A young girl defies her Kazakh nomad tribe's gender conventions by secretly caring for and training an orphaned baby eagle to save her brother, who is undergoing a medical treatment for a disability that imperils his future as their family's leader. 50,000 first printing. Simultaneous eBook. - (Baker & Taylor)

Twelve-year-old Aisulu defies the expectations of her Kazakh family and tradition to train an eagle in order to save her brother, Serik, and prevent her family from giving up their nomadic life forever. - (Baker & Taylor)

2019 Winner of the Governor General's Literary Award?
An exquisitely written, uplifting middle grade debut by acclaimed author, Erin Bow, about a young girl who defies her family’s expectations in order to save her brother and become an eagle hunter, perfect for fans of PAX.

It goes against all tradition for Aisulu to train an eagle, for among the Kazakh nomads, only men can fly them. But everything changes when Aisulu discovers that her brother, Serik, has been concealing a bad limp that risks not just his future as the family's leader, but his life too.

When her parents leave to seek a cure for Serik in a distant hospital, Aisulu finds herself living with her intimidating uncle and strange auntie—and secretly caring for an orphaned baby eagle. To save her brother and keep her family from having to leave their nomadic life behind forever, Aisulu must earn her eagle’s trust and fight for her right to soar.  Along the way, she discovers that family are people who choose each other, home is a place you build, and hope is a thing with feathers.

Erin Bow’s lyrical middle grade debut is perfect for fans of original animal-friendship stories like Pax and Because of Winn Dixie. - (HARPERCOLL)

Booklist Reviews

Aisulu, 12, is a member of a Kazakh nomad family in Mongolia, raised in tradition but also in a modern world. She may live in a ger (or yurt), but it has solar panels; her uncle Dulat may be head of the family, but he was recalled from a career as a civil engineer when his father, Aisulu's grandfather, died. Everything changes when her beloved older brother, Serik, who longs to be a burkitshi, or eagle hunter, breaks his leg while pursuing an eagle. Aisulu, heartbroken, rescues the eaglet from the nest and, flying in the face of Kazakh tradition, starts training to be a burkitshi herself. When Dulat sees that she is serious and has skill with the eaglet, he helps her train for the Golden Eagle Festival, where she will challenge not only the grown men who have been training their own eagles, but tradition itself. Though the author will likely be criticized for writing from a perspective far outside her own culture, and more detailed back matter would have been very welcome, the narrative of this book is lyrical and lovely and features complex and vivid characters. Grades 5-8. Copyright 2019 Booklist Reviews.

Horn Book Guide Reviews

Aisulu must become a [cf2]burkitshi[cf1] (eagle hunter) and fly an eagle she rescued at the National Eagle Festival to win the prize money that will save her ill brother and her home. Details of nomadic Kazakh life in Western Mongolia are authentically woven throughout. Aisulu's efforts to raise and train eagle Toktar, and the bond that develops between them, recall classic nature dramas. Strong family support offers heart and warmth. Copyright 2019 Horn Book Guide Reviews.

Horn Book Magazine Reviews

Aisulu knows her brother Serik is sick, and when he breaks his leg trying to capture a golden eagle (he wants to become a burkitshi, or eagle hunter), Aisulu is left behind in her uncle's care to worry while their parents take Serik to the provincial capital for treatment. Rescuing the eagle chick orphaned as the result of Serik's hunt helps distract Aisulu; she hopefully names the eagle Toktar, or "he lives." When her father finally returns, their news is mixed—Serik will live, but his osteosarcoma diagnosis and resulting amputation mean he will need a prosthesis and expensive physical therapy in the capital city, Ulaanbaatar. Aisulu's father plans to sell everything to pay for it—horses, yaks, and goats, even the family's dwelling—but if he does, it will mean giving up forever the nomadic life Aisulu loves. One chance remains: if Aisulu can become a burkitshi herself and fly Toktar at the National Eagle Festival well enough to win, the prize money will be enough to help her brother and save her home. Details of day-to-day nomadic Kazakh life in Western Mongolia, with its subsistence-level animal husbandry, its rich cultural heritage of embroidery, its milk economy ("milk was life"), along with modern incorporations of solar panels and university education, are authentically woven throughout the narrative. Aisulu's efforts to raise and train Toktar, and the bond that develops between them, recall classic nature drama in the vein of Jean Craighead George or Gary Paulsen. Aisulu's struggles in a culture with strict gender roles and expectations, and the strong family support that helps her finally succeed, give this book all the heart and warmth any young reader could desire. anita l. burkam March/April 2019 p 77 Copyright 2019 Horn Book Magazine Reviews.

Kirkus Reviews

Aisulu, 12, rescues an orphaned golden eagle nestling; what she does with it will determine her family's future. Her extended family belongs to Western Mongolia's ethnic minority population of nomadic, Muslim Kazakhs who herd horses, yaks, and goats, moving upland in summer and lowland in winter. When Aisulu's brother, Serik, breaks his leg chasing an eagle, their parents take him to a distant clinic. Horrified when their uncle Dulat kills the eagle, Aisulu rescues its surviving eaglet, naming it Toktar. Guided by Dulat and his Tuvan wife, she raises and trains Toktar to hunt. Weeks later, Aisulu's father returns with grim news: Serik has cancer; they must sell their herd to pay for his treatment. Dulat sees another option: entering Aisulu and Toktar in the Eagle Festival competition. An ESPN crew filming it will pay the winner enough to cover Serik's treatment. Readers will root for Aisulu and her community, an ancient culture negotiating the contemporary world. However, Ais ulu's story is insufficiently contextualized. In 2014, Aisholpan, a 13-year-old girl, competed and won at the festival, depicted in a 2016 documentary, The Eagle Huntress, well-reviewed and nominated for an Academy Award but also persuasively criticized for falsely claiming, so as to magnify her achievement, that women are barred from eagle hunting. The existence of women eagle hunters is briefly acknowledged here, but Aisulu's activities provoke damaging, misogynistic bias, expression of which reinforces Western misconceptions and misrepresents reality. A beautifully told, textbook example of cultural appropriation. (glossary) (Fiction. 8-12) Copyright Kirkus 2018 Kirkus/BPI Communications. All rights reserved.

Publishers Weekly Reviews

In Mongolia, 12-year-old Aisulu chafes at the expectations of her Kazakh community, which confines her to "girls' work," despite her skills in math, science, and horseback riding: "In a land where girls are supposed to have hearts made of milk, Aisulu had a heart made of sky." Aisulu, concerned about her older brother, Serik, betrays his confidence about his persistent limp after he breaks his leg, and he is sent for medical treatment. While her sibling and parents are away, Aisulu rescues an orphaned eaglet. She begins to feel as if she could be one of the burkitshi, the eagle hunters, and she and her bird prepare to compete in the Eagle Festival, with a monetary prize that could fund the medical treatment Serik needs. Though her uncle's wife says "there have been women with eagles since ancient days," Aisulu's father thinks her inclusion will defy local convention. The narrative traces Aisulu's growth, including her shifting role within her community, her burgeoning relationship with her eagle, and her maturing sense of self. And while Bow (Sorrow's Knot) creates a vivid sense of place, she is writing from outside the culture, drawing from a home stay with a family of nomadic eagle hunters. Her lyrical work of fiction offers readers and educators an opportunity to explore essential questions about cultural appropriation and the #OwnVoices movement. Ages 10–12. (Mar.)

School Library Journal Reviews

Gr 5–8—In an effort to help save her brother and family, Aisulu must become an Eagle Hunter, which is unheard of for a girl. Set in Mongolia, this is the tale of Aisulu and her family, who are part of a nomadic clan. Their sustenance depends on milking goats and yaks. Through a tragic, youthful act, Aisulu and her brother cause the death of a mother eagle. Feeling responsible, she risks her life to rescue the eaglet. While Bow uses a lot of details to relate the care of a baby eagle, too much focus is given to the hunting of mice and the carrying of water. Though an interesting and unique setting, there is a lack of character development and the eagle and familial relationships are somewhat flat. VERDICT Readers looking for middle grade stories set in Mongolia, of which there are very few, may enjoy seeing Aisulu triumph. A secondary purchase for most collections.—Maureen Sullivan, Calumet City Public Library, IL