(2) 4-6 Aisulu must become a burkitshi (eagle hunter) and fly an eagle she rescued at the National Eagle Festival to win the prize money that will save her ill brother and her home. Details of nomadic Kazakh life in Western Mongolia are authentically woven throughout. Aisulu's efforts to raise and train eagle Toktar, and the bond that develops between them, recall classic nature dramas. Strong family support offers heart and warmth.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2019

(3) YA Skybound Saga series. In a quasi-medieval fantasy world of battle falconry, boy-girl twins Brysen and Kylee go on a quest to capture a ghost eagle, which forces them to confront their traumatic childhoods and diverging futures. London's series-starting fantasy is written in lush prose and boasts unflinching characterizations. The matter-of-fact incorporation of Brysen's gay romance contributes to the emotional heft of the novel.

Reviewer: Ariel Baker-Gibbs

(3) 4-6 Thirteen-year-old Karma's love of falconry leads to heartbreak when Stark, her foster gyrfalcon, must return to her original owner. But during the trip across Montana, a blown tire means that Karma--with Stark and a runaway boy named Cooper--must traverse the wilderness for help. The girl's deep connection with her raptor, one rarely represented in literature, distinguishes this survival page-turner.

Reviewer: Jessica Bushore

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline. A lyrical tale of a medieval child's day hunting with her falconer father and their hawk is illuminated by lavishly detailed acrylic-gouache illustrations. The simple text (with a rhyming "This is the..." construction) is supplemented with extensive sidebars explaining the sport of falconry and raptor behavior and an appended historical note. An underrepresented subject executed with skill and care. Reading list, websites. Ind.

Reviewer: Jessica Bushore

(3) YA Fourteen-year-old Mercer dreams of training raptors like his falconer father, but he's never really given much thought to other animals--including the dogs his mother performs medical research on. When Mercer meets Lucy, a beautiful girl whose parents are devoted animal-rights activists, he begins to examine his own complicated beliefs. The ancient tradition of falconry gives this authentic coming-of-age story a unique angle.

Reviewer: Lisa Catherine Findlay