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A review by fiekesfiction
The Invincible Summer of Juniper Jones by Daven McQueen
5.0
( I did receive an Advanced Reader Copy of this book from NetGally, but these opinions and feelings are entirely my own and in no way influenced by the way I got the material. )
The invincible summer of Juniper Jones tells the story if Ethan Harper. In the summer of 1955 Ethan has to live with his aunt and uncle. There he meets Juniper Jones, a very excited kind girl who has made it her goal to have the best summer ever.
When I started reading this story it immediately grabbed my attention and didn't let go. This is mostly because of the characters. Ethan is a very nice character to follow. During the story he becomes more and more aware that the world is not fair and that some people are treated poorly only because of the color of his skin. It is easy to connect with him as we see him trying to deal with his situation.
"'Because' said Juniper Jones, 'you're the quiet type. Not too noticeable. Not in a bad way, of course- it's just that I think back where you're from, you don't have a problem fitting in.' She paused, suddenly troubled. 'But not here. Here in Ellison, things are different, and you stick out like a sore thumb.' "
Even more likable is the second main character of this story, Juniper Jones (aka Starfish). Juniper is as likeable as it gets. Everything she does and says is filled with a passion and determination. She is different from all the other people in town. She is filled with love for Ethan and everyone she meets. They both just feel very genuine and like real children.
“Good.” Juniper grinned widely, her teeth uneven between her rose petal lips. “Making sense is for nerds and grown-ups. I am way more interesting.”
What really stuck out to me is how this story is very happy and relatable, while at the same time dealing with heavy topics such as racism and bullying. You get to see a lot of summer adventures, where the pair climbs trees, drinks milkshake and makes paintings. But there always is this threat in the background of people who really don't like Ethan being in town. You get to see some big and some smaller signs of how much everyone seems to dislike Ethan for the color of his skin. The fact that the characters are so flashed out makes it easy to understand the horrible topics even better. All I wanted was for these two kids to just be able to have the best summer ever without having to think about any big world problems.
“I know this isn’t how it works, but if I could reach out an airplane window, I think I’d borrow a few stars and bring them back home.” “What would you do with them?” She paused for a moment, thinking. “I think I’d hang them on people’s front doors,” she decided. “So much sunshine here in the summer, but God knows this town could use a little light.”
The way this story is written made it very easy for me to picture everything in my head. I loved the descriptions of the town.
This book has made me laugh several times, it has made my cry and it has made me want to scream in frustration.
The invincible summer of Juniper Jones tells the story if Ethan Harper. In the summer of 1955 Ethan has to live with his aunt and uncle. There he meets Juniper Jones, a very excited kind girl who has made it her goal to have the best summer ever.
When I started reading this story it immediately grabbed my attention and didn't let go. This is mostly because of the characters. Ethan is a very nice character to follow. During the story he becomes more and more aware that the world is not fair and that some people are treated poorly only because of the color of his skin. It is easy to connect with him as we see him trying to deal with his situation.
"'Because' said Juniper Jones, 'you're the quiet type. Not too noticeable. Not in a bad way, of course- it's just that I think back where you're from, you don't have a problem fitting in.' She paused, suddenly troubled. 'But not here. Here in Ellison, things are different, and you stick out like a sore thumb.' "
Even more likable is the second main character of this story, Juniper Jones (aka Starfish). Juniper is as likeable as it gets. Everything she does and says is filled with a passion and determination. She is different from all the other people in town. She is filled with love for Ethan and everyone she meets. They both just feel very genuine and like real children.
“Good.” Juniper grinned widely, her teeth uneven between her rose petal lips. “Making sense is for nerds and grown-ups. I am way more interesting.”
What really stuck out to me is how this story is very happy and relatable, while at the same time dealing with heavy topics such as racism and bullying. You get to see a lot of summer adventures, where the pair climbs trees, drinks milkshake and makes paintings. But there always is this threat in the background of people who really don't like Ethan being in town. You get to see some big and some smaller signs of how much everyone seems to dislike Ethan for the color of his skin. The fact that the characters are so flashed out makes it easy to understand the horrible topics even better. All I wanted was for these two kids to just be able to have the best summer ever without having to think about any big world problems.
“I know this isn’t how it works, but if I could reach out an airplane window, I think I’d borrow a few stars and bring them back home.” “What would you do with them?” She paused for a moment, thinking. “I think I’d hang them on people’s front doors,” she decided. “So much sunshine here in the summer, but God knows this town could use a little light.”
The way this story is written made it very easy for me to picture everything in my head. I loved the descriptions of the town.
This book has made me laugh several times, it has made my cry and it has made me want to scream in frustration.