Overview
For fans of Laline Paull, a speculative young adult novel about a family of New York City crows struggling to survive the outbreak of West Nile virus during the sizzling summer of 1999. Four-year-old Duncan needs to hurry up and find a mate—or so says his sister, Cloud. But she doesn’t know about the mistake that’s preventing him from leaving their family to start another. Though he’s the eldest, Duncan doesn’t see himself as a leader. Yet that’s what he must become when both his parents die of the mysterious illness that’s killing crows across New York City. He devotes himself to caring for his siblings, including three fledglings—but he soon discovers he can’t protect them from the “blind death.” Meanwhile, a zoo pathologist’s worst fears are realized. It starts with dead flamingos. Then critically ill New Yorkers start showing up in hospital emergency rooms. Some blame the crows.
Full Product Details
Author: Pam McGaffin
Publisher: She Writes Press
Imprint: She Writes Press
Weight: 0.210kg
ISBN: 9798896363125
Pages: 256
Publication Date: 26 May 2026
Recommended Age: From 13 to 17 years
Audience:
Young adult
,
Teenage / Young adult
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: In Print
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Reviews
""A profound story of loved ones sticking together in the face of tragedy and hardship.""--Kirkus Reviews ""Utterly original! I'm in awe of Pam McGaffin's deft storytelling--she makes a family of crows both fascinating and deeply relatable. I love a book that leaves me seeing the world with fresh eyes, and Pam accomplishes that in spades.""--Andrea Ezerins, author of Again and Again Back to You and When the Forest Dreams. ""Filled with appealing characters, crow lore, natural history, mysterious illness and conflicting scientific theories, Pam McGaffin's speculative novel Shade of Wings delivers a fresh and compelling story of family, survival, and redemption. The book gripped me from page one, and never let go--simply said, I had to find out what happened to these characters. Well done!""--Mima Tipper, author of Kat's Greek Summer and Channeling Marilyn ""An amazing and heartfelt read . . . Shade of Wings validates anyone who has stood up to naysayers who ignore nature's creatures and their warnings.""--Lori Matsukawa, television news journalist and author of Brave Mrs. Sato
""Utterly original! I'm in awe of Pam McGaffin's deft storytelling--she makes a family of crows both fascinating and deeply relatable. I love a book that leaves me seeing the world with fresh eyes, and Pam accomplishes that in spades.""--Andrea Ezerins, author of Again and Again Back to You and When the Forest Dreams. ""Filled with appealing characters, crow lore, natural history, mysterious illness and conflicting scientific theories, Pam McGaffin's speculative novel Shade of Wings delivers a fresh and compelling story of family, survival, and redemption. The book gripped me from page one, and never let go--simply said, I had to find out what happened to these characters. Well done!""--Mima Tipper, author of Kat's Greek Summer and Channeling Marilyn
Author Information
Pam McGaffin is a writer whose work has been published in literary journals, newspapers, and on websites. Her first novel, The Leaving Year, (SparkPress, 2018), won three finalist teen fiction awards and took first place in the 2018 Best Book Awards for young adult fiction. A proud bird nerd, she lives in Seattle, WA, with her husband, Mark, and rescue dog, Mars. On their daily walks, they are greeted by many crow friends.
