A Common Friend On Foreign Shores

I'm still cruising through this year's Maryland Black-Eyed Susan (BES) nominees with my daughter Alexa. I believe she has one more to read and I have four. She's definitely going to beat me!

I just finished reading her favorite BES, Wild Wings, and I had to share because it's now my favorite too! Last night it had me struggling to hold back the tears as I finished the book at Alexa's soccer practice. The book takes place in Scotland and focuses on a very familiar and admired bird in our own area - the osprey. Ospreys are rare and protected in Scotland where they summer. In the book, a young girl spots an osprey on a local farm. She befriends the boy who lives on the farm and the two of them watch over the osprey, her mate and her nest and keep them their secret until they find her one day dangling from a tree by fishing line. They get help from a friend at a local nature preserve and help him save the osprey which strengthens the bond between the children and the bird that they have named Iris. Iris is fitted with a transmitter so that she can be tracked online when she migrates to Africa.

As usual, I don't want to give too much away. Wild Wings is a book about respect for wildlife. I find it interesting that even Scotland has problems with birds getting caught up in fishing line. Just a note to our fishermen, since fishing season begins really soon ~ watch that fishing line and keep it out of the water! Wild Wings also shows the reader that friendship has many faces and that a strong community can accomplish great things. Wild Wings rides with Iris all the way to Africa where she shows us that the world isn't as big as we thought and that there are folks that are willing to open their hearts to help for a like-minded cause. Above all, Wild Wings is about compassion. Compassion for wildlife and compassion for other people. Through that compassion, some really amazing things can happen. Wild Wings by Gill Lewis is a quick book, but one definitely worth reading!

On a completely different note, I just wanted to add that the Anne Arundel County Library system is holding a book sale Saturday, 13 April at all branches from 10am to 4pm. For $7 + tax you get a tote and all the books you can fit in it! Don't miss out!!