home

Birdie

J.P. Rose

Andersen Press (9+) 9781839132414 (Paperback)

Download activities and reading resources pack

Please consult our group leader information for guidance on taking part in shadowing.

Set in Yorkshire during the 1950s, Birdie Bagshaw has spent much of her short life being looked after in a care home. Everything changes when she is summoned to live with her great-aunt in a rural, mining community.  Birdie is treated with suspicion by many of the locals, but develops a deep bond of friendship with pit pony, Mr Duke.  A thoughtful novel which offers profound comments on change and identity and reads as a beautiful love letter to living up North.

Themes: 

  • Identity 
  • Children’s home 
  • Looked after children  
  • Belonging 
  • History (1950s) 
  • Adapting to change 
  • Racism – a mixed-race post-war experience 
  • Animals 
  • Respect 
  • Empathy

Submit Review

Please complete the form below and click 'submit' to send your review to your Shadowing Group Leader.

Your review will be submitted to your Group Leader for approval before it is published on the Carnegie website. It will be published with your first name and the name of your shadowing group on a public webpage.

Submit Artwork

Please complete the form below and click 'submit' to send your artwork to your Shadowing Group Leader.

[Please note files must be uploaded as jpg, png or gif and must be less than 5Mb]

Your artwork will be submitted to your Group Leader for approval before it is published on the Carnegie website. It will be published with your first name and the name of your shadowing group on a public webpage.

J.P. Rose

J.P. Rose was born in Manchester but was raised in Yorkshire after her adoption. Growing up she suffered extreme racism, though she continued to be proud of her diverse and rich Jamaican, Nigerian and Anglo-Irish heritage. She trained as an actress but eventually moved into writing, and she is now the author of numerous novels for adults. She owns several horses, dogs and cats and lives in London with her family.

Shadowers' reviews and artwork