Bird Mouth: A Novel in Verse

A lot has changed in Calliope’s life since they came out as nonbinary, but the biggest change by far has been the birds. Calliope always loved singing . . . until the day a mourning dove flew out of their mouth in the middle of “Ave Maria.” Now Calliope can’t hum a note without a bird appearing, so they’re forced to mouth the lyrics in choir even though they long to sing.

When the time comes for the eighth-grade choir trip to New York City, Calliope worries they won’t be able to hide their secret any longer. But how will people react? What if Marie, Dani, and Feliz—the coolest kids in choir—don’t want to be friends with them anymore? And what if Calliope finally stopped caring . . . and sang anyway?

Told in Robin Gow’s signature moving verse, Bird Mouth is a heartfelt story of identity, belonging, and finding the people who love you, magical birds and all.