Hummingbird

As the sixth-grade girls change for PE, First Maddie announces she has a list of the “hottest” girls in their grade. Although Olive doesn’t expect to have made the list, she feels insecure for the first time. As she examines herself in a mirror, comparing herself to First Maddie, she feels the mirror has become a “reversed-cursed mirror” that only shows flaws. She again promises herself to find the hummingbird and wish for “normal” bones. Grace approaches Olive to talk.

Olive and Grace bond during PE; Olive can’t participate because of her OI, and neither can Grace because of her asthma. Olive is surprised to see that Hatch doesn’t participate in PE either; he’s on the bleachers reading his comic, with a sloth (a “therapy animal”) clinging to his neck. Olive and Grace bond over their shared love of snacks and Judy Blume books, and name themselves the BlumeBird Society. They decide to look through past yearbooks to investigate previous wish-makers.

Olive and Grace establish Rule Number One of the BlumeBird Society: They will never stop looking for magic. They enter the school library, which Olive feels resembles a fairy-tale cottage: It’s four stories high and filled with stories. The library is also filled with birds, as it used to be an aviary. Librarian Miss Snow greets the girls.

Miss Snow reminds Olive of a fairy, with her style and ability to help her and Grace find what they need. The girls locate a 1963 yearbook and learn 3 students found the hummingbird that year—however, only M. Frye and N. Tuberose are listed. The girls know N. Tuberose is Nester Tuberose, owner of the Ragged Apple Cafe, but are uncertain who M. Frye is. They plan to speak to churchgoer Luther Frye, who is known as the grumpiest man in Wildwood; Miss Snow insists Luther is a kind man with a lot on his mind. She coordinates a meeting between him and the girls after school. Before leaving, Olive realizes someone was spying on them.

Olive asks for Jupiter’s permission to accompany Grace to Luther’s house. He is emotional at the sight of his daughter so happy, and she reflects on how lucky she is to have parents who allow her independence.

Olive and Grace meet with Luther and learn M. Frye was his brother, Marvin. The brothers found the hummingbird in 1963 and wished for a treehouse. The next day, they found a shimmering path in the woods that led them to a treehouse. Luther claims the place where “fear and wonder both collide” in the hummingbird’s riddle is the Piney Woods (84), but Olive is skeptical of her home evoking fear. As for the riddle’s “words [they] didn’t know were missing” (84), Marvin sang his and Luther’s favorite song, “Blowin’ in the Wind.” Luther explains he and Marvin were best friends and served in the Vietnam War together, but Marvin died. He is grateful for a chance to reminisce and hopes the girls find the hummingbird. He also reveals someone else asked him questions about the hummingbird, but won’t say whom; Luther simply reminds the girls that they aren’t the only ones with a wish.

Grace suggests she and Olive have a sleepover, where they can talk about the hummingbird without being overheard. Meanwhile, Hatch behaves strangely, initiating a brief conversation with Olive at school and helping set up her sleepover. During the sleepover, Grace reveals she wishes to create things, like her current business building doghouses. She doesn’t want to wait until she’s an adult to start her dream; Olive agrees. Hatch suddenly leaves for the woods, and the girls realize he could be the one spying on them.

Grandpa Goad calls Olive with information about the hummingbird: He advises she find rememory birds, magical birds native to the Appalachian forests that make nests out of memories. Later, Olive bumps into classmate Ransom, and he gives her his shark-tooth necklace after she compliments it. He feels the universe leads him to find things so he can give them to others. Olive realizes having “normal” bones wouldn’t have changed the specialness of this moment. Later, she confirms Hatch has been lying to his father about his school life. She confronts his spying, and he claims her wish isn’t worthy; he has his own wish but doesn’t reveal it. Olive realizes Hatch’s habits are signs of grief.