My Life as a Crow

Pat Galloway is the resource librarian for the Toronto & District Parent
Co-operative Preschool Corporation.

Have you ever wanted to fly, go without a bath for days on end, or be
rude to people without consequences? For a child, it takes magic to
accomplish this and magic is in good supply in this wonderful novel of
adolescent adventure. Chance provides the hero with an opportunity to
escape an imperfect world of neighborhood bullies, overly busy parents,
and uncaring babysitters. In a scary midnight meeting with a coven of
witches, the hero’s wish to become a carefree crow becomes reality.
His enjoyment of his intoxicating freedom eventually gives way to a
yearning for his old life; a return to human form, however, presents
unforeseen complications.

This novel captures with uncanny accuracy the seemingly infinite
frustrations of adolescence. The vocabulary and structure of Gravel’s
descriptive prose, aided by Sheila Fischman’s excellent translation
from the French, is appropriate for 8- to 12-year-olds. Gravel has taken
the weird and wild idea of life as a crow and composed a smooth
narrative with many exciting twists and turns. Children will easily
identify with the hero’s feelings as he works through a series of
tricky choices. Jules Prud’hommes’s striking and angular
illustrations add urgency and excitement to the plot. My Life as a Crow
is a masterful piece of writing that expresses with insight childhood
fears and desires. Highly recommended.