Free as a Bird

By: Missy Tarantino

Narrated by: Julie McCarthy

Abandoned but not helpless, Destiny is a fighter.

With her oversized hoodie and unwashed body, Destiny puts up walls to keep people out. Her teacher becomes alarmed when she discovers Destiny begging for food at a restaurant. Social Services steps in and takes Destiny to live with grandparents she didn’t know she had. But Destiny discovers that blood isn’t always thicker than water.

Destiny moves to a caring foster home where she begins to feel accepted. Her world is ripped apart again when she is suddenly removed from the home and people who love her.

Is Destiny going to become some nameless statistic in the foster care system, or will she find a forever family?

Free as a Bird is a story about redemption, love, and the healing power of animals.

Buy Free as a Bird today and stay up way too late finishing it tonight.

©2020 Melissa Tarantino (P)2021 Melissa Tarantino

A must listen/ read book

I loved every minute of this story. I’ll be recommending it to my book club when my turn come around. I’ll be looking for a new read by Missy Tarantino in the near future.

4/5 stars Worthwhile Read

Genre: Foster Care, Family Drama

Summary:

Destiny’s had a rough life so far. Her mother is a hot mess and pretty much neglects the kid. Eventually, she enters the foster care system. The road to a forever home is fraught with mistrust, bratty behavior, and both conditional and unconditional love.

Additional Comments:

- Parts of the book were extremely annoying to listen to. Content-wise, I don’t think most of the beginning was made to be comfortable, so that’s as designed. Some of the kid-voices were downright painful (part because the kid/character was screeching and/ or throwing a tantrum), but otherwise, it was handled fine. You could tell if a male or female was speaking.

- The bird rehabilitation angle was cool.

- The social worker’s a saint.

- The final family is super patient. I liked the fact that at least one family didn’t work out for the kid, not for anybody’s fault. That’s life, so it’s important to show that sometimes it’s nobody’s fault.

- I think it’s probably (sadly) accurate for some older foster kids who bounce from home to home because they’re behavior is awful, or they’re just too old for most couples looking to adopt want to tackle. In that sense, it’s a powerful book.

- The end works out swell. You kind of know that will happen if you read the description.

Conclusion:

If you can handle a rough beginning, it’s ultimately a touching and powerful book.

*I received a free copy of the audiobook. This is my honest opinion. I have freely chosen to review it.