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| Illustrator | James Spanfeller |
| First Written | 1939 |
| Genre | Fiction |
| Origin | UK |
| Publisher | Harcourt, Brace |
| My Copy | library copy |
| First Read | January 26, 2026 |
The Summer Birds
What a lovely book; it has its own internal child logic like a Greek myth or a Ronald Dahl, but without any of the nastiness. And a melancholy end. Maybe ‘poignant’ is the word? Two girls meet a mysterious boy that teaches them to fly... and then their entire village school.
Noted on January 26, 2026
Really great, slightly off-putting illustrations by Spanfeller here. The reveal of Grandfather Elijah's one lock of hair made me gasp. Love these.
Noted on January 26, 2026
[raiding the pantry for a midnight adventure] Finally they seized an enormous box of chocolate biscuits. "They must be Miss Gozzling's," said Emma, giggling. "She never gives any to us. We'd better call her Miss Guzzling!" and these they removed without conscience or care, though before they had tried not to make their taking too obvious. But Charlotte had a faint twinge of shame about Miss Gozzling, thinking how kind she could be and how terrible to have so many chins.
Quoted on January 26, 2026