Overview

Powner (When the Road Comes Around) draws on her own experience as a foster mom to give this gift of a book to readers. --Library Journal, starred review Sometimes the people in our lives who come and go make all the difference Eighteen-year-old Bri Marshall is determined to do whatever it takes to get her newborn son back after he's taken by CPS. But the chances of reunification with Providence are slim. Her drug-addicted boyfriend is the only reason she has a roof over her head. With no job, no car, and no family support, she's at rock bottom, hanging on to hope by a thread. Laura Gambler, on the brink of turning forty, is managing new challenges with her own children when she's asked to take in Providence. She never could have imagined the chain of events her agreement to foster the baby would set in motion--or the carefully buried pain from her past it would drag back to the surface. Both women wrestle with doubts about the future and their ability to parent Providence, even as their love for him grows stronger every day. As their lives become irrevocably intertwined, they face an impossible question: Who is the best mother for Providence? ""An endearing and touching read that will stay with you long after the last word."" --Rachel Hauck, New York Times best-selling author

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9780825453311

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Reviews

From the very beginning, I felt this was more than just a story--it was an invitation to pause and reflect. Katie Powner writes with a rare gentleness and depth, weaving themes of redemption, empathy, and trust in the Lord. I left encouraged, challenged, and grateful.--Sara Brunsvold, Christy Award-winning author (10/27/2025 12:00:00 AM) Birds on a Wire offers an insightful perspective on foster care through the experiences of two women brought together by a precious newborn. Powner skillfully explores the challenges and emotions faced by both foster and biological mothers seeking the best for their children. This narrative feels authentic and relatable, making it a noteworthy addition to your reading list.--T.I. Lowe, internationally best-selling author and Christy Award winner (10/27/2025 12:00:00 AM) Birds on a Wire portrays the complexity of foster care with remarkable authenticity, grace, compassion, and understanding. The emotional depth of the story captured the heartache, hope, and impossible choices that shape families, and moved me to tears. An eye-opening tale that will touch hearts.--Amanda Cox, best-selling author of The Bitter End Birding Society (10/27/2025 12:00:00 AM) It's been a long time since a book touched me so deeply. Birds on a Wire will break your heart and then put it right back together in the most beautiful way. A tender yet realistic look at what it means to love someone else's child. Don't even bother with a bookmark, because you won't be able to put this book down.--Deborah Raney, author of Who Stirs Up the Sea and the Chandler Sisters series (10/27/2025 12:00:00 AM) Katie Powner has penned a gem in mining the lives of two conflicted women--an angry teenage mother in a downward spiral, unable to care for her newborn son, and a driven mother, new to the foster care system, who's determined to mend the lives of vulnerable children while juggling the growing needs of her own family. Insightful, compelling, and convicting, Birds on a Wire portrays the building of essential bridges across deeply troubled waters and the costs to all involved. I could not put this authentic and memorable book down.--Cathy Gohlke, Christy Award Hall of Fame author of This Promised Land (10/27/2025 12:00:00 AM) Powner's latest novel journeys us through the world of foster care. With deft prose, she extols the pain and joys of loving deeply for the sake of others. An endearing and touching read that will keep you long after the last word.--Rachel Hauck, New York Times best-selling author (10/27/2025 12:00:00 AM) This book speaks truth to the heart. Birds on a Wire captures the real push and pull that comes with the commitment to love. It tears you open and then rebuilds you better than you were before. Katie Powner offers an empathetic glimpse into the lives of two mothers desperate to provide for their children. Great fiction stretches our perspective--this novel does exactly that.--Christina Suzann Nelson, Christy-Award winning author of What Happens Next? (10/27/2025 12:00:00 AM)

Powner alternates perspectives between her protagonists, eliciting readers' empathy for both women, and vividly contrasting Bri's desperation and hope with Laura's guilt, love, and longing. This emotionally resonant tale resists easy answers.--Publishers Weekly (2/10/2026 12:00:00 AM) From the very beginning, I felt this was more than just a story--it was an invitation to pause and reflect. Katie Powner writes with a rare gentleness and depth, weaving themes of redemption, empathy, and trust in the Lord. I left encouraged, challenged, and grateful.--Sara Brunsvold, Christy Award-winning author (10/27/2025 12:00:00 AM) Birds on a Wire offers an insightful perspective on foster care through the experiences of two women brought together by a precious newborn. Powner skillfully explores the challenges and emotions faced by both foster and biological mothers seeking the best for their children. This narrative feels authentic and relatable, making it a noteworthy addition to your reading list.--T.I. Lowe, internationally best-selling author and Christy Award winner (10/27/2025 12:00:00 AM) Birds on a Wire portrays the complexity of foster care with remarkable authenticity, grace, compassion, and understanding. The emotional depth of the story captured the heartache, hope, and impossible choices that shape families, and moved me to tears. An eye-opening tale that will touch hearts.--Amanda Cox, best-selling author of The Bitter End Birding Society (10/27/2025 12:00:00 AM) It's been a long time since a book touched me so deeply. Birds on a Wire will break your heart and then put it right back together in the most beautiful way. A tender yet realistic look at what it means to love someone else's child. Don't even bother with a bookmark, because you won't be able to put this book down.--Deborah Raney, author of Who Stirs Up the Sea and the Chandler Sisters series (10/27/2025 12:00:00 AM) Katie Powner has penned a gem in mining the lives of two conflicted women--an angry teenage mother in a downward spiral, unable to care for her newborn son, and a driven mother, new to the foster care system, who's determined to mend the lives of vulnerable children while juggling the growing needs of her own family. Insightful, compelling, and convicting, Birds on a Wire portrays the building of essential bridges across deeply troubled waters and the costs to all involved. I could not put this authentic and memorable book down.--Cathy Gohlke, Christy Award Hall of Fame author of This Promised Land (10/27/2025 12:00:00 AM) Powner's latest novel journeys us through the world of foster care. With deft prose, she extols the pain and joys of loving deeply for the sake of others. An endearing and touching read that will keep you long after the last word.--Rachel Hauck, New York Times best-selling author (10/27/2025 12:00:00 AM) This book speaks truth to the heart. Birds on a Wire captures the real push and pull that comes with the commitment to love. It tears you open and then rebuilds you better than you were before. Katie Powner offers an empathetic glimpse into the lives of two mothers desperate to provide for their children. Great fiction stretches our perspective--this novel does exactly that.--Christina Suzann Nelson, Christy-Award winning author of What Happens Next? (10/27/2025 12:00:00 AM)

Powner alternates perspectives between her protagonists, eliciting readers' empathy for both women, and vividly contrasting Bri's desperation and hope with Laura's guilt, love, and longing. This emotionally resonant tale resists easy answers.--Publishers Weekly (2/10/2026 12:00:00 AM) From the very beginning, I felt this was more than just a story--it was an invitation to pause and reflect. Katie Powner writes with a rare gentleness and depth, weaving themes of redemption, empathy, and trust in the Lord. I left encouraged, challenged, and grateful.--Sara Brunsvold, Christy Award-winning author (10/27/2025 12:00:00 AM) ""Laura Gambler has a great life but is still dreading her upcoming 40th birthday. Feeling called to foster care, her family opens their home to baby Providence, but the struggle of life with a newborn while navigating the foster system is more than they bargained for. Bri Marshall and her boyfriend AJ both dropped out of high school and have struggled with drug addiction. She thought a baby might be their chance for redemption and reason to get sober. But drugs are still in Bri's system when her son is born, so he's placed in foster care. Now Bri faces the difficult reality of changing her life with few resources and little support. Laura and Bri will both take a hard look in the mirror and in the Bible to find a way forward. VERDICT Powner (When the Road Comes Around) draws on her own experience as a foster mom to give this gift of a book to readers.""--Library Journal (2/23/2026 12:00:00 AM) Birds on a Wire offers an insightful perspective on foster care through the experiences of two women brought together by a precious newborn. Powner skillfully explores the challenges and emotions faced by both foster and biological mothers seeking the best for their children. This narrative feels authentic and relatable, making it a noteworthy addition to your reading list.--T.I. Lowe, internationally best-selling author and Christy Award winner (10/27/2025 12:00:00 AM) Birds on a Wire portrays the complexity of foster care with remarkable authenticity, grace, compassion, and understanding. The emotional depth of the story captured the heartache, hope, and impossible choices that shape families, and moved me to tears. An eye-opening tale that will touch hearts.--Amanda Cox, best-selling author of The Bitter End Birding Society (10/27/2025 12:00:00 AM) It's been a long time since a book touched me so deeply. Birds on a Wire will break your heart and then put it right back together in the most beautiful way. A tender yet realistic look at what it means to love someone else's child. Don't even bother with a bookmark, because you won't be able to put this book down.--Deborah Raney, author of Who Stirs Up the Sea and the Chandler Sisters series (10/27/2025 12:00:00 AM) Katie Powner has penned a gem in mining the lives of two conflicted women--an angry teenage mother in a downward spiral, unable to care for her newborn son, and a driven mother, new to the foster care system, who's determined to mend the lives of vulnerable children while juggling the growing needs of her own family. Insightful, compelling, and convicting, Birds on a Wire portrays the building of essential bridges across deeply troubled waters and the costs to all involved. I could not put this authentic and memorable book down.--Cathy Gohlke, Christy Award Hall of Fame author of This Promised Land (10/27/2025 12:00:00 AM) Powner's latest novel journeys us through the world of foster care. With deft prose, she extols the pain and joys of loving deeply for the sake of others. An endearing and touching read that will keep you long after the last word.--Rachel Hauck, New York Times best-selling author (10/27/2025 12:00:00 AM) This book speaks truth to the heart. Birds on a Wire captures the real push and pull that comes with the commitment to love. It tears you open and then rebuilds you better than you were before. Katie Powner offers an empathetic glimpse into the lives of two mothers desperate to provide for their children. Great fiction stretches our perspective--this novel does exactly that.--Christina Suzann Nelson, Christy-Award winning author of What Happens Next? (10/27/2025 12:00:00 AM)

Author Information

Katie Powner is a multi-award-winning author of contemporary fiction, including The Sowing Season, A Flicker of Light, Where the Blue Sky Begins, The Wind Blows in Sleeping Grass, and When the Road Comes Around. She and her husband have adopted internationally and have been fostering children in Montana for almost eight years. She blogs about family, adoption, and fostering at katiepowner.com.

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