Blue Birds Love: Words from a Young Reader

Dear Ms. Rose,

I am a fifth-grader from Maryland. I enjoyed reading Blue Birds. When I first started reading I was a bit uninterested because it took so long for Kimi and Alis to meet. When they met, a whole new world was opened to my eyes. They didn’t look at each other like strangers; they looked at each other like best friends would, despite appearances. At first, they longed for their best friends that were like them, Joan and Alawa. They soon realized that best friends aren’t people who are like you, best friends are people who look up for you and protect you, yet show all their love.

I love reading historical fiction, it’s so fascinating. Thank you for making Blue Birds, sometimes, there is hardly any historical fiction in the library. I randomly grabbed your book off the shelf because it looked interesting. When I found out it was about Roanoke, I had to check it out. Did you like history growing up?

I also love writing. Writing stories is my favorite pastime. I get to be creative and use my imagination to inspire others. Please write more stories, preferably, about Valley Forge and the revolution. I’d also like some writing tips, or poetry tips.

I don’t really like poetry that much. I like writing things out and being descriptive. You mastered poetry.* You wrote poetically, yet made it intriguing. Once I started reading, I couldn’t stop.

Sincerely,
A Reader (age 10)

* the reader’s emphasis, not mine!