Reviews

Birdgirl: A Young Environmentalist Looks to the Skies in Search of a Better Future by Mya-Rose Craig

Only show reviews with written explanations

byrdbooks's review

adventurous hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0

Mya-Rose Craig is a very engaging writer and I thoroughly enjoyed her memoir. I envy the all the incredible birding trips she's already enjoyed even in childhood, but respect her and her family's courage to share the difficult parts of her story as well.

I don't personally aspire to be a world birder, but if you do have that goal then I'd recommend reading this. Even if you're content with local or backyard birding, this book is a testament to the incredible world we live in. It also moves me to see the upcoming generations of environmental activists and seek out changes in my own community.

Happy reading, and happy birding 🐦

Birds featured: So many. Personal highlights were the harpy eagle (the author stated it's her favorite), bowerbird, and snowy albatross. When someone's seen 5,000+ birds, it's a challenge to make a shortlist!

olivia_toso's review

Go to review page

adventurous challenging informative slow-paced

3.75

bettycrocker101's review

Go to review page

adventurous funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

4.25

christcore's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

Cute, decently written, and nicely balanced between the birding and other aspects of her life. Absolutely wild how central birding is to this family. Realistic and sensitive discussions of her mom's bipolar disorder and how it affected the whole family. Story about a bump on her head made me squirm...

Content Warnings

lenoradavis's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.25

kaminskygirl's review

Go to review page

3.0

I really wanted to like this book, but ultimately felt myself having to drag myself along in order to finish it. The writing read like a teenager wrote it (which is true) but also like it could have used some heavy editing by the publisher - which it didn’t appear to have received. I also felt myself getting frustrated with the explanations given for the importance of fighting against the climate crisis while also saying that their privileged world-traveling was acceptable. And the endless tails of birding successes - when, as a fellow birder, I know how frequently bird hunts end without finding a target species or individual - made the book feel inauthentic and fake.

Good idea - good real-life work - just wish it was written and shared in a better way.