Sparrow, Always

In this heartwarming companion to Sparrow Being Sparrow and Sparrow Spreads Her Wings, Sparrow wants to help the guide-dog-in-training next door pass his test but soon finds she may be the one in need of help when she has difficulty staying on task in school.

Yellow daffodils and dandelions are blooming, and a new neighbor is moving into the unit next door to Sparrow's, along with a service-dog-in-training named Toby. Sparrow soon falls in love with Toby and gets involved with helping him pass his service dog test. In fact, she gets so obsessed with learning about service dogs that she can't focus on what she's supposed to be doing in school, and soon Toby's not the only one who needs to worry about getting tested.

Now Sparrow has to meet with the school social worker alongside some kids in "friendship group," even though she doesn't need any new friends. Sparrow is used to being the one to help others, but she's having more and more trouble staying on task in class; and if she messes up too many times in school, she won't be able to walk Toby anymore. Can she be the Sparrow she's always been if she's not the helper but the one being helped?

Author: Gail Donovan
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Published: 11/04/2025
Pages: 160
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.55lbs
Size: 8.40h x 5.60w x 0.90d
ISBN: 9781665963299
Audience: Ages 9-12


Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 09/15/2025
School Library Journal 10/01/2025 pg. 55
Booklist 10/01/2025

About the Author
Gail Donovan was fired from her first job in an ice cream shop for making the sundaes too big. She now works in a library and writes middle grade novels, including Sparrow Being Sparrow, a Junior Library Guild Selection; Finchosaurus, a Moonbeam Children's Book Award winner; and In Memory of Gorfman T. Frog, named to the New York Public Library's 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing list. She has also written for the Rainbow Fish & Friends picture book series based on the bestselling work of Marcus Pfister. Donovan lives on the coast of Maine, where she jumps in the ocean all year round. She has shared her home with a dozen birds, a few dogs, a rat, and a cat named Cookie. Visit her at GailDonovan.com.

Elysia Case is an illustrator from the Finger Lakes region of New York. When she's not making things, she can be found spoiling her pets with too many treats and annoying them with too many kisses. Follow her on Instagram @Elyvescent.