The Gleendover mansion holds a great deal of mystery for young Clara Dooley - locked rooms, ghostly presences, creaky stairs, and shuttered windows. As mysterious as mysterious as the decrepit house is, the world beyond is even more unknown, because of a vague heart disease her mother tells her she has, Clara has never ventured beyond the grounds of the Gleendover place. Clara's mother Harriet and Ruby help run the household for sweet, gentle Mrs. Gleendover, the widow of a world famous magician. Along with the four humans who occupy the house, five screeching, creepy birds live in an aviary in the backyard. Upon the late Mr. Gleendover's request the birds are kept like kings. Clara is extremely frightened by the birds and their clatter and chatter. Clara leads a quiet, peaceful (although unsatisfied) life until two major events occur - Mrs. Gleendover's passing and her introduction to the spunky Daphne. Upon Mrs. Gleendover's death Clara begins finding clues that may turn her world upside down while revealing the truth about Mrs. Gleendover's past, the mysterious birds and Clara's unknown family members. Clara and Daphne will dig up dirt until they find the answers they are looking for - little do they know that their journey will require the help of five feathered friends in the backyard.
I had originally planned to blog about Mrs. Peregrine's House of Peculiar Children for my fantasy blog, however after reading that text I decided to take Amazon's advice and buy another book other reader's had read and bought The Aviary. I was immediately taken by this book and read it in one day and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to share it with others. Throughout this text I was trying to determine what sort of conflict the author was setting up, it seems at times as though it is character against character because Clara constantly battles her mother's overprotective ways. However, upon completion and reflection I decided that it is character against self because Clara works through the entire story to better herself and to overcome fears (such as making friends, leaving her home and disappointing her mother) and eventually does.
Some BIG questions to ponder:
- What do the birds represent? What predictions can you make about the purpose the birds in the story.
- Who are you more like, Clara or Daphne? How so?
- What is the theme of this story?
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