The Scream of the Hawk. Nancy Belgue. Victoria, BC: Orca, 2003. 256 pp., pbk., $8.95. ISBN 1-55143-257-9. Grades 4-8 / Ages 9-13. Review by Linda Ludke. *** /4 Reviewed from Advance Reading Copy.

excerpt:

Lissa sighed. With all the good things that had happened that day, she had almost forgotten about the hawk.

"Otis, I have to talk to you about Scarlett," she said.

Otis marched on.

"I don't think you can keep that bird in the boathouse much longer. Hunting season's starting soon. It's not safe."

"It's not a bird. It's a spirit sent by my mother," Otis said.

"I think you should tell someone about this. I really do," Lissa pleaded.

"No!"

"Otis, you've got to."

"No!" He turned and looked at Lissa. "And you can't either. You promised."

Eleven-year old Lissa must adjust to many changes in her life. Along with her parents’ divorce, she must also deal with moving away from family and friends in British Columbia and resettling in small town Ontario. Being the "new kid" is never easy, and Lissa's efforts to make new friends fall flat. When she first meets her next door neighbour, eight-year old Otis, she dismisses him as a "weird little kid." He is an eccentric dresser, favoring either a magician's cape or a bright yellow rain slicker, and he lives with his father, a famous horror writer, in a "spooky, big house." Rumors abound about Otis: "little kids are scared of him and the big kids think he's nuts."

     As Otis slowly confides a secret to Lissa, she starts to understand this complex young boy. Lissa learns that Otis’ mother was recently killed in an avalanche. Otis believes that, when his mother died, she sent a hawk to watch over him as a guardian spirit. Leading Lissa to an abandoned boathouse by the lake, he shows her a red tailed hawk that he keeps in a cage. He vows to protect Scarlett and always keep her near.

     In Native folklore, "A hawk is considered a good bird and a good power, but a very bad sign. It too warns of a dangerous or deadly accident." When Scarlett disappears, Otis searches frantically for her until he also disappears. Readers will follow in suspense as Lissa rescues Otis with the help of a hawk.

     First time author Nancy Belgue realistically captures the feelings of loss and loneliness. The characters are well developed and believable. A good addition both to public and school library collections.

Recommended.

Linda Ludke is a librarian in London, ON.

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

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Published by The Manitoba Library Association ISSN 1201-9364

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