Rating: 
Summary: Couldn't put it down
Review: An amazing story of triumph when the whole world was against little Jenny... couldn't wait to get my hands on the next book to see how her story continued.
Rating:
Summary: 5 stars as a novel - Is this the real story?
Review: I also initially thought this was an excellent book which read like a novel, and read it through within a few hours. I did have a nagging feeling about the way Deb, among others, was portrayed, however. Some people are saintly - Jennifer's mother, Zoe, the couple in the shelter and their twin babies - though the couple don't seem to have done anything to notify the authorities about such a young child working two jobs, walking 22 blocks to school, even enough to find out what bus she could take, about her hair being so tangled it couldn't be combed, nor did they seem to worry about her when she left, time after time dragging pieces of furniture out of the shelter and no one noticing or helping. You can almost see the halos around their heads, though except for not telling Jennifer what to do and treating her almost as an adult, it's hard to see why she thought so highly of them. Others people are just horrible, with no redeeming qualities. Deb certainly seemed to put a lot of effort into the family - hardworking, healthy meals, involvement in sports, and though her interests and attitudes wouldn't have suited my personality, I didn't get the feeling that this was a seriously disfunctional family of the sort I've known. She and the twins seemed to have nothing at all in common with Jennifer, but I don't think Deb could have been as cruel and uncaring as she's portrayed. I also felt that the pink bedroom probably wasn't Bud's idea when I read the book (see the article on Salon); it's clear he was a workaholic and wasn't there to make the hard daily decisions, and certainly left others to deal with the financial and physical hardships on the children he left behind. My brother died at 40 and his children initially came to live with family. I can tell you that no social security allotment can help to deal with the emotional havoc that causes for the children and the rest of the family, though it may look that way to the children at the time. The children nearly always feel abandoned by their own parents whom they often idealize, and they're understandably angry, resentful and unable to trust enough to form attachments. There's a question about the veracity of this book and an article about Christopher's and Zoe's recollections on Salon.com, so I can't rate the book as non-fiction. If all of these things did happen to Jennifer and she's overcome them so successfully, she must be a rare individual.
Rating:
Summary: Incredible
Review: This book really captured my attention. Juniper has been through so much, and yet she is still a sweet and loving girl. My heart went out to her in so many of her situations, and to her brother, Bryan, too. I have just ordered her next book so I can see how she continues with her life and I am hoping it gets better for her. Her style of writing is incredible and her memories are so clear and so well expressed.
I just hope she is doing well now and people like me, realize how lucky we are, even in a dysfunctional family. It could have been much worse.
Rating: 
Summary: Tragic, yet Inspirational
Review: BLACKBIRD is one heck of sucess story, or should I say that Jennifer Lauck is one heck of a sucess story! I know that the sequel is on the way, therefore the sucess story is still in process,from what I have read, with a few bumps along the way. Jennifer's childhood was a fairytale gone wrong-starting with the tragic fact that she watched her beautiful mother wither away until her death. Left with her father and older brother, her life slowly but surely goes nowhere but downhill. The annual Disney World birthday trips dissolve, a permanent house is not to be found, (nor city for that matter) and her father eventually re-marries a controlling woman named Deb. Eventually, Jenny learns that she is adopted, is molested, constantly picked on, and to top it all off, witnesses that heart attack that causes the death of her father. Left in the custody of Deb, Jenny eventually gets thrown out, and lives in some sort of housing project, where she also works in the kitchen for money until she one day is randomly spotted on the street by an aunt and uncle that she hasn't seen in years. The book ends with the reunion of Jenny and her Grandpa (who she and her brother BJ will be living with) It seems as if she may finally have her happy ending, or does she?
Rating:
Summary: A Ten Year Old to Love
Review: I love the little girl in this book. So many times I wanted to go and find her and bring her home and love her. At times the book was so sad, I'd skip ahead, hoping for a happy ending. Though this brave little girl found moments of happiness whenever she could, the incredible pain strewn over her path in life just kept growing. Yet her spirit could not be conquered and in the end her goodness was rewarded. I can't wait to read the sequel.
Rating:
Summary: Unforgettable
Review: This is the type of book that is easy to read, yet hard to forget. I found myself not wanting to put it down, not wanting to read it to fast yet wanting to find out what happened next. Its sad yet can make you happy in some spots & mad in others. Once having read this book, you won't forget it.
Rating:
Summary: ny own childhood,found
Review: It has been many years since a piece of writing has changed my life,if ever.This book has managed to do so. It has opened up a part of me I tucked away, never to be heard of again. My own childhood.
Lauck has an amazing capacity to talk from the viewpoint of who she was as a child.Blackbird is a book that highlights the resilience of children, the eternal faith and hope in the face of adversity and serial familial dysfunction, the power of love and how the maternal/paternal bond in the first 7 years of life can truly determine how well one can deal with the challenges one has to deal with in a troubled life.'
She truly opened the door to my own childhood,trauma and joy,and awakened me to the knowledge that I too was a resilient kid. This book is visual,allowing me to see the places she went to and the era in which it is set.I could even hear the soundtrack!
This book is made for film and I hope someone like Oprah or Jodie Foster gets a hold of it and does it justice.
I hadn't been able to concentrate on reading for a few years, starting books but leaving them a third way into it.I could not put this book down and bought the followup,Still Waters,as soon as I had finished. The little girl who writes in this story, met my little girl, buried deep inside of me, and took her for a wonderful journey,where, somehow, I came to terms with my own experiences, and you can't get more profound than that!
I have only two criticisms,firstly,it must be hard maintaining the childlike impressions and narration of the story, and occasionally, the author slips into an adult interpretation of events, and because I feel I know the child narrator so well,I really noticed the adult taking over at times.
the only other criticism is that it ended too soon.
Rating:
Summary: A Must Read/Wont be Able to Put Down/Got to Get
Review: This is a beautiful book which tells a heart-wrenching story. I could not put the book down, and had to stop myself from skipping paragraphs to find out what happened next. I was initially hesitant to read this book, as it seems to be marketed in teen publications. However, as an adult who is an avid reader, I can verify that this is not just a book for teenagers. I was deeply moved.
Rating:
Summary: An unbelievable true story of survival
Review: I loved this book. I recently read the entire book in one day. Jennifer Lauch writes a beautiful memior about growing up in circumstances that no child should live through, the deaths of both her parents, abuse and abandonment from other adults who should have taken care of her. Yet, through it all she is determined to fight for her life. It is a remarkable story that demonstrates that even through the worst conditions, many of us have the resilience to keep on fighting for the life that we deserve. The book ends when she is 12. I am about to read the second part of her memiors. I hope you pick up this book and enjoy the gifts that Ms. Lauch bravely bestows to us in the telling of her life story.
Rating:
Summary: Great Read
Review: I first saw this book in the Teen People Book Club catalog and decided to read it. After I read the first few pages, I was hooked. This book was very hard to put down since I couldn't wait to see what happened next. I recommend reading this book.
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