A #1 New York Times Bestselling Author
A Newbery Award-winning Author
Eleven-year-old Willodeen adores creatures of all kinds, but her favorites are the strange beasts known as "screechers." The villagers of Perchance call them pests, even monsters, but Willodeen believes the animals serve a vital role in the web of nature. Lately, though, nature has seemed angry. Perchance has been cursed with fires and mudslides, droughts and fevers, and even the annual migration of hummingbears has dwindled. This year, not a single hummingbear has returned to Perchance. When a birthday gift brings unexpected magic to Willodeen and her friend Connor, she's determined to speak up for the animals she loves, and perhaps even uncover the answer to the mystery of the missing hummingbears.