Shade of Wings is 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.
Shade of Wings
by Pam McGaffin
Genre: YA Teen Animal Fiction
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—at least, according to
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 father. 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.
A profound story
of loved ones sticking together in the face of tragedy and hardship.” - Kirkus
Reviews
An amazing and
heartfelt read. McGaffin confirms what so many of us already know, that humans
should learn from the smart ones around us, even if they're crows." - Lori
Matsukawa, TV News Anchor 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 When the Forest Dreams
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He
and Sky went to the fountain to forage before dusk. The longer they take, the
more she thinks he’s getting back at her for making him wait. She still feels
the spot on her breast where his kick landed. She’d never seen him so angry. He
became someone she didn’t know. Now she’s not sure she knows herself.
Everything she thought she understood about being a number two helper—second to
Duncan—was thrown into doubt when he attacked . . . as if she were the enemy.
Before, when they still had parents, she shrugged off their sibling squabbles,
crow fights being more common than play. Sometimes the two got confused. Either
way, you forgave and moved on, no harm done. But this was different. This
marked a before and after in their relationship, their roles. His eruption was
perhaps the inevitable result of too much pressure, from all they had lost, all
that had changed in just a few days. But why take it out on her? He seems to
think that he alone bears the weight of that shift. He doesn’t know that every
time she closes her eyes, she relives the soft rustle and thump of their
father’s fall to the ground and Mother’s wailing cry, followed so quickly by
her passing, silent and unmarked. And hanging over it all is the fear that
they, too, might succumb to a sickness that’s as random as it is deadly.
Still, there’s nothing to do but carry on. The
fledglings’ drop from the nest was only the first of many trials to come. Until
they can fly and do their own foraging, they will demand constant attention.
Worm, in particular. He and Duncan had taken so long to get down the tree. She
and Sky tried to keep Kyra and Lucas calm and still as they waited. And waited.
And waited, the fledglings growing crankier and crankier. And who could blame
them in this heat? Then Sky, who never complains, said she was “dying” of
thirst. They all were. So, Cloud led them down to the riverbank for a drink and
a dip. The fledglings loved splashing in the water once they overcame their
fear. Lucas, that rascal, found a tire and was happily playing in its pool of
green sludge until Cloud ordered him out.
Pam McGaffin always knew she would write books when she grew
up.
So, at age 51, after a long career in journalism and
public-relations, she quit her day job and went to work. After seven years,
countless rewrites, and a seat-of-her-pants course in modern publishing, she
released her debut novel, The Leaving Year, with SparkPress Aug. 14, 2018.
Set in the beautiful Pacific Northwest where she grew up,
The Leaving Year, is a coming-of-age story about love and loyalty, family and
friendship, and the stories we tell ourselves in our search for meaning.
For her second novel, Shade of Wings, she looked to New York
City to tell the story of the West Nile virus outbreak from the point-of-view
of the first US victims – American crows. She hopes readers fall in love her
hapless hero, Duncan, and his plucky crow family. She certainly loved giving
them life.
Before tackling novels, Pam wrote short stories and
articles. Her short fiction has appeared in the online literary journals,
Eclectica and Amarillo Bay, and her articles have been published in many Puget
Sound-area publications and websites, including The Daily Herald (in Everett,
WA), Bicycle Paper, the MS Connection newsletter, and Seattle Children’s Story
Project.
She has a BA degree in Communications Journalism from the
University of Washington and certificates in fiction writing and advanced
literary fiction from UW Extension.
When she isn’t writing or thinking about writing, she likes
to read, walk the dog, swim, bike, garden, and watch birds.
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