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How to Make a Bird
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Wikipedia article
'How to Make a Bird' by Australian author Martine Murray is a 2003 children's novel which centres on a young adolescent girl called Mannie. Mannie has faced a myriad of losses and challenges throughout her short life. Little by little they begin to make her question her identity. In order to escape her insecurities about who she is, Mannie decides to embark on a journey of self-discovery, enlightenment and acceptance. The book was the winner of the Queensland Premier's Literary Awards Young Adult award in 2004,[http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:AWNB:&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=105AA2FA3AB67C95&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated4&req_dat=0D0CB57AB53DF815 RMIT student wins literary prize], Herald Sun (Melbourne, Australia), 12 October 2004
Themes
'How to Make a Bird' deals with many themes; however, the most prominent are those of loss, family breakdown, love, acceptance and 'identity'.
; Loss :
Loss is explored thoroughly in the story of birds and dogs as well as cats and is most evident when Mannie loses a family member in a car accident.
; Family breakdown :
This theme is apparent during the entire book as Mannies family is slowly reduced one family member at a time until she is only left with her grief-stricken father.
; Love :
The theme of love is conveyed effectively when Mannie experiences her first romance with a boy. We see the impact this has on her life and challenges which follow the commencement of this relationship.
; Acceptance :
During the novel Mannie faces a series of losses which she struggles to accept. After running away she makes several discoveries about not only herself but her family which allow her to finally accept her family member's death and absence from her life.
Setting
'How to Make a Bird' is set in a variety of locations. One of the primary places in which the story takes place is a small country town somewhere near Castlemaine and Harcourt in Victoria. It is in this town that Mannie grows up and faces various hardships. The other main setting is Melbourne. This is where Mannie goes when she runs away.
References
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