A unique and lyrical verse novel for middle-grade readers that speaks to our childhood joy of collecting small, intriguing objects and creating connections in the most unlikely places.

Since the death of her brother, eleven-year-old Bones spends her time drawing animal skeletons and scavenging for dead things to add to her collection. She’s drifted away from her friends and doesn’t want to make new ones, especially not with her chatty new neighbour, Tenny.

One night, under a full moon, Bones accidentally resurrects the skeleton of a baby bird. Bird wants to return to his natural (dead) state, so Bones agrees to reverse the curse – not that she knows how. As she and Bird work out the secrets of the magic, Bones remembers what it’s like to have a friend. How can she let Bird go when she doesn’t want to say goodbye?

With gorgeous greyscale illustrations of Bones’s collected items scattered throughout, this book is perfect for big-hearted readers of Karen Foxlee and Zana Fraillon.

Sandy Bigna is a passionate supporter of local children’s literature. She started up the Aussie Kids Books blog and Instagram, which reviews Australian children’s and YA books. She has studied children’s literature at the University of Canberra and worked as a children’s librarian in a public library. She has been awarded two Varuna Residential Fellowships and her YA manuscript Exposed was shortlisted for the HarperCollins Australia Matilda Children’s Literature Prize in 2020.