The Summer of the Falcon

The summer June Pritchard turns thirteen, her family gives her a sparrow hawk to train. She names him Zander, and over the next three summers she helps him develop the natural hunting instincts he will need in his adult falcon life. Zander, in turn, helps June understand the natural world around her and the delicate balance of life, growth, and death that exists in nature. June is growing into a young woman, and she is finding it hard to accept the added responsibilities of her approaching adulthood. She wants freedom more than anything, but first she must learn – for both herself and her falcon – that freedom without self-discipline means nothing.

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