Bird by Rita Murphy is the story of Miranda, a wisp of a girl who is easily carried away by the wind. When she's caught up and blown far away, she is left with little recollection of where she came from or who she is, so when Wysteria Barrows finds her in the branches of an elm tree and takes her home, Miranda willingly comes along. She soon learns that Wysteria is hardly a caring guardian but does provide Miranda with food, shelter, and a sense of routine. Wysteria is the widowed wife of a sea captain, a harsh woman who brings Miranda to live with her in the cliff-side Bourne Manor. Wysteria is less than talkative and the Manor seems to keep just as many secrets as its mistress.

I don't want to give away any spoilers, so I'm going to leave the summary at that. This book completely sucked me in and didn't let go until I was done with the story. It's got that timeless quality that makes the spookiness and mystery resonate deeply with the reader. I definitely recommend this one.

Originally published at LibrariAnne.