The Language of Seabirds

April 1, 2022
Grades 4-7 Jeremy, 12, is spending two weeks on the Oregon coast with his father and uncle after his parents divorce. He is still processing the changes and his awareness that he is gay, which make him want to stay behind a glass window that will keep the world out. Then he meets Evan, who introduces him to running, and his life seems to change for the better. He and Evan create a coded language using the names of species of birds found on the Oregon coast (""cormorant"" means beautiful, for example). Meanwhile, Jeremy's formerly ""fun"" parent has doubled down on being the ""responsible"" parent, but his erratic behavior and his growing reliance on alcohol alienates him from Jeremy. Taylor's involving narrative is gentle and luminous. The developing relationship is convincing and appealing, but more important is Jeremy's emergence from his hiding place within himself. Jeremy is insightful in that he understands he can't make future decisions until he sorts through the enormous changes in his life. Taylor's novel is poignant, moving, and totally cormorant.

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Starred review from May 15, 2022
Jeremy and Evan, 12-year-old boys, find each other during a summer vacation in a tourist town in Oregon. Irish American Jeremy is gearing up to come out to his parents, but he just can't do it. With his parents separating, he now has to spend two weeks in a rental house with his dad while his mom moves out. His dad was always the easygoing parent, but he suddenly has picky new rules and a short temper and is drinking more than usual. Luckily Jeremy finds an escape in his new friendship with Evan, a beautiful boy cued as White who runs on the beach. Together they explore the beach and make up their own secret code using the names of seabirds as they develop feelings for each other. Taylor beautifully evokes the strange, liminal feelings of an early summer vacation that lasts forever and is over too quickly, parents in the process of going from marriage to divorce, and the confusing time between childhood and adolescence, when boys might want to play with toy dinosaurs one moment and hold hands the next. Jeremy and Evan's developing relationship is heartwarming and innocently romantic. The author also captures the difficulty and fear of dealing with a parent whose high-functioning alcoholism is deteriorating. Jeremy's entry into adolescence is warm and triumphant without offering pat solutions or platitudes. A wonderful, tender story about changing relationships. (glossary, note about birds, author's note) (Fiction. 8-13)

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Starred review from June 13, 2022
In an earnestly told novel that traces two liminal weeks in the wake of a parental divorce, gay 12-year-old Jeremy Ryden grapples with learning “environmental adaptability” and speaking his truth. While his can-do mother moves out of their family home, Jeremy spends 14 summer days with his father and uncle at a rental property on Oregon’s Pacific coast. It’s a moment “in between the family before and the family after,” between school years, and between land and sea, and Jeremy hopes to make the most of it, even if he hasn’t been able to come out to his parents. After the tween sees a beautiful boy his age, Evan Sandford, running on the beach, then encounters him in town, the two grow closer, creating a coded language using the names of local birds. While developing feelings for Evan, Jeremy also notices changes in his suddenly testy father’s behavior, including a significant uptick in drinking. Via a leisurely third-person narration that effectively conjures the agony of first texts and the emotional awkwardness of adolescence, Taylor (Maggie & Abby’s Neverending Pillow Fort) writes with vulnerability the conflict of being in-between. Jeremy is of Irish descent; protagonists are white. Ages 8–12. Agent: Brent Taylor, Triada US.

Starred review from September 1, 2022
When he turned twelve, Jeremy Ryden wondered if it was time to tell his parents that "when it came to love and romance, his feelings were aimed at other guys." He kept quiet when he received Uncle Becker's embarrassing birthday card featuring a female lifeguard on a tropical beach, which elicited a whistle, laugh, and a slap on the back from his father. Now, six months later, on a two-week beach vacation, in a house perched "on the edge of the world," Jeremy feels the "shimmering feeling of possibility." And sure enough, he meets Evan. Their relationship begins in text messages, where every punctuation mark and nuance seem to matter, and leads to running on the beach, talking about birds (and even creating a coded language of seabirds), and holding hands -- the beginning of a tentative and gentle romantic relationship. Taylor's straightforward narrative uses messaging and dialogue to great effect, and the limited-omniscient point of view allows readers to know what Jeremy is thinking all along the way. A warm-hearted story that affirms and celebrates a tender relationship between two boys. Back matter includes a glossary, a note about the birds, and an author's note. Dean Schneider

(Copyright 2022 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

September 1, 2022
When he turned twelve, Jeremy Ryden wondered if it was time to tell his parents that "when it came to love and romance, his feelings were aimed at other guys." He kept quiet when he received Uncle Becker's embarrassing birthday card featuring a female lifeguard on a tropical beach, which elicited a whistle, laugh, and a slap on the back from his father. Now, six months later, on a two-week beach vacation, in a house perched "on the edge of the world," Jeremy feels the "shimmering feeling of possibility." And sure enough, he meets Evan. Their relationship begins in text messages, where every punctuation mark and nuance seem to matter, and leads to running on the beach, talking about birds (and even creating a coded language of seabirds), and holding hands -- the beginning of a tentative and gentle romantic relationship. Taylor's straightforward narrative uses messaging and dialogue to great effect, and the limited-omniscient point of view allows readers to know what Jeremy is thinking all along the way. A warm-hearted story that affirms and celebrates a tender relationship between two boys. Back matter includes a glossary, a note about the birds, and an author's note. Dean Schneider

(Copyright 2022 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

January 27, 2023

Gr 6 Up-Jeremy is being forced to spend two weeks on the Oregon coast with his dad and his uncle as his mom moves out of the house due to his parents' divorce. Jeremy has recently discovered his interest in boys and hopes to keep it a secret while trying to figure out where he belongs in his new family dynamic. When he arrives at the coast and sees Evan running on the beach, his summer and his life are changed forever. As the two boys grow closer, they use the language of birds, words they associate with different types of birds, to communicate and express their feelings. Readers will empathize with Jeremy as he hides his true self and deals with his dad's erratic behavior and the divorce. Jeremy's father uses drinking as a coping mechanism, which causes Jeremy to take on the parental role at times and out himself before he is ready. Character development is excellent, and the boys' romance is tender and will resonate with young readers. The narrative shows how though a relationship may not be permanent, the personal growth and journey are important regardless of whether there is a happily ever after. VERDICT An atmospheric LGBTQIA+ romance perfect for all middle grade and young adult collections.-Ashley Leffel

Copyright 2023 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2022
When he turned twelve, Jeremy Ryden wondered if it was time to tell his parents that "when it came to love and romance, his feelings were aimed at other guys." He kept quiet when he received Uncle Becker's embarrassing birthday card featuring a female lifeguard on a tropical beach, which elicited a whistle, laugh, and a slap on the back from his father. Now, six months later, on a two-week beach vacation, in a house perched "on the edge of the world," Jeremy feels the "shimmering feeling of possibility." And sure enough, he meets Evan. Their relationship begins in text messages, where every punctuation mark and nuance seem to matter, and leads to running on the beach, talking about birds (and even creating a coded language of seabirds), and holding hands -- the beginning of a tentative and gentle romantic relationship. Taylor's straightforward narrative uses messaging and dialogue to great effect, and the limited-omniscient point of view allows readers to know what Jeremy is thinking all along the way. A warm-hearted story that affirms and celebrates a tender relationship between two boys. Back matter includes a glossary, a note about the birds, and an author's note.

(Copyright 2022 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)