Nightbird

Alice Hoffman writes books for tweens as well as for older ages, and this one has themes of magic,  friendship,  loyalty, and even a bit of suspense--enough to engage the adult reader as well as any teen. I love the opening quote on the book jacket because it feels so true in my own life. "Just when you think you know what's going to happen next, the world surprises you."
In the tiny town of Sidwell, set in the Berkshires, there are rumors of a monster that flies. Twig (formally known as Teresa Jane) Fowler fears these rumors because they are based on a very well-kept secret...the existence of a brother who has wings. Two hundred years ago, a love affair had tragically gone wrong, and the men in the Fowler family (hmmm, was there a pun intended here??) have been cursed ever since to have wings. Now the former home of the jilted lover, Mourning Dover Cottage --just across the orchard from Twig's home-- is being renovated and re-occupied by descendants of the very witch who cursed them. Daughter Julia wants to be friends, and of course Twig initially resists as she has resisted all contact with outsiders, in order to protect her brother James. But then Julia's older sister, Agate, sees James fly at night and they meet and fall in love. Is the tragedy to be re-enacted or can Julia and Twig find a way to end the curse? Even if they can reverse the spell, can James ever be content to be earth-bound now that he has soared with the birds?
This story has several side stories connected to various characters, which are all woven into a seamless whole with lots of intrigue and lovely settings. There is the town archivist, Miss Larch, who is Twig's source of information and solace. There is the ornithologist friend of Miss Larch, who is studying the rare black saw-whet owls that reside in the woods around Sidwell. There is the mysterious graffiti artist leaving messages around town descrying the possible destruction of those woods. Of course there is Twig and Jame's tragic mother who makes the world's best apple pie from the unique pink apples that grow only in Sidwell. There is a mysterious thief who takes everything from brea to quilts. There is a new owner of the local newspaper who might be Twig's supporter and seems to take an interest in Twig's mom. And then there is the absent father, left behind in New York, with no explanation offered. Lovely review in the New York Times offers more detail.