A gift from the birds by Caroline Stills

A Gift From The Birds is a thoughtful and sensitive debut novel written by Caroline Stills. This story carefully deals with the illness, death and grief that ten-year-old Millie and her father deal with when their much loved mother and wife passes away.

Millie’s tenth birthday appears to be just perfect in every way. With the predominant colours of pink and purple, party games, dancing and best friends, Millie is mostly overjoyed. But there are some niggles for Millie - the way her friends look at her mum and whisper together, the fact that her mum seems to be tired and needs to rest, and the uncomfortable feeling Millie is experiencing that maybe not everything is ok. When her Mum collapses at the end of the party, it is the beginning of a challenging journey of loss, anger and loneliness for Millie.

When Millie finally loses her mum to cancer, the grief she experiences is overwhelming. Her father is also suffering and they both withdraw from each other, their friends, and their life as they once knew it. Millie is drawn to her backyard where two crows appear to connect with her. They will become an important part of her healing and her reconnection to her father. At school Millie is lost and wants to be alone. Twice-weekly lunchtime art activities provide her with the solace she requires but also the opportunity to express her grief and changing feelings.

This is a deeply moving narrative that shares the very personal story of Millie and her journey of grief, but also the power of healing and hope that comes after such a devastating loss.

Themes: Illness, Grief, Friendship, Birds, School, Art, Community, Healing, Hope.

Kathryn Beilby