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Twelve-year-old Clara Dooley has spent her whole life in the Glendoveer mansion, where her mother is a servant to the kind and elderly matron of the house. Clara has never known another home. In fact, she's confined to the grand estate due to a mysterious heart condition. But it's a comfortable life, and if it weren't for the creepy squawking birds in the aviary out back, a completely peaceful one too.
But once old Mrs. Glendoveer passes away, Clara comes to learn many dark secrets about the family. The Glendoveers suffered a horrific tragedy: their children were kidnapped, then drowned. And their father George Glendoveer, a famous magician and illusionist, stood accused until his death. As Clara digs deeper and deeper into the terrifying events, the five birds in the aviary seem to be trying to tell her something. And Clara comes to wonder: what is their true identity? Clara sets out to solve a decades-old murder mystery—and in doing so, unlocks a secret in her own life, too. Kathleen O'Dell deftly weaves magic, secret identities, evil villians, unlikely heroes, and the wonder of friendship into a mystery adventure with all the charm of an old fashioned classic.
School Library Journal. November 1, 2011:
“O’Dell weaves a tapestry of hauntingly gorgeous imagery with this atmospheric tale of suspense, magic, and adventure. Readers will be captivated from the first page on.”
Booklist, October 1, 2011:
"O’Dell has crafted a terrific story with just the right degree of horror."
In the early years of the 20th century, a 40-year-old mystery in a dead magician's crumbling mansion magically changes Clara Dooley's life forever.
Eleven years old and barely allowed out of the house due to her "weak heart," Clara and her mother live with ancient Mrs. Glendoveer. Mother nurses the widow and keeps the mansion in mostly working order with the help of cook Ruby. All of them tend the magician's five surviving birds, of various species, that live in the backyard aviary. When Clara hears the mynah shout "Elliott," she asks Mrs. Glendoveer who that might be, only to find it's the name of Mrs. Glendoveer's baby, who went missing decades before. When Mrs. Glendoveer dies shortly thereafter, Clara discovers that five other children vanished with Elliott; despite the impropriety, Clara begins to investigate with the help of Daphne, her new (and secret) friend from town. O'Dell jumps genres to great effect in this spooky, fantasy/mystery (Agnes Parker... Keeping Cool in Middle School, 2007, etc.). She evokes the period so well that (older) readers might suspect they're reading a lost collaboration between E. Nesbit and Agatha Christie. O'Dell reveals the mystery and magic incrementally, even as Clara simultaneously discovers her autonomy. Readers seeking instant gratification might not stick it out, but they'll be cheated out of an action-packed, page-turning finale.
An absorbing mix of talking birds, ghostly messages, kidnapped children, magic spells and tragic family secrets.(Historical fantasy. 9-12)
Anonymous
Posted February 21, 2012
This book is like the best book ever. EVER!!! It even ranks up there with HP and the hunger games. Yep. I said it.
5 out of 7 people found this review helpful.
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Posted February 13, 2012
I loved this book. Great story and really kept me sucked in.
4 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
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Posted September 5, 2012
With a likable protagonist and relatable characters, the aviary made me smile while reading it. The author really captures the reader in a little girl's adventure towards discovering her family ties with the help of unlikely feathered friends. A heartwarming tale with a happy ending and a dash of suspense.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Posted April 5, 2013
Cute ghostly mystery for middle-schoolers
Clara Dooley has lived her whole life in the decrepit Glendoveer mansion, where her mother is the care-taker of the elderly Mrs Glendoveer. Clara's mother keeps her hidden away from the outside world, claiming that Clara's health is fragile. At 12, Clara has come to an age where she wants to test her boundaries - and just such an opportunity arrives when her elderly patron passes away, a new girl moves into the neighborhood, and the birds in the aviary begin to speak to her. With her new friend, Clara must discover the secrets of the Glendoveer mansion, and decide whether the birds are friends or foes.
This was a cute little ghost story / mystery for children (probably girls) ages 9-12. It used the basic adults-don't-want-to-share-secrets format, while keeping the adults likable and intelligent. The two little girls were adorable and fun. And the birds, once they started developing characters, were a very interesting twist. I found this book an engaging and quick read. Highly recommended for lovers of middle-grade ghost stories / mysteries.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted April 29, 2013
I love this book. But i want my friend also to read this book too when we go to the book club ( im the person who wrote that last review) but he is a boy and he loves the Harry Potter style. And i mean LOVE. Would he like this book also. Keep in mind he is a boy and im a girl so im okay with this stuff but im not too sure about him.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted May 30, 2012
This is the best book evah!!!!i love the part where clara talks to helen
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted February 6, 2013
Loved it!! I would recommend this to anyone who loves a good mystery thats a little creepy a well. My current favorite as well
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Posted January 14, 2013
The best book in the world! I couldn't put it down.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Mystryrdr
Posted November 20, 2012
What a great read! Couldn't put it down!
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Posted October 18, 2012
This book is awesome!!!!!!!!!!!
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Posted June 29, 2012
The Aviary is a must read for anyone who likes suspense and mystery. I highly recommend reading it
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.yonioni
Posted May 29, 2012
Yoni Kornblau
This mystery novel is very compelling to read, and very dull at the same time. Clara Dooley who thinks she has a weak heart, is not allowed to leave the house, where her mother works as a helper. Clara, against her mom’s will, sneaks a neighborhood girl into her house every so often. Together, with the help of some birds, they uncover many mysteries about the owner’s family, the Glendovires. This basic summary of the book sounds really dull and completely boring, which is mainly how I view this book. Besides for the ending, which I won’t give away, the book is quite actionless.
This novel is excellently written on the sentence-by-sentence level, but I think the plot development could use some sort of speed elixir. Even when the plot was actually starting to take place when I read it, I felt like I was still in a quasi- introduction mode. This type of style is quite discouraging to a reader who likes action books, so if you do, I wouldn’t recommend this book to you. In my opinion if the plot was condensed into a third of the current size, I think the book would be appealing to a more diverse audience.
This book also has a very obvious ending which is predictable far before the turn of the last page, but I read to the end only because I was hoping for an unexpected plot twist. If you’re looking for a real mystery novel, stick to Sherlock Holmes or similar books.
All in all, I didn’t find this a very interesting book, and I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone. If you have the book at home, you might want to try reading it because people have different opinions, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to buy it. I am generously rating this book 2stars, because I like how O’Dell handles the eerie topic of reincarnation. (I wouldn’t normally mention that because it’s a bit of a spoiler, but I want to justify my rating.)
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted January 20, 2012
This book is great not the best but it still was really good
0 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted September 26, 2011
Great characters. Fabulous descriptions.
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted February 21, 2012
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Posted January 26, 2013
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Posted February 24, 2012
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Posted January 25, 2012
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Posted September 13, 2012
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Overview
Twelve-year-old Clara Dooley has spent her whole life in the Glendoveer mansion, where her mother is a servant to the kind and elderly matron of the house. Clara has never known another home. In fact, she's confined to the grand estate due to a mysterious heart condition. But it's a comfortable life, and if it weren't for the creepy squawking birds in the aviary out back, a completely peaceful one too.
But once old Mrs. Glendoveer passes away, Clara comes to learn many dark ...