Flyaway / Lucy Christopher / 328 pages / Notable Children's Book - Older Grades

Set in England, Flyaway is an endearing story of determination, friendship, passion, and reconciliation.  Isla and her father love the swans that call the reserve home on their migrations.  One fateful day, a flock of swans encounter a power line and meet with sad results.  Her father suffers a heart attack as they determine to aid the stricken swans.  Isla meets Harry, a young seriously ill young boy awaiting a bone marrow transplant for his leukemia, when she visits her father at the hospital where he must have a serious surgery to replace a valve in his heart.  Harry encourages Isla in her outings with the downed swam and her flight project.  He can see the reserve from his hospital room window.