Brilliant and fluent in too many languages to count, 15-year-old Sierra Wright can't seem to communicate what is important to her in any language. Though April Wright stubbornly keeps an upbeat attitude about her daughter's future, she has let her own dreams slip away. Just across the bridge lives old Luca, scarred from his time in a Romanian gulag years before. Though he has seemingly given up on people, Sierra is drawn to him despite his prickly edges.

No one else is comfortable with the unpredictable old man spending time alone with Sierra, not even Luca's son. Yet it is this unconventional relationship that will bring two families together to form friendships and unearth their family stories, stories that just might give them all the courage to soar on wings toward a new future.
---
"With The Language of Sparrows, Rachel Phifer creates an engaging, tender tale of the hope that can arise when painful secrets are brought into the light. Poignant backstory and multifaceted characters draw the reader in and keep the pages turning."
Amy K. Sorrells, award-winning author of How Sweet the Sound

"This book is a cracker! It is written with such sensitivity; a really beautiful accomplishment. With subtlety, authenticity and a sure hand, Rachel Phifer draws relationships as they truly are, with all their tenderness and all their struggle. Her characters are entirely believable, their crises and hopes portrayed with honesty and compassion. Rachel also walks reverently into the territory of faith, exploring the role of Scripture as a guide and inspiration, and of prayer in shaping what we become. In an area where so many before her have been ham-fisted and two-dimensional, she gets it splendidly, gloriously right. What a brilliant novel."
Penelope Wilcock, author of The Hawk and the Dove Series

"The Language of Sparrows, by Rachel Phifer, is a beautifully written story of betrayal and an unlikely friendship, forged from understanding. Novel Rocket and I recommend it. It's a perfect book club selection or an end-of-summer read."
Ane Mulligan, president of Novel Rocket
---
As the daughter of missionaries, Rachel Phifer grew up in Malawi, South Africa, and Kenya. She holds a B.A. in English and psychology from Houston Baptist Unversity, and lives in Houston with her family. She blogs at www.rachelphifer.com.