This book was wonderful. At first, I was off put by the time period that the story takes places. I am not usually a fan of historical fantasy, but this book was really well done. All of the characters speak in the way of the time period and there are no anachronisms, making the setting wonderfully accurate. I loved piecing the storyline together along with Clara. My only small qualms with the story would be that some of the characters seemed one note and that the cursive of the letters within the story may be difficult for kids to read. Overall, this story reminded me of the work of Neil Gaiman and I thought that it was beautifully written. ( )

A creepy tale for kids that promises much but delivers little. ( )

This story had an interesting premise, but it just wasn't my thing. I just couldn't get down with the whole birds aspect and I felt like the characters were really caricatures of people. ( )

A middle grade tale of family, history, and magic, The Aviary by Kathleen O'Dell has been on my TBR for a while. I'm glad I finally picked it up because it was strange and unique and I enjoyed almost everything about the story.

Clara and her mother live with old Mrs. Glendoveer in a deteriorating house with locked doors and an aviary of somewhat frightening birds in the yard. The birds belonged to Mrs. Glendoveer's husband, a famous magician. One day, she starts telling Clara her secrets but it will be up to Clara to find out the rest of them -- and what they mean for her life.

That description is a bit vague on purpose because not knowing what was coming made this read better. I was nervous more than once about what would happen. My only small complaint about the book is that it is supposed to be a period story but there were very few clues to that in the story or the writing. I didn't even realize that it was supposed to be set in the past until a little way in when a date was mentioned. Still, though this was a bit annoying, it didn't affect my enjoyment of the story. This is a super creepy read that was perfect for the season.

http://webereading.com/2015/09/rip-x-5-aviary.html ( )

The Aviary is a middle-grade supernatural mystery novel set in the late 19th century. The protagonist is 12-year-old Clara who lives in an old mansion with her mother and Ruby (servants), Mrs. Glendoveer (the owner, widow of a great magician), and an aviary of birds in the backyard. This has been Clara's entire world since she has been unable to leave the house. I do not want to state anymore since this is a mystery that unfolds beautifully. The ending is cheesy, but I still very much enjoyed reading this. ( )