Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Unavailable
    Bird in a Box
    Unavailable
    Bird in a Box
    Unavailable
    Bird in a Box
    Audiobook4 hours

    Bird in a Box

    Written by Andrea Davis Pinkney

    Narrated by Bahni Turpin, S'Von Ringo and JB Adkins

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    In a small upstate New York town during the Great Depression, three children-Hibernia, Willie, and Otis-are about to meet. Hibernia dreams of becoming a famous singer and performing at Harlem's swanky Savoy Ballroom. Willie is recovering from a tragedy that prevents him from becoming a junior boxing champ. Otis spends every night glued to the radio, listening to the voices that remind him of Daddy and Ma.

    Each of them is looking for hope, and they all find it in the thrilling boxing matches of young Joe Louis. They know Joe has a good chance of becoming the country's next heavyweight champion. What they don't know is that during this unforgettable year, the three of them will become friends.

    Award-winning and bestselling author Andrea Davis Pinkney masterfully tells a story of friendship and determination, set against the backdrop of America's golden age of radio
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateApr 12, 2011
    ISBN9780307917171
    Unavailable
    Bird in a Box
    Author

    Andrea Davis Pinkney

    Andrea Davis Pinkney is the New York Times best-selling author of several books for young readers, including the novel Bird in a Box, a Today Show Al Roker Book Club for Kids pick, and Hand in Hand: Ten Black Men Who Changed America, winner of the Coretta Scott King Author Award. Additional works include the Caldecott Honor and Coretta Scott King Honor book Duke Ellington, illustrated by her husband, Brian Pinkney; and Let It Shine: Stories of Black Women Freedom Fighters, a Coretta Scott King Honor book and winner of the Carter G. Woodson Award. Andrea Davis Pinkney lives in New York City.

    More audiobooks from Andrea Davis Pinkney

    Related to Bird in a Box

    Related audiobooks

    Children's Family For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Top 10 Podcasts

      Dec 7, 2019

      Four hundred years after the frigate White Lion brought slavery to America, New York Times writer Nikole Hannah-Jones reframes the country’s history through the lens of that institution. Each episode demonstrates how our economy, political system and

      3 min read

    • Article

      Top 10 Podcasts

      Dec 6, 2019

      Four hundred years after the frigate White Lion brought slavery to America, New York Times writer Nikole Hannah-Jones reframes the country’s history through the lens of that institution. Each episode demonstrates how our economy, political system and

      3 min read

    • Article

      BILLY & JESSE

      Oct 26, 2021

      BILLY & JESSE
      8 min read

    • Article

      Tuesday New Release Day: Starring Peynado, Feng, Blau, and More

      May 11, 2021

      Here’s a quick look at books publishing this week from Brenda Peynado, Linda Rui Feng, and Jessica Anya Blau. The post Tuesday New Release Day: Starring Peynado, Feng, Blau, and More appeared first on The Millions.

      3 min read

    • Article

      New Can't-miss Podcasts From Public Media

      Mar 16, 2023

      Spring is a time of renewal. The NPR One team has recommendations to give your podcast listening a refresh.

      2 min read

    • Article

      Tuesday New Release Day: Starring Ohlin, Adrian, Jin, and More

      Jul 27, 2021

      Our own Thom Beckwith takes a look as some notable books publishing this week. The post Tuesday New Release Day: Starring Ohlin, Adrian, Jin, and More appeared first on The Millions.

      4 min read

    • Article

      Great Read

      Oct 5, 2022

      Great Read
      7 min read

    • Article

      Great Reads

      Apr 14, 2020

      Simultaneous murders hit LA, Chicago and San Francisco. SFPD Sergeant Lindsay Boxer is tasked with uncovering what links these precise and calculated killings. Lindsay discovers that the victims all excel in lucrative, criminal activity. As the casua

      2 min read

    • Article

      Must See, Must Read

      Mar 1, 2022

      Must See, Must Read
      14 min read

    • Article

      Notorious B.I.G. Is Forever Synonymous With Brooklyn

      Mar 9, 2022

      Today marks the 25th anniversary of the death of rapper Christopher Wallace, the Notorious B.I.G. His rhymes were hugely influential and resonate, especially with those in his hometown of Brooklyn.

      4 min read

    • Article

      Lone Star

      Feb 1, 2024

      Lone Star
      3 min read

    • Article

      Better Books

      Jan 18, 2024

      Better Books
      1 min read

    • Article

      Summer of Love, Summer of War

      May 9, 2018

      Summer of Love, Summer of War
      5 min read

    • Article

      Whose Country?

      Aug 16, 2019

      Whose Country?
      6 min read

    • Article

      Commentary: Fifty-five Summers Have Gone By Since The Watts Rebellion. How Far Have We Traveled?

      Jul 28, 2020

      In the summer of 1965, my birthday cake was stuck at a bakery across town. My mother couldn't get to it because Watts was on fire, which sent surrounding cities, like ours in the South Bay, into lockdown. No way could she have known when she placed t

      3 min read

    • Article

      United Nations

      Dec 5, 2019

      United Nations
      9 min read

    Reviews for Bird in a Box

    3.5/5

    34 ratings6 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      Lively, engaging, atmospheric historical fiction.
    • 5/5
      This is yet another instance when words won't flow to describe the feeling of this wonderful book.This is a marvelous story of chaos and hope, about abuse and redemption, about surviving amid insurmountable odds, about friendship that lasts and about emotional and physical scars that are painful and long to be healed.Set in 1937 when mighty Joe Lewis (Brown Bomber) gained the world heavyweight boxing championship, the author showed the miraculous ability of Lewis to be a springboard of hope, not only for a nation, but particularly for the black community.As the philco radio announced each fight, three children, destined to come together, listened carefully as time and time again Mighty Joe refused to stay down and consistently fought his way from the ground to the heights of fame.This book is charming, insightful, poignant heart breaking and hopeful.Hiberina Lee Tyson's mother took off to follow her dream of singing at the great Savoy Ballroom in Harlelm. She left behind a spunky, smart, determined child raised by a minister father. Hiberina has a dream...she wants to sing just like her momma.Before landing in The Mercy Home For Negro Orphans, Willie had a dream. He wanted to be a boxer. His dream was scattered when in one cruel abusive act, his alcoholic father destroyed his hope.Otis dreams of his mother and father before they were killed in a car accident. He finds life tolerable in the Mercy Home For Negro Orphans because Willie is his friend. When he meets Hibernia, he has a dream that she will notice him.One of my top reads for 2011, this is a must read!five stars
    • 2/5
      Children's fiction; historical fiction. Aside from the really bad cover design (WHY do publishers have to resist black faces on a cover, anyway?) and the bad jacket summary (oh really? The three kids "become friends" at the end of an unforgettable year? Gee, I really want to read about that), the story isn't bad, but it's not super great either (especially if you don't care for boxing), and certain dialogues and characters (particularly Lila and Mr. Sneed) seem especially contrived and even somewhat one-dimensional. References to reading and libraries, accompanied with the varied backgrounds of the "orphans" seem to indicate that this book was written with the Newbery in mind, but it's no Bud, Not Buddy.
    • 2/5
      Narrated by Bahni Turpin, S'von Ringo and JB Adkins. This production just didn't pull me in or I was distracted by other things. Turpin is the stronger narrator, giving Hibernia life as an ambitious and saucy little girl. Hibernia, Otis and Willie have very different backgrounds (Hibernia is daughter of a preacher; Otis and Willie live at Mercy Home for orphans and children whose parents can't care for them) but all three are rooting for boxer Joe Louis and all he represents for the black community.
    • 4/5
      From March 2011 SLJ:
      Gr 4-7–It is 1936, and the country is struggling in the midst of the Great Depression. As Joe Louis inches closer to becoming the American heavyweight boxing champion, his victories spark hope in a nation starved for good news. Against this backdrop, Pinkney introduces three narrators whose lives are about to intersect. Hibernia chafes at her father’s overprotectiveness: since her mother left them with dreams of singing at the Savoy, the reverend limits Hibernia’s singing to the church choir. Otis misses his parents terribly: the three of them never had much, but they had laughter, which came to an end in a fiery car crash. Willie tries to ignore his alcoholic father until the night that the abusive man disfigures Willie’s hands and his mother convinces him to flee for safety. The two boys meet at the Mercy Home for Negro Orphans and slowly learn to trust one another. When Hibernia’s youth choir performs a Christmas concert there, Otis is smitten. With the help of a caring orphanage worker, the three youngsters are able to navigate the complex waters of adolescence, learning that using one’s wits can be more powerful than beating against the walls of a box. Pinkney weaves quite a bit of 1930s history into her story and succeeds admirably in showing how Louis came to represent so much more than his sport. Her detailed notes make this an accessible and inspiring piece of historical fiction that belongs in most collections.–Kim Dare, Fairfax County Public Schools, VA
    • 5/5
      “Let’s go mighty Joe/Battle like the Alamo.” Joe Louis was an inspiration to people around the world, and especially to three black twelve year olds in Elmira, New York in Andrea Pinkney’s Bird in a Box. Hibernia, Otis, and Willie lead very different lives. Hibernia is the daughter of a preacher and dreams of becoming a famous singer, Otis lives in an orphanage because his parents were killed, and Willie lives in the orphanage because of his abusive father. When Miss Lila asks the church choir to come sing at the orphanage, their paths cross, and a tentative friendship between the three slowly evolves throughout the novel, with events that are spurred by Joe Louis fights. This historical tale, told from the alternating perspective of Hibernia, Otis, and Willie in the late 1930’s, illustrates the power of believing in dreams. While the friendships that form in the novel are believable and even admirable, the true strength of this story lies in the growth of each of the individual characters. Hibernia, Otis, and Willie all have individual hurdles to overcome, and they do so with love, determination, and sometimes heartbreak. The events surrounding Joe Louis during this time serve as a larger backdrop that echoes the more individual turmoils highlighted in the novel. Actual radio transcripts and boxing names and events are used in the book, adding authenticity to the story. While this is a heartwarming book of self-discovery and acceptance, there are also a couple of passages that are hauntingly disturbing, such as the scene where Willie’s hands are burned in hominy by his father. Scenes like this fit in the storyline, but may be disturbing for younger readers. For that reason, this prize-fighting book is recommended for grades 6 and up.