Blue Heron

Written by Avi

Narrated by Christina Moore

Maggie Lavchek believes in magic. Magic doesn't change things. It keeps them the same. Maybe that's what she was hoping as the plane she had taken from her home in Seattle, Washington touched down on the airstrip in Westport, Connecticut. Maggie's parents were divorced, and this was her yearly summer visit with her father and his wife Joanna, who had just had a baby. The four of them were going to spend part of the summer at Sawdy Pond, a lakeside cottage in Massachusetts. But from the start Maggie has a feeling things aren't going to work out. All of Joanna's attention is focused on the baby, and something is terribly wrong with her father. When he isn't sleeping, he seems to spend all of his time on the phone. Early every morning Maggie escapes down to the marshes where she had discovered a blue heron her first day at Sawdy Pond. The beautiful gray-blue bird seems to be the only thing she can count upon. But someone is tracking the heron, and Maggie has to stop him before it is too late.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Jun 14, 2013
• ISBN: 9781470353988

Avi

Avi is the award-winning author of more than eighty-two books for young readers, ranging from animal fantasy to gripping historical fiction, picture books to young adult novels. Crispin: The Cross of Lead won the Newbery Medal, and The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle and Nothing but the Truth were awarded Newbery Honors. He is also the author of the popular Poppy series. Avi lives in Denver, Colorado. Visit him online at avi-writer.com.

Reviews for Blue Heron

[auntie0nanuuq · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Two young people the school outcast & a troubled young girl (who has lost her father) become friends when they find out they are both stalking a Great Blue Heron.The young boy stalks w/ bow & arrow. The young girl stalks w/ heart & patience.The book was sad, but not as sad as I had expected it to be...There is quite a bit of suspense as well.....Very well written and now I know why Avi was such a popular author

[cheryl_in_cc_nv · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

gentle family & nature story

[jbarr5 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Blue Heron by AviHave read other author's works and have enjoyed them all. This one is about Maggie and they are spending time at the shore and she has a new sister.Magic and her father, she believes in all. Her mother gave her a crystal that is pure magic in her pocket. She travels to visit her father and step mother from Seattle all the way to MA. The shore will have much magic.Very familiar to the area as we live nearby. It's interesting how the descriptions are so detailed-we tend to take things like the countryside for granted at times.The heron has a magic all it's own and she wants to save her father....he spends much time on the phone doing work. She entertains herself as the stepmother is always busy with the new baby.She studies the heron and discovers lots of things about how the bird lives and survives in the marsh.She discovers many treasures and she also finds out her ailing father has not been taking his medicines! Someone has also been shooting arrows at the heron! Magic happens!I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).

[jgoitein_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Blue Heron is a fine example of Avi's accessible proses for the middle school reader. He successfully weaves an adventurous tale of young Maggie, dealing with family health and job issues while on summer vacation. She escapes and delves into the magical world of the blue heron when adult like responsibilities become to much for her to handle. His descriptions of the blue heron and the magical play on light, fog and mist of the marsh habitat will envelope the reader interested in nature and its surroundings. Young adult readers coming to terms with a divorced parent's new family can easily identify with Maggie's expectations and doubts about spending the summer with them. Unable, and often unwilling, to express her true feelings, Avi creates a strong and curious Maggie, as the main character of the book. Not sure she is up to the responsibility of confronting her father on his unusual behavior, she willingly takes up the challenge to protect the heron from a willful young neighbor bent on harming the heron.