FEATHERED FIENDS

A family’s summer vacation turns from boring to terrifying in an instant when nature attacks.

Fifteen-year-old Daphne and her family are driving along a backwoods road to reach their campsite when out of nowhere, a bird crashes into the windshield. When Daphne’s veterinarian father stops to examine it, another bird launches itself at his head, wounding him. Anxious to resume their trip, the unnerved family comes to a grim realization—their car is stuck in the mud. What’s worse, a thunderstorm looms menacingly on the horizon. More and more birds arrive, injuries mount, and all efforts to escape prove futile as the winged attack relentlessly continues. Aware of the risks (and against her family’s protests), Daphne courageously darts away from the car toward a nearby town for rescue as thunderclaps ring out, but will she succeed? What fate awaits her stranded family if she fails? Who else will be ensnarled in the aggressive aerial assault? A tribute to Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds, Boisvert’s short, action-packed novel translated from French will grip readers as each frighteningly surreal scene unfolds. Black-and-white stock illustrations interspersed throughout become increasingly sinister, ramping up the suspense. Attentive readers will recognize the double meanings behind some pictures as foreshadowing. Physical descriptions are minimal.

Young horror enthusiasts will be delighted at this nod to the master of suspense.