Hummingbird Season by Stephanie V.W. Lucianovic

How I Came Across It... *I obtained a copy of this middle-grade novel from the publisher Bloomsbury. The book was released in February of 2024. I knew nothing of the story, but was interested and intrigued by the cover and title. What It's About - Five Things You Need to Know... *The story centers around Archie during the time of Covid-19.

*Archie and his family are forced inside like the rest of the world.

*Archie and his brother must transition from "regular" school to "new" school.

*As Archie tries to navigate through his new normal, he begins to take notice of a hummingbird residing outside his window.

*The hummingbird brings Archie a sense of peace and purpose during an uncertain time, but then the hummingbird disappears and turns Archie's world upside down. What I Thought of It - Five Observations/Reflections...

*When I first started the novel in verse, I thought I was in for an enjoyable and thoughtful story.

*I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but as I continued to read, I found myself irritated with story and having flashbacks of that time with my own class.  

*For me as a reader, this story hit close to home and maybe was too soon to read.  I kept having to put the book down because I found myself in a mood that wasn't pleasant for me.

*For some reason, Archie and his family seemed to annoy me when I knew I was supposed to have sympathy for what they were going through.  

*The story has received many positive reviews, so maybe it just wasn't for me, was too difficult to read because I was a teacher during Covid-19, or I wasn't in the right frame of mind.
Who Should Read It...

*This is a tough one for me to answer. I'm not really sure who would be the best audience for Archie's story. In my opinion, an older elementary reader and/or middle-school student would be best. Older readers who went through Covid-19 might find the story to be therapeutic. This definitely might be a story I revisit at some point in the future to see if it affects me differently than the first time. Happy Reading! Rating...

3 out of 5 stars