About This Book

Ten-year-old Comfort Snowberger knows a thing or two about death. Her family owns the town funeral home and she has attended 247 funerals. She can tell you which casseroles are worth tasting, who to sit next to, and who to avoid at all costs. Number one on that "avoid" list is Comfort's sniveling, whining, unpredictable cousin Peach, who ruins every family occasion.

So when Great-Great-Aunt Florentine drops dead — just like that — Comfort expects a family gathering to remember. What she doesn't count on is: One, she has to watch over Peach after the funeral. And two, her best friend, Declaration, has suddenly turned downright mean. Now, even if it means missing the most important funeral of her life, all Comfort really wants to do is sit in her closet with her dog, Dismay, and hide. But life is full of surprises. And the biggest one of all is learning what it takes to handle them.

Wiles has created a unique, funny, and utterly real cast of characters in this heartfelt and quintessentially Southern coming-of-age novel. Ten-year-old Comfort Snowberger will charm readers with her wit, her warmth, and her struggles, as she learns about life, loss, and, ultimately, triumph.

Praise for Each Little Bird That Sings

"Wiles succeeds wonderfully in capturing "the messy glory" of grief and life." — Booklist

"Unique characters, inventive names...a fresh voice and an honest portrayal of life and death are a match made in heaven-and...a memorable tribute to the joys of living." — Kirkus Reviews

"Wiles has taken one of the most uncomfortable things we go through (loss) and made it somehow normal. Even with a backdrop of coping with loss, this is a surprisingly funny novel bursting with zany characters and situations that ultimately lead us to consider that life can throw some crazy punches but you just have to roll with them." — Joan Kindig, Ph.D., Children's Literature

Selected Best Book & Awards for Each Little Bird That Sings

California Young Reader Medal, 2008 Winner Intermediate
E.B. White Read Aloud Book Award, 2006 Winner Older Readers
Golden Kite Award, 2006 Honor Book
Best Children's Books of the Year, 2005
Book Sense Children's Picks, Summer 2005
Children's Books 2005: One Hundred Titles for Reading and Sharing; New York Public Library