Bird Brain — Joanne Levy

Key Selling Points
Arden is a science-loving seventh grader who wishes for a pet...until her Uncle Eli gives her Ludwig, his African Grey parrot, to look after while he's away.
The book is filled with a lot of fun parrot antics and is chock-full of facts about keeping birds as pets.
Joanne Levy has a pet parrot and pulled many elements from her own feathered friend.
The main character, Arden, must face a bully who uses insults and threats, and the book makes clear that bullying doesn't have to be physical to be serious and damaging.
The author has written extensively for the middle-grade reader, and her book Sorry For Your Loss was a finalist for the Governor General's Literary Award, won the Canadian Jewish Literary Award and is a Sydney Taylor Book Award Notable Book.