A Rare Bird

By Nadja Sumanen

A joyful and moving novel about family bounds and the power of friendship.

Hilla’s parents are divorced, and she lives between three different homes: her father’s, mother’s, and grandmother’s homes. Soon she’ll be twelve years old and has to choose with whom she wants to live.

Hilla gets to know Bubo, a new pupil in her class and quite an atypical guy: he pretends that his father is a snowy owl. He suggests that they spy on Hilla’s parents and grandmother to help her make her choice. But the spying isn’t just a game, and they encounter many surprises. Hilla’s grandmother isn’t all that well and gets tired and confused more easily. What if she can’t take care of Hilla anymore?
While it seems that her mother isn’t doing anything special, it also turns out that Hilla’s mother has a boyfriend! And Hilla’s father, who can’t cook anything and sits in front of the computer all day, starts cooking in secret. But even Bubo has his own issues with a mother driving him into loneliness.

Hilla and Bubo’s friendship will be put to the test several times, but they will learn from it and grow – and they will learn to make themselves heard to their parents.

Publishing information

About the author

Nadja Sumanen (b. 1975) is an occupational therapist, a psychotherapist and a mother of two who likes to wonder about life with children, young people, and families.Nadja Sumanen’s writing career took off to a flying start in 2015. Her manuscript won the Otava Publishing Company’s YA novel competition and was followed by the publication of her debut novel Rambo which was awarded the 2015 Finlandia Junior Prize. The book was also adapted into a play for the Finnish National Theatre.Sumanen loves spending time with her family at their cabin and values sincerity, food prepared with love, and cycling on forest roads.