Kestrel Takes Flight, by Joy McCullough

Kestrels are small, but fierce raptors that are capable of finding homes in a wide variety of places -- a point that sixth-grader Kestrel notes with pride.  One night Kestrel gets her own opportunity to prove it.  Her mother spirits her out of the house that they share with Kestrel's grandfather.  They end up at a unique center where Karelians, a special type of dog bred for interacting with bears, are trained to help keep humans and bears separated.  It's fascinating work and for a good cause but Kestrel is terrified of dogs and immediately misses her grandfather.

With time, Kestrel settles in her new home and becomes more comfortable with the dogs, learning their nuances and how to interact with them.  At the same time, she grows to understand that her grandfather was actually abusing them and that she is better off in her new home.

Told in prose verse, this story about overcoming emotional abuse and finding a new family plays all the appropriate emotional notes in an age-appropriate way.  The verse itself is disappointing.  It lacks any particularly memorable passages, being more of a sketch draft of the story where short sentences replace storytelling.  It leaves gaps in storytelling and covers a multitude of narrative flaws, but feels superficial and unfinished.