Advertisement

Magic In The Berkshires: Alice Hoffman Out With First Middle-Grade Book, 'Nightbird'

15:21
Download Audio
Resume
Alice Hoffman, an award-winning Boston author. Her latest book is "Nightbird." (Courtesy Penguin Random House)
Alice Hoffman, an award-winning Boston author. Her latest book is "Nightbird." (Courtesy Penguin Random House)

Take a moment to think back to when you were 8, 10, 12 years old. You probably felt a little weird. Maybe you didn't fit in with your family, or at school. You might have thought you looked weird, or sounded funny.

That's how a 12-year-old girl named Twig is feeling when we meet her in Alice Hoffman's new kids' novel, "Nightbird."

She has long, skinny limbs and often can be found climbing trees in her family's orchard in a small town called Sidwell in the Berkshires.

But Twig's family has a secret — so she and her mother are forced to live a lonely life — they shut out the rest of the town until new neighbors move in next door and everything changes.

Hoffman's novel — her first for middle-grade kids — is a tribute to the writers who helped her become an avid reader and writer at Twig's age.

Guest

Alice Hoffman, author of "Nightbird," among many other books including "The Dovekeepers," "Survival Lessons" and "The Story Sisters."

More

Publishers Weekly: Q & A With Alice Hoffman

  • "I never know why I write something for a certain age group. I believe that the best books are the ones you write for yourself. I write for different audiences because I’m always writing for myself at different points in my life."

Exerpt

This segment aired on March 10, 2015.

Advertisement

More from Radio Boston

Listen Live
Close