Nightingale's Nest by Nikki Lofton is a modern-day story of a boy, Little John, whose family is still reeling from the tragedy of losing Little John's sister several months previously. Not only are there emotional scars, but the event has left the family with little money, when they never had much to begin with. It is summer, and Little John is working with his father doing tree work for the town's richest resident-- an aloof and strange widower named Mr. King. It is while working in Mr. King's massive property that Little John encounters Gayle-- a tiny waif of a girl who is fostered to the not-so-kind Cutlin family. Gayle is not like anyone Little John has ever known. She sings with the purest voice he's ever heard, one that appears to make even the birds quieten to listen. Not only that, but she appears to have some type of power to help wounds and hurts heal. Little John is mesmerized by Gayle, but he isn't the only one. Mr.King has also been listening and watching, and he has an interest in Gayle's abilities that seems selfish and almost sinister. Little John soon finds himself in a terrible dilemma-- he can protect Gayle, or use her and her talents to benefit Mr. King and ultimately his family. 
 Nightingale's Nest is a book filled with several remarkable elements. It is beautifully written, with language that is carefully crafted to immerse the reader in the feel of the place and the characters. It is also a fine example of magical realism (a term that is new to me, though the idea isn't), and this is something very tricky to do well in a children's book. Given a child's developmental shift from what is concrete to abstract, this book pushes the reader to suspend disbelief, embrace possibilities, and come to terms with the ambiguities within the story that are not ever completely settled within the text. Unlike some other reviewers, I did feel like the characterization of Little John and Gayle was strong. I felt that I knew these two characters. It is harder to know Little John's mom and dad or Mr. King. I feel that this was intentional, though. It was part of that ambiguity that the reader has to confront and come to terms with. All three characters have qualities I found myself admiring, but others that either confused or repulsed me. Of course the parallels and allusion to Hans Christian Andersen's story "The Nightingale" were fascinating to a lover of literature. 
 All in all, Nightingale's Nest is a masterful and memorable book. My 4-star rating comes more from the fact that there is just so much sadness in the story than anything inherently lacking in the book or writing. It is a book I'm glad that I read, and one I'd enthusiastically recommend.