“Once you choose hope, anything is possible.” These are the exact words of a person who never gives up, Christopher Revee. Homeless Bird is a fiction book written by Gloria Whelan. This book won the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature and was nominated in the Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children’s Book Award. The story is about a girl, Koly, who has to fight for herself to pass through her life. I really enjoyed this book.
   Koly is a young teenager who has a tough life. She is forced to marry Hari at thirteen years old because her family does not have enough money to feed her. However, Hari's family is not as welcoming as Koly expected. Koly finds out later that Hari’s family doesn’t really want her to be their daughter-in-law, and only wants her dowry to cure Hari at the Varanasi river. What is life like for Koly? You’ll have to read the story to find out!
   First, I really like this book because the protagonist never gives up. She is a courageous person. Koly manages to have those qualities even though her life is tough. She has to do lots of things to survive for each day. For example, she has to do housework including washing clothes, mopping floors, and cooking food. Koly also has to be patient with her mother-in-law because she keeps scolding at her every day. But even though she feels bitter with her life, she never escapes and go back to her family’s house because she doesn’t want to make them worry about her. This shows the reader that in our real life, everything is not going to be smooth all the time. I can’t imagine how my life is going to be if I had a tough life like Koly. After comparing Koly’s life with my life, it makes me think about how my problem can be compared to an ant and Koly’s problem to an elephant. The story teaches me to be strong. When I’m sad or if something bad happens, I usually think that I have the worst luck in the world. But after I read this book, I realize that there will be someone else who suffers more than I do. So, from now on, I will never give up with any problems that I face.
   Second, I also like the plot of the story. It flows smoothly from the beginning and when it reaches the climax, the readers will not be able to put the book down. A good plot is all about organizing ideas in a way that is appealing to the reader. This story contains every element a good plot must have: an exposition, a rising action, a climax, a falling action, and a resolution. The plot makes me excited and curious, pushing me to read every single chapter. The story is not too slow or too fast, so I could understand every single thing that happened in the story. One month ago, I read the book about a boy who is finding his mom who disappeared in the forest. The story went very slowly and I had to read many chapters until the story reached its climax. Moreover, when the story reached its climax, it makes the story even more boring. If you are trying to find a book that has lots of interesting points, I would suggest you to pick “Homeless Bird.”
  Thirdly, the author’s style of writing also catches my attention by using lots of figurative languages. For example, on page 37, Koly says, "It would have been a terrible disgrace to return like a hungry dog to my parents home.” This is an example of a simile. It is effective because it further shows that Koly was helpless and worthless. A wet dog would relate to Koly because a wet dog is not very wanted, for it would be ugly and gross. Koly should have left her groom’s family and come back to her own family crawling for help, but it would be against their customs. The next example is on page 3 when Ram says, "When a girl learns to read, her hair falls out her eyes cross, and no man will like her." This is a hyperbole that helps me see the culture and beliefs of Koly's family, Indian beliefs, and how girls are not treated the same as men. Another example is on page 24, when the author writes, "there was an endless array of butterflies and bugs." This is a metaphor because it exaggerates that there cannot be an endless amount and that it would have to end somewhere. In addition, the author also ends the story with foreshadowing or flashbacks to make the story much more attractive. The Indian vocabulary that used in the story also makes the reader understand more of the Indian culture. As you can see, the author uses many techniques to make the story more interesting. In “Homeless Bird”, I can’t really predict what will happen in the next chapter, making me more curious. Some authors make the story so obvious and tells the reader the end of the story right away. I’m sure that every reader doesn’t want that to happen.
  Lastly, I really like this book because of its message about life. Koly is forced to do lots of things that she doesn’t want to do. She is forced to marry, to do housework, to give away her silver earring, and to work with dishonest people. When she is sad or depressed, she always finds something to make herself feel better. After she overcomes the bad things and look back, she knows right away that those moments were the best experiences in her life. Even though it is tough, she learnt lots of things from it. Nothing is easy in our life, and life isn’t always spread with the rose. Sometimes, we can’t always get what we want, but when you actually don’t, you have to adjust and be happy with it. This story not only teaches me about life, but also teaches me about something else. Do you want to know what it is? Read “Homeless Bird!”
   If you want to join this adventure of life, buy it!