Blog Tour Review: Birdie by J P Rose

Birdie is a powerful, heartfelt story of friendship, belonging and identity set in the 1950s:  an unforgettable, incredibly affecting story that completely captured me. 

Birdie Bagshaw has grown up in Fitzwilliam’s Children’s Home, a home for mixed race children, on the outskirts of Leeds. She adores its kind-hearted owner, Mrs Dudley so is reluctant to leave when her great-aunt sends for her.  She does not want to leave the familiarity of the home, nor her friends and found family.  Although frightened of starting a new life, Mrs Dudley convinces her to make the train journey to the Yorkshire Dales to live with her great-aunt, Mrs Winterbottom.

When she arrives in Barrington Dale, she has to find her own way to her great-aunt’s cottage where she is given a cold welcome.  Confused by this treatment, she makes her way to school where she is subjected to appalling racism by both pupils and the teacher.  Birdie feels rejected and is made to feel like an outsider by both her great-aunt and most of the villagers she meets.

When Birdie is faced with cruelty from some of the older boys, she runs to escape from them, and finds herself at the local coal mine where she meets the last remaining pit pony …

And so begins a story that broke my heart … and healed it again!  The special bond that forms between Birdie and Mr Duke is just incredible and felt completely believable as their love, loyalty and trust in each other resonates throughout the story.  They give each other strength to keep going in terrible circumstances – and hope that life can get better. 

When Birdie discovers that Mr Duke is in terrible danger, she is determined to rescue him, no matter the risk to herself, but will she be able to save her best friend’s life?

Oh my goodness!  Birdie is just the most incredible, inspirational young girl.  Growing up in a home for mixed race children, she has not experienced, or has been protected from, racist abuse.  My heart ached for her as she comes to realise that the reason she is being treated so horribly by others is because of the colour of her skin.  But Birdie does not let this prejudice affect who she is at heart:  an empathetic, caring girl whose kindness radiates from her.  She is someone who enters people’s lives and changes them for the better, bringing a community together and healing those who have been lost in grief. 

After reading Fablehouse, I had already learned more about the history of ‘Brown Babies’ born to relationships between African-American GIs and white British women during the Second World War, and the racism and stigma which forced many of these mothers to give up their babies in order to be ‘socially acceptable’ members of society.  This story also addresses the impact of the aftermath of the Second World War on families who are grieving for those who did not come home from the war.  And, of course, there is the deployment of pit ponies in the mining communities, the ‘unsung heroes’ of the coal mines, something that I found incredibly poignant and really difficult to fathom as ever being acceptable.  The author’s Historical Note makes for fascinating reading and would form the basis for some wonderful classroom discussions following reading the story.

A tender story of family, connection and remaining true to yourself with the most beautiful friendship between human and animal at its heart.  This is a story I cannot recommend highly enough for readers of 9+, and a definite Book of the Year for me.

Author Information

J.P. Rose was born in Manchester but was raised in Yorkshire after her adoption. Growing up she suffered extreme racism, though she continued to be proud of her diverse and rich Jamaican, Nigerian and Anglo-Irish heritage. She trained as an actress but eventually moved into writing, and she is now the author of numerous novels for adults. She owns several horses, dogs and cats and lives in London with her family.

Instagram: https://instagram.com/jprosewriter
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Thank you so much to Kaleidoscopic Tours for inviting me to be part of the Blog Tour, and to Anderson Press for providing me with a copy of Birdie in exchange for my honest opinion.

Do check out the other stops on this week’s Blog Tour below: