This was a pretty interesting read. Finch has just suffered the death of her father and her mother has pretty much tuned out. Finch is enduring teasing from her brother's friend and struggles at school. She wants to make friends but the girl next door, a girl from India, is not allowed to play with her. She just wished her feathers would appear and she could just fly away.
Overall, I liked the story. Yes, death of a parent and high level of grief from mom is a trope. The addition of the family from India added some unexpected drama, especially at the end. It is hard to think of a book set in 1980 being historical fiction (I was in 5th grade) but there were some good cultural additions. That is why 2 things at the end really jarred me. On the way to the airport it specifically mentions Finch putting on her seatbelt. All along we har about how old her mother's car is. So, one, I question whether the car would have even had seatbelts. When I went to college in 1987 there were still cars in use without seatbelts in the back. In addition, the first mandatory seatbelt law wasn't passed until 1984 in NY. Then there is the metal detector at the airport. I can't find as much information about that - I know after some terrorist activity and hijacking in the 70s metal detectors started to be used but I myself don't remember going through a metal detector even when I flew in 1991. I know the line at the metal detector added drama but....
Overall, I liked the book and I am sure students would never question the seatbelt or metal detector but they did make me say hmmm.
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