Flight of the Puffin
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-10-15 06:52:53
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Ann Braden
- ISBN：198481608X
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
One small act of kindness ripples out to connect four kids in this stirring novel by the author of the beloved The Benefits of Being an Octopus。
Libby comes from a long line of bullies。 She wants to be different， but sometimes that doesn’t work out。 Now she's suspended again。
On the opposite side of the country lives Vincent， a kid who loves the mathematician Katherine Johnson and being a non-conformist， who’s trying hard not to get stuffed into lockers at his new school。 But that’s not working out too well either。
Nearby is T， who couldn’t take living at home anymore and is determined to survive on a rainy sidewalk。
And then there’s Jack， a big-hearted kid so engaged in the fight to keep his small rural school open that he’s lost focus on the ones who need him most。
Four kids。 Four different lives。 And then… one card with a message of hope takes flight and starts a chain reaction， helping each kid summon the thing they need， whether it’s bravery， empathy， or understanding。 But best of all， it makes each one realize they matter -- and that they're not flying solo anymore。
Libby comes from a long line of bullies。 She wants to be different， but sometimes that doesn’t work out。 Now she's suspended again。
On the opposite side of the country lives Vincent， a kid who loves the mathematician Katherine Johnson and being a non-conformist， who’s trying hard not to get stuffed into lockers at his new school。 But that’s not working out too well either。
Nearby is T， who couldn’t take living at home anymore and is determined to survive on a rainy sidewalk。
And then there’s Jack， a big-hearted kid so engaged in the fight to keep his small rural school open that he’s lost focus on the ones who need him most。
Four kids。 Four different lives。 And then… one card with a message of hope takes flight and starts a chain reaction， helping each kid summon the thing they need， whether it’s bravery， empathy， or understanding。 But best of all， it makes each one realize they matter -- and that they're not flying solo anymore。
Reviews
Jenn
，
I admit it。 I went into this book without consideration for the author， nor the author's writing。 Here's the deal: one of my all time favorite books is *The Benefits of Being an Octopus* by Ann Braden。 My cover photo on Twitter is my autographed copy of that book， where I met Ms。 Braden and squealed like a school girl at meeting her。 When I began this book， I was not kind to Ms。 Braden as I kept comparing it。 That's not fair。 As a parent of three kids who are simliar but not the same， I know thi I admit it。 I went into this book without consideration for the author， nor the author's writing。 Here's the deal: one of my all time favorite books is *The Benefits of Being an Octopus* by Ann Braden。 My cover photo on Twitter is my autographed copy of that book， where I met Ms。 Braden and squealed like a school girl at meeting her。 When I began this book， I was not kind to Ms。 Braden as I kept comparing it。 That's not fair。 As a parent of three kids who are simliar but not the same， I know this。 And this book WAS the same， well， that wouldn't be worth reading。Once I finally let go of my incorrect thinking， I once again found myself completely wrapped up in the characters， all four， and their struggles。 While so different， each character's struggles were authentic， believable and heartbreaking。 The way they all connected， both in feelings and ultimately connecting， was incredible。 And I have my own postcards， from Ms。 Braden， and those I plan to make， to share with the world。 。。。more
Ciara
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Too teach-y and has supper slow start。
WKPL Children's/YA Books
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Miss Lori read this book in two sittings。。。。I just couldn't put it down。 Each chapter told from POV of a different character whose life is marred by grief， misunderstanding， bullying， and unattentive parents。 It is the simple act of caring and making the choice to show encouragement despite road blocks that makes this story "happy" despite the real sadness it involves。The way the author connects characters is genius！Middle to upper middle grade school children should read this book （high school Miss Lori read this book in two sittings。。。。I just couldn't put it down。 Each chapter told from POV of a different character whose life is marred by grief， misunderstanding， bullying， and unattentive parents。 It is the simple act of caring and making the choice to show encouragement despite road blocks that makes this story "happy" despite the real sadness it involves。The way the author connects characters is genius！Middle to upper middle grade school children should read this book （high school students and adults ought to pick this up， too！） 。。。more
Barb
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This book would be better suited for 7th grade and up。 I hate when books portray parents as clueless。
Justine Ridder
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What a great story about kindness。 Libby - a unique girl who loves to make things beautiful。 Her passion is art。 She loves to use her colored pencils and glitter to make everything unique。 Her parents do not understand her， and she finds herself grounded A LOT。 Vincent - a math lover who can't get enough of triangles。 He finds himself stuffed into lockers almost daily。 His mom just wants him to try better to blend in。 Vincent starts bringing sandwiches to a person who sleeps outside a church。 T What a great story about kindness。 Libby - a unique girl who loves to make things beautiful。 Her passion is art。 She loves to use her colored pencils and glitter to make everything unique。 Her parents do not understand her， and she finds herself grounded A LOT。 Vincent - a math lover who can't get enough of triangles。 He finds himself stuffed into lockers almost daily。 His mom just wants him to try better to blend in。 Vincent starts bringing sandwiches to a person who sleeps outside a church。 T is their name。 Vincent learns that T doesn't see themselves as a boy or a girl。 Jack - one of the kindest kids， but his actions/words get warped in the newspaper。 People believe he is a homophobe and doesn't believe transgender kids should go to his school。 That isn't what he meant at all。 He doesn't know how to fix this problem。 Jack also witnessed his little brother die in an accident a few years ago。 He is still grieving。 You also learn that his brother LOVED butterflies and glitter， but his parents always tried to change him to be more "normal。" 。。。more
Donna Wilson
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Beautiful story of acceptance told through the voices of four school age young people。 No act of kindness is too small and this story weaves together a narrative of overcoming challenges， standing up for things you believe in and learning that people can change grow and change over time。❤️ 🌈 Highly recommend for middle grade readers！
Jabiz Raisdana
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What a great G6 and/or G7 book。 Easily accessible and covers lots of thematic ground。 Nice short chapters through the eyes of four different narrators make this novel fast paced and dynamic。 The lessons are right there on the surface， but with some further thinking and discussion can make for deep learning。
Megan Mann
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Wow。 I thought this was so powerful。 I didn’t know how the four stories would tie together， but when they started to intertwine， I was truly in awe。 I thought it was such an important story to tell and one that should be read by everyone。
Bonnie
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Amazing story
Lynda
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Sweet story told from multiple perspectives。 Nice intertwining of the characters' lives。 Sweet story told from multiple perspectives。 Nice intertwining of the characters' lives。 。。。more
Gregorandjennifer
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I wasn’t sure at first but the characters in the book tell their stories with a painful truth that convinced me to listen and rejoice when they triumph。
Megan
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 A sweet story about miscommunications & random acts of kindness that can affect people across the world。I'll be honest: I haven't read many middle grade books about conservative， small town America。 I have spent quite a bit of time in them though， so it was interesting to see it laid out in a book。 This book takes place partly in Seattle， and partly in & around a mill town in Vermont。 The mill town has a rural area nearby where a 2 room schoolhouse is going to lose funding and shut down。 One of A sweet story about miscommunications & random acts of kindness that can affect people across the world。I'll be honest: I haven't read many middle grade books about conservative， small town America。 I have spent quite a bit of time in them though， so it was interesting to see it laid out in a book。 This book takes place partly in Seattle， and partly in & around a mill town in Vermont。 The mill town has a rural area nearby where a 2 room schoolhouse is going to lose funding and shut down。 One of the students named Jack is fighting to keep it open。The story also alternates POVs with a girl named Libby in the mill town that is deeply misunderstood by the adults in her life on the basis that her dad is a loan shark and generally an unpleasant man。There is also a young boy Vincent in Seattle who has an obsession with triangles and puffins。 He is horribly bullied in school。 To me he reads as on the spectrum， but it is never said outright in the book。Lastly， there is a homeless nonbinary teen named T， also in Seattle。 T ran away from home because their family didn't want to accept them。Of all the kids， I enjoyed Jack's POV the most。 Jack's community is exactly the kind of community that I have been taught to look down on， especially as the schism between political parties in the USA widens more and more。 However， seeing Jack's community talk （even in passing） about hunting for necessity， city-folk thinking they know best for the town， and the problems with bussing the students to bigger schools （treacherous roads in the winter） really opened my eyes。 It is talked about in liberal spaces that oftentimes people doing charity work forget （or neglect） to ask the people they are "helping" what THEY need， which leads to money being spent on things that don't really do anything to help。 However， this concept is not often applied to small town America。 I think， after reading this book， that perhaps it should be。The pushy， condescending school board worker looking for reasons to cut funding to a small town school for honestly really nitpicky reasons （money for a new bathroom has to come from somewhere， and the wood chip thing is ridiculous but unfortunately believable）。。。 I understand the frustration from the town。I think Jack's compassion for people that are different than him is admirable， and him getting misquoted by a national newspaper （and subsequently cyber-bullied by the whole country） rings very true in this misinformation age。I like how the story wrapped up。 I think all the loose ends came together nicely。 I know in real life not everything is so simple， but this is a kids book， and kids books should have no （or few） loose ends in my opinion。I would rec to middle schoolers （6-8th grade） or perhaps an advanced 5th grader。 。。。more
Rebecca Caufman
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This AMAZING book weaves the story of 4 struggling teens who bond together in support， friendship， and love。
pari
，
2。5/5Golden Sower Novel Nominee 2022-23。 Standard MG。
Flyingzebras
，
Sweet book！
Emma Brand
，
While the messages of empathy， kindness， authenticity， and being true to what you know to be yourself are prevalent in this novel， I just can’t help but think that my middle school students just will not be interested in this story。 The characters feel one-dimensional， each with a distinct obstacle and “lesson” to learn and teach the reader。 From my experience， middle schoolers want authentic stories and this book felt like a kindness commercial。
Kaleb
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This was a feel good story that addressed some issues that this generation of kids are going to deal with more and more。 Each of the 4 characters has their own struggles that they conquer and I like how each story blended in with one another to create the story。 Easy read。
Samantha Brown
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This was a great story about how one random act of kindness that started a ripple effect on many others who needed it。 It has a great message for kids。 I just felt like the ending wrapped up too quickly and I felt like I needed more closure with some of the characters。 But I still really enjoyed the book。
Susanne Davison
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I would give this book 100 stars if I could！！！ Friendship， making a difference， accepting others as they are， forgiveness， courage， change and so much more！！！
Lauren Huff
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I found Flight of the Puffin to be a quick， easy， and relatable read。 The book carries a theme of staying true to who you are。 Being a teacher， I can see many of the character's characteristics in quite a few student from my past classes。 Kids are going through a lot as they grow up and those can be positive and negative。 This book does a great job at highlighting how you can have positive and negative life experiences and learn to be courageous and have the strength to be who YOU want to be。 I found Flight of the Puffin to be a quick， easy， and relatable read。 The book carries a theme of staying true to who you are。 Being a teacher， I can see many of the character's characteristics in quite a few student from my past classes。 Kids are going through a lot as they grow up and those can be positive and negative。 This book does a great job at highlighting how you can have positive and negative life experiences and learn to be courageous and have the strength to be who YOU want to be。 。。。more
TeShia
，
This book is an eye opener for many educators。 After reading this text， it made me realize that you never know what people are truly going through。 All the characters had challenges， and they all were able to overcome those challenges as well。
Katie
，
Reading this book can be a catalyst to putting kindness out in the world。 It shows that even a small act of kindness such as spreading positive messages and beautiful drawings on index cards can make a difference in your community and maybe even reach a longer distance than that。 I enjoyed how the book chapters are focused on different characters with different things going on in their lives， but act of kindness connected them together toward the end。 I definitely recommend reading Flight of the Reading this book can be a catalyst to putting kindness out in the world。 It shows that even a small act of kindness such as spreading positive messages and beautiful drawings on index cards can make a difference in your community and maybe even reach a longer distance than that。 I enjoyed how the book chapters are focused on different characters with different things going on in their lives， but act of kindness connected them together toward the end。 I definitely recommend reading Flight of the Puffin by Ann Braden！ You just might be inspired to make your own index cards。 。。。more
Breanna
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Wow， what a great book！ I loved how this story connected the lives of 4 very different kids/teens。 They all shared the feeling that people didn't get them or accept them for who they were。 I think the kindness postcards were so cool。 This story shows how the action of 1 person can have a chain reaction and make a difference。 This sends a great message to be true to who you are， even when you feel like nobody understands you。 The very diverse perspectives in this story align with our ever evolvin Wow， what a great book！ I loved how this story connected the lives of 4 very different kids/teens。 They all shared the feeling that people didn't get them or accept them for who they were。 I think the kindness postcards were so cool。 This story shows how the action of 1 person can have a chain reaction and make a difference。 This sends a great message to be true to who you are， even when you feel like nobody understands you。 The very diverse perspectives in this story align with our ever evolving world today and promotes acceptance and inclusion。 。。。more
Rebecca McPhedran
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Wow！！ I loved this book！！ Such a great journey of acceptance and understanding。 Told from four alternating perspectives， this is the story of how four kids connect through letters。 I loved this book and it’s message of self discovery。
Jennifer
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This is a book overflowing with what some parents might call a political agenda。 It discusses transgender topics that are appropriate for upper middle or high school children。 However， I don’t believe many parents in my community will be pleased with this being a V。S。B。A。 Book for 3rd - 5th grade children。 It is a very moving and inspiring book。 The author labels herself as a Middle School writer。 I’m just concerned that promoting or requiring this book to be read， by children as young as 8 year This is a book overflowing with what some parents might call a political agenda。 It discusses transgender topics that are appropriate for upper middle or high school children。 However， I don’t believe many parents in my community will be pleased with this being a V。S。B。A。 Book for 3rd - 5th grade children。 It is a very moving and inspiring book。 The author labels herself as a Middle School writer。 I’m just concerned that promoting or requiring this book to be read， by children as young as 8 years old， to complete an Elementary School book challenge is a firestorm waiting to happen。 。。。more
Jasmine
，
Spoilers！I enjoyed reading this powerful book。 Because each main character has their own chapter， the reader gets to know each character in depth and understand how they view the events going on。 Their separate story lines allow the reader to invest in each character's life before they all come together later in the story。 I also enjoyed that T had a writing style different from the other characters and gradually started saying more as the story went on。 It was a different way of showing charact Spoilers！I enjoyed reading this powerful book。 Because each main character has their own chapter， the reader gets to know each character in depth and understand how they view the events going on。 Their separate story lines allow the reader to invest in each character's life before they all come together later in the story。 I also enjoyed that T had a writing style different from the other characters and gradually started saying more as the story went on。 It was a different way of showing character development than I had seen before。 I love how this book shares such a powerful message about the impact of small acts of kindness as well as， the power that students can have to change how things are。 It also connects to the Local Love Brigade， which the author founded to send postcards of love to those facing hate。 Writing similar postcards to people locally would be a great extension activity for students or even people reading this for fun。 Likewise， this book gives a great example to everyone about learning that it is okay to change your mind about something as you receive more information。 。。。more
Kelsey Boyer
，
Wow！ What a powerful book this was。 I enjoyed reading it the entire way through and getting to know the four kids in their own chapters。 It made it easy to follow and connect with each person。 It took me a little longer to connect with T until later on in the story。 I was amazed when the kids slowly began to connect with one another - who knew！ It all started with Libby， coming from a strict household， who drew beautiful drawings and inspiring words on index cards that she spread across her comm Wow！ What a powerful book this was。 I enjoyed reading it the entire way through and getting to know the four kids in their own chapters。 It made it easy to follow and connect with each person。 It took me a little longer to connect with T until later on in the story。 I was amazed when the kids slowly began to connect with one another - who knew！ It all started with Libby， coming from a strict household， who drew beautiful drawings and inspiring words on index cards that she spread across her community。 Little did she know， she was making a huge difference in the lives of others。 It is amazing how much someone can touch the lives of those we don’t even know， even across the country。 The smallest act of kindness can truly make a difference！ This would be a great recommendation for middle and high school students。 Flight of the Puffin gives readers the perspectives of the lives of four different kids that others may relate to。 It offers the opportunity to see the importance of kindness。 I smiled many times while reading this book and the ending gave me goosebumps。 Definitely a good read！ 。。。more
Emily Taylor
，
This was a book that I had trouble putting down！ I loved how each character had their own chapters。 I felt like I was able to get to know the characters better because of this。 T started out as a mystery， but I felt like I was able to connect with him later on in the story。 I enjoyed reading the different perspectives from each character。 At first， I wasn’t sure how all the characters were going to tie into each other。 My heart hurt for Libby because of her home life。 She was so artistic and dec This was a book that I had trouble putting down！ I loved how each character had their own chapters。 I felt like I was able to get to know the characters better because of this。 T started out as a mystery， but I felt like I was able to connect with him later on in the story。 I enjoyed reading the different perspectives from each character。 At first， I wasn’t sure how all the characters were going to tie into each other。 My heart hurt for Libby because of her home life。 She was so artistic and decided to make drawings with positive sayings on index cards。 Libby left these cards out in public for people to find。 Her gesture of kindness ends up bringing all the characters together and gives them the strength they need to deal with the difficult situations in their lives。 It is crazy how one small act of kindness can go a long way！ I think this would be a good read for grades 3-5 or even middle and high schoolers。 Students would be able to read about and see the importance of kindness。 I would recommend reading this book！ 。。。more
Amanda Murphy
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Wow。 This book actually wrung a few tears out of me。 Beautifully done。
Kim
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This book tells the story of four kids who are misunderstood - by their peers， by their families， by themselves and sometimes by all three。 The book is told in alternating perspectives and eventually all the kids are connected via kindness postcards。 I think kids will appreciate how each kid finds a way to create positive change and eventually the adults catch on， too。 Some favorite lines: "I always knew you were brave， Jack。 But I'm so glad you're this kind of brave。""Part of me is out there。 I This book tells the story of four kids who are misunderstood - by their peers， by their families， by themselves and sometimes by all three。 The book is told in alternating perspectives and eventually all the kids are connected via kindness postcards。 I think kids will appreciate how each kid finds a way to create positive change and eventually the adults catch on， too。 Some favorite lines: "I always knew you were brave， Jack。 But I'm so glad you're this kind of brave。""Part of me is out there。 In places I've never been。 Affecting people I've never met。 Making people smile like that。 And there's no way they can stop it now。 It's too big。" 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Flight of the Puffin
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Flight of the Puffin&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Flight of the Puffin&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0