluidity, and how to appropriately support students in their search for who they truly are. A great coming-of-age story.”
School Library Connection, starred review
Nuanez carefully unfolds a tale of loss, individuality, and community . . . [and] a broken family becoming whole once more. . . . Fans of Jerry Spinelli will flock to Jack and the peculiar residents of her new town and may learn something about acceptance while they’re there.”
BCCB, Recommended
“Nuanez’s debut tells an endearing story of family in the wake of tragedy, anchored by the wonderfully loving and supportive relationship between Jack and Birdie. . . . [T]he prose flows seamlessly and the dialogue feels undeniably real.”
Booklist
Sure-handed storytelling . . . [A] strong middle grade debut.”
Publishers Weekly
"A beautiful, sensitive story about a sister and brother finding their way through tragedy and grief. Readers will love this eminently satisfying tale; its courageous characters will stay with them long after they turn the last page."—Patricia Reilly Giff, Newbery Honor author of Lily's Crossing and Pictures of Hollis Woods
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© 2026 Peekabooks Inc. All Rights Reserved.