Reviews

The Fledgling by Jane Langton

deniset's review against another edition

adventurous fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

msjoanna's review against another edition

4.0

A charming coming of age story with just a touch of magic. An awkward young girl forms a bond with an old goose who takes her out flying. Villains must be kept at bay and a quirky family relationship comes through. What child doesn't want to fly? How awesome would it be to have a majestic goose teach you how to drift down from the sky? The connection to Walden and Walden Pond is likely to be lost on most child-readers, but I enjoyed it. I hadn't realized the intended audience was quite as young as it is -- I'd recommend this to ages 8-10 or thereabouts.

ramseyhootman's review against another edition

5.0

Luminous! This was far and away my favorite of the Hall Family Chronicles as a kid, and I am gratified to discover that my earliest literary opinions have proved correct. The first three books are delightful children's literature - an introduction followed by a series of puzzles and then a conclusion. The Fledgling, however, breaks that formula, and it is unquestionably Literature with a capital L. It's about the magic of being young enough that anything is possible; it's about what it means to be human, and it's about what it means to live in that lovely liminal space between "civilization" and nature.

It's also more or less standalone; the only point of confusion you may have is the fact that the protagonist's mother is referred to as "Aunt Alex." This is for the sake of continuity - the protagonists of the earlier books are Georgie's cousins, so Aunt Alex has always been Aunt Alex to them. Also be aware that there is animal death, though it's not graphic or dwelt upon in great detail. It's gentle. The entire book is gentle, beautiful, and... luminous.

nobookendinsight's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

sierracook14's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

couillac's review against another edition

3.0

A sweet story about an unusual girl and her amazingly open and loving family. Never heard of it before recently, but I'm glad I read it. A bit odd at times, but a lovely sense of magic.

kailey_luminouslibro's review against another edition

2.0

Newberry Award? Really? A very nice sort of book with some artistic flair, but hardly anything special.

gracejin's review against another edition

2.0

2. I didn't know this was the fourth book in the series woops. I just picked it from a box of books someone donated to us because the cover looked interesting. And it was a Newbery!

Spoiler

Why didn't Georgie's family make efforts to talk to her about the goose prince? At first, they didn't believe her (Uncle Freddy- he also was embarrassing on page 26), and then they only thought it was just from her imagination and treated it flippantly like a childish phase (e.g Uncle Freddy at the dinner table). They did not take her seriously. Georgie was then left to suffer and deal with the situation herself even after the infuriating drive home from Mr. Preek (he literally forced her in his car and proceeded to silently judge her...) and when the goose prince got shot. The family didn't believe Georgie about her being able to fly, and the parents were worrying about her instead of actually asking and listening to her. (Aunt Alex should have talked to her about it.) That is sad. People don't try to understand children and think they are doing random, senseless things sometimes and laugh. :( Ms. Prawn is annoying. I get not liking children, but she is strange to try and use Georgie for her selfish wants. Also, the letters to Mr. Preek encouraged him to shoot and kill the goose prince. Mr. Preek is a very selfish, greedy, and bad man. He should be found out and punished. And he was proud of himself for "protecting" Georgie and shooting the goose prince! He thinks he's a hero. He thought of Georgie as "probably stupid. You could always tell. She might even be retarded."(p. 43) in the car ride after scaring the goose away when she wanted to meet the goose instead.

Spoiler

Those words are ableist and are very commonly used today (especially words like stupid, crazy, lame, dumb, nuts... link)
But years ago they were used to describe the disabled.

"I am the sort of the man who loves children, Mr. Preek often said to himself." Yeah, right. In conclusion, Mr. Preek is yucky.

jessicaaaaaaa's review against another edition

Really loved this one. Such a unique premise and unique characters, and so beautifully written. It will be hard to forget Georgie.

beccah85's review against another edition

4.0

We read this book because we were gently studying waterfowl and it seemed appropriate for my girls' ages. I really liked the nature descriptions and I liked that the family is very imperfect yet caring for each other's needs. It's very imaginative so I can appreciate that it wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea. There are two villainous, insane characters - one of which is portrayed as a really creepy hunter. These characters actually worked well for my kids because it prompted done good discussion about literary villains and why some people portray hunters in a bad light. Overall, it was a solid 4 stars for me - a bit bizarre at times, but a fun read aloud for the 7-11 age crowd I have.