Birdie: Selected for Bookbuzz Secondary 2026

About this book

It’s 1950. Birdie has lived in a children’s home all her life, so she’s excited about becoming part of the family who have tracked her down. 

But when she arrives in the Yorkshire mining village of Barrington Dale, she’s obviously not what her Great Aunt Mabel was expecting, although she’s not sure why. And it’s not just her aunt who has trouble accepting her. The local children ask Birdie if her colour washes off. Her next-door neighbour won’t let his daughter play with her. And even her teacher gives her a jigsaw instead of a maths book, assuming she’s stupid. 

So Birdie finds acceptance elsewhere, with the min's last remaining pit pony... a friendship that will have life-changing consequences for the whole community. 

At its heart, this is a compelling adventure story incorporating social history and real-life drama. The racism and bullying suffered by mixed-race Birdie is front and centre, perpetrated verbally and physically by both adults and children and reflecting some of the author’s lived experiences.   

But not everyone is hostile to Birdie; she also encounters friendship and ultimately people learn to accept her for who she is rather than what she looks like. Which is a vital life lesson for everyone.