Feathered Fiends - (Orca Shivers) by Jocelyn Boisvert (Paperback)

About the Book

In this short horror novel for middle-grade readers, fifteen-year-old Daphne and her family are besieged by killer birds while on a family vacation.

Book Synopsis

THWACK!

Sitting in the backseat of the car, Daphne is dying of boredom just thinking about the two weeks she's about to spend camping with her family. Suddenly--THWACK! A bird crashes into the windshield. When Daphne's dad gets out of the car to see if the bird is all right, another one dive-bombs right into his head--and draws blood. Daphne watches in horror as more birds attack, and it isn't long before a carefree summer day turns into her family's worst nightmare.

The epub edition of this title is fully accessible.

From the Back Cover

Don't get out of the car. A two-week family camping trip is not Daphne's idea of fun. She already feels like she's dying of boredom on the drive there when THWACK! A bird crashes into the windshield. Her dad gets out to investigate, and another one slams into his head, drawing blood. THWACK! THWACK! THWACK! It's not just one bird...it's a murder. Will this carefree summer day turn into her family's worst nightmare?

Review Quotes

"Offers a variety of stories that would appeal to a range of horror readers...Would make excellent-read aloud in group settings. A nice supplement to libraries with an active 'Goosebumps' collection."

-- "School Library Journal (SLJ)"

"A suspense novel suitably scary for the intended audience. Highly recommended."

-- "CM: Canadian Review of Materials"

"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 throughout become increasingly sinister, ramping up the suspense. Attentive readers will recognize the double meanings behind some pictures as foreshadowing. Young horror enthusiasts will be delighted at this nod to the master of suspense."

-- "Kirkus Reviews"

"Boisvert uses short chapters and shifting points of view to build tension, while the narrative's fast pace and escalating mayhem drive the story forward. An entertaining creature feature in the Orca Shivers line of books."

-- "Booklist"

About the Author

Jocelyn Boisvert has been writing books for young people for about twenty years and is the author of over 80 books. He started out writing quirky, funny and fantasy stories, and one of his books, Les moustiques, was a finalist for a Governor General's Award in 2017. Feathered Fiends is a tribute to his favorite director, Alfred Hitchcock, and his famous movie, The Birds.

David Warriner grew up in the UK and escaped to Quebec right after graduating from Oxford. A professional translator for nearly two decades, David nurtures a healthy passion for Quebec fiction and has translated a range of fiction, nonfiction, and children's fiction titles by Quebec authors for British and Canadian publishers. He lives in Penticton, British Columbia.