I was pleasantly surprised with how good this book was. I chose to read it on a whim and was blown away by the story and how much it moved me.

Some subject matters aren’t an easy pill to swallow, but they need to be shared to keep the truth and history alive. Ethan Harper’s experience in Alabama, though fictional, stems from a time and place in our country when racism was alive and well, but one character went above and beyond to make him feel welcome when no one else would.

Juniper Jones was a fantastic character and we should all aspire to be more like her. Not only for her kind heart and acceptance, but for her free spirit and sense of adventure. She was determined to make Ethan’s summer in Alabama one he would never forget and to show him the beauty that can be found in ugliest times.

This story was beautifully written and at times so tragic that it brought me to tears. I highly recommend it, and also think it would be an excellent book for students to read in school!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3292531182

This book destroyed me. I. Am. Not. Okay. ⁣
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In the summer of 1955 Ethan, a biracial teen from the west coast, is sent to live with his white aunt and uncle in small town Alabama. ⁣
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Enter in, Juniper Starfish Jones, a care-free, fun loving, eccentric girl ready to take on the invincible summer with Ethan. ⁣
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This is a coming of age story about race, segregation, fight, injustice, understanding and love. It will leave you in pieces, but it is an important story. ⁣
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“The way I see it, you know, people are like the different paint circles on a palette. You’ve got your reds and blues and greens and yellows, and you need all of them to make a painting”⁣

I received an ARC of this title from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review! CAN I GO AHEAD AND PREDICT: Newbery 2021! This is the best MG/YA book about race relations in the Deep South (set in Jim Crow times) that I’ve read in a LONG time! The author includes a trigger warning in the front of the book, so I won’t add that here, but she did a beautiful job holding nothing back. She does more than call racism for what it is: she also challenges the white population to take a good look at themselves. At the same time, she gives voice to the black population in a way I haven’t seen in MG/YA literature before. Ethan and Juniper are characters that will stick with me for a long time. This book comes out in June and I can’t recommend it highly enough!

This book was an amazing read. A coming of age novel set in the Deep South during the times of racism and segregation weaves a story of two young teens, both viewed by their town as outcasts, through one epic summer. Ethan and Juniper both have their own challenges in life, but when they’re together, all the nonsense in the world seems to disappear...until reality hits them and it comes roaring back front and center. This is a must read for young adults studying racism during the 1950s.

Wow. All I can truly say is wow. This story is absolutely impeccable. By the end of this book I was completely in tears. Racial historical fiction is very hard for me to read due to my own lives experiences but I am so glad I read this book. It’s a great coming to age story about race, friendship and the importance of not being complicit when the status quo is pushed to the forefront.

Thank you to Net Gallery who gave me this book in exchange for my honest review - I will be purchasing this book to support the author and recommending it to everyone I know.

The author deals with race in the 50's in the south. Told from a bi-racial point of view it is revealed that Ethan's white father has never prepared him for racism. The feelings explode in Ethan as he finds himself sent to live with his white aunt and uncle in a small town in Alabama for the summer for punishment for fighting. His only salvation is one white girl, Juniper, who others think is the town "weirdo". Their growing relationship is the high point of the book. She, the aunt and uncle try their best to deal with their own racism and the conflict in the little town.. Nothing good comes from those that are racists.

This book was great and I liked it. The stories and characters were amazing. Such a powerful story. My attention was held the whole time.

Set in a small town in rural Alabama in the 1950s, The Invincible Summer of Juniper Jones is a story of friendship that is both hopeful and heart-wrenching. Every once in a while a book comes along that really strikes a cord deep in your soul. It changes you a little, then stays with you forever. This is that book. I'm not sure I can even explain why, it's just special.

“The Invincible Summer of Juniper Jones” is a breathtaking coming of age story that touches on the bonds of friendship and family, and the hardships of racism and prejudice. This young adult historical fiction novel depicts lives in the south in the 1950’s for a young biracial boy. After getting in an altercation at school, fourteen-year-old Ethan Harper is sent to live with his aunt and uncle for the summer in Alabama. Ethan immediately feels out of place and is discriminated against by the townspeople, as he is the only person of color present in their small town. However, Ethan meets Juniper Jones, a spark of light in this unwelcoming town, and his summer is changed forever. Juniper Jones is free-spirited, effervescent, and does not care what people think of her, thus making her an outcast from most of the town. She immediately connects with Ethan, and makes it her mission for the two of them to have the best, most invincible summer ever.

This novel is both heart-warming and heart-wrenching, and will put you through a whirlwind of emotions. I laughed and I cried as I read this beautiful piece of young adult literature. “The Invincible Summer of Juniper Jones” demonstrates how one summer can change your life, and the beauty someone can find in friendship and family despite the oppression surrounding him. I fell in love with the characters, and the story will stick with me for a long time. This novel will be a perfect recommendation for my 8th grade students next year, and I hope they will love the story as much as I do.

Thank you to NetGalley and Smith Publicity for an advance copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to the publisher for giving me an arc in exchange for an honest review!

Okay we really need to talk about this book!

The writing style is amazing! This book reads so fast and easy because the writing is so smooth. I literally flew through it!

Then there was the story. The story was great! I absolutely loved it! There were times that made me laugh so much and I totally sobbed at times too. I thought the haracter development in the story was amazing too! I always find it so disappointing when the characters are dull and boring, but that's definitely not with this one!!

This will definitely be one of those books that I recommend to my friends! I absolutely adored the story and I would read it again!

A biracial boy and free-spirited white girl become best friends in small-town Alabama in 1955. It is impossible not to fall in love with the charming and utterly pure Juniper Starfish Jones. For Ethan, who had never faced such unmitigated, blatant racism before, June’s friendship and kindness are all that are getting him through an otherwise terrible summer. Their story is adorable, quirky, fun, important, relevant, and heartbreakingly beautiful. Be prepared to experience laughter, tears, and every expression of emotion in between. I read this book in a single setting; I couldn’t put it down! Ethan and June are extraordinary characters. I will not soon forget them. 5 enthusiastic stars!

Thank you NetGalley, Daven McQueen, Ana publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book gave me all the feels - I laughed, I cried, and cried some more. Ethan is a teenager and of mixed race, he spends a summer with his aunt & uncle in Alabama. It’s the 1950’s and it’s a shock to his system of how close minded people are, how he’s treated, and not welcomed. Thank goodness he meets Juniper Jones! They form a beautiful friendship as she guides him through cultures with her kickaxx, spunky attitude. Love these characters and this book! Thank you Wattpad Books, NetGalley, and Daven McQueen for this ARC. This is my honest review.

This book stole my heart. At its core, it's a story about friendship and how both love and hate have the ability to transform people. The friendship between Juniper and Ethan is lovely and it's written so the reader feels like part of their duo having an invincible summer along with them. I appreciated McQueen's direct approach to the racial tension of the 50s and the depiction of the discrimination, hate, and physical abuse Ethan suffered at the hands of racist townsfolk. I think she nailed the balance between allowing the reader to fall in love with the story and characters while simultaneously building a sick-to-your-stomach feeling of dread about what would happen to Ethan and Juniper. Ultimately, it's a story about hope and progress, even as it made me so angry and very sad. Both fans of historical fiction and contemporary fiction like T.H.U.G and Monday's Not Coming will enjoy this book. I can't wait to recommend it!

Thank you to the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.

Alabama in the 1950s is a tricky topic but dealt with beautifully in this uplifting and moving story. Ethan and Juniper are both great characters - Ethan's inner (and outer) struggles are shown honestly, and Juniper Jones has got to be the perfect name for a feisty female character. The sympathetic treatment of all the characters in seeing multiple sides of their personalities and actions was really well done.

The pacing of this story was great and the story moved along smoothly, with the situation Ethan was in escalating almost without us noticing. I wasn't sure the bookending of the story with Ethan in 2015 was really necessary, although it does allow for some wise words at the end and some stock to be taken on progress in the last 60 years.

My final suggestion is that the author checks out her gardening next time as I'm fairly sure even in Alabama daffodils don't grow in the summer, but this is an extremely minor point that many (especially younger) readers likely will not notice.

This would be an excellent book to give to a young adult as part of educating them about racial injustice.

trigger warning
<spoiler> racism, lynching, bullying, being orphaned, grief, isolation </spoiler>

Ethan is sent to live for the summer as a punishment. At first, he only thinks about all the things he could do if he were still at home, but then he realises that life in rural Alabama in 1955 is dangerous if your skin happens to be the wrong colour.

Juniper Jones adopts Ethan upon their first meeting. She always wanted to have a summer sidekick as she calls it, somebody to go adventuring with. She's a misfit, she sees another misfit and senses opportunities.

I have only one problem with this book, and that is that I was constantly pondering if Juniper Starfish Jones is a manic pixie dream girl or not. Can't decide. Also, I <i>like</i> manic pixie dream girls, apart from their funktion in stories.
I always want to befriend them, and I'd love to be friends with Juniper.

This book made me cry.
That doesn't happen often. Once every few years.
It's beautiful and sad and disgusting all at once, all in the right parts.
And that's from me, who can't connect to race issues because I'm pastry-faced in middle Europe. Can't imagine how you'd feel if you'd read this and share struggles with Ethan.

Just go and read it already.

I recieved a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

An ARC of this novel was sent to me by NetGalley for reviewing purposes. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book is as amazing as its cover- I adored this book! I am extremely impressed by the the settings, the characters, the details, the plot and the development in the characters!

It's the summer of 1955 and Ethan Harper is delivered to his aunt and uncle's home in Alabama. Little does he know what will wait for him. You see, Ethan is biracial, but when he showed up as the only black person the treatment that waited for him, even by his own family, was unexpected.

Also catching Ethan by surprise was the relationship that would develop with a quirky Juniper Jones. She vows to make it the best summer ever and together they embark in pursuit of creating memories to last a lifetime. Summer bucket list includes learning to swim, planting a sunflower in everyone's yard because what could be happier, and more pipe dreams that only June is capable of.

I loved this book so so much. It's been a bit since I've read anything this powerful. It was filled with all of the feels. It hurt because the levels of hurt are unfathomable now. I laughed because who couldn't laugh at Juniper's tactics? It's a story of a boy being forced to see the world around him in a different light. It's a book that is perfect for all young-adults to see how the world was, and really shouldn't be anymore. But perhaps it still it a bit more like this than any of us like to admit.

The Invincible Summer of Juniper Jones takes place in the summer of 1955. Our main character, Ethan, is biracial. After he gets into some trouble, his father sends him to spend the summer with his aunt and uncle. Unlike his home, his aunt and uncle's town is much less accepting of his race. The people make it very clear that he isn't welcome. Then, Ethan meets Juniper Jones (aka Starfish) who is the "weird girl" of the town. She decides that she and Ethan will be best friends and they embark on having an invincible summer. With the help of Juniper Jones, Ethan begins to understand himself and the society he lives in.

I enjoyed this book and how prominently friendship, family, and discussions of race were featured. This is primarily a coming-of-age story in which Ethan begins to realize that the world isn't fair and how deep prejudice runs. Ethan is a likable and genuine character. The reader can understand his frustration, anger, and fear related to how he is treated during the summer. The atmosphere and setting of this book also felt very real and authentic. I was easily able to picture the hot summer adventures that Ethan and Juniper went on.

The only thing that I didn't enjoy as much was the fact that Juniper Jones is very much a manic pixie dream girl. She's a quirky and magical girl that helps Ethan appreciate life more and help his character arc. Her character does develop a bit, but her overall purpose in the plot is to help Ethan with his journey.

I'm also not quite sure if the title 100% represents the book. The title makes it seem like it's Juniper Jones's summer and I think this detracts from how this isn't Juniper's story, it's Ethan's. A title such as "The Invincible Summer of Juniper and Ethan" would be more accurate.

But, overall, this was a solid book. It was written well, covers some important topics, and features some strong characters. It goes by quickly and I would recommend it!

Thank you to Smith Publicity and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Juniper Jones is an incredible character, one who belongs in the annals of care-free individuals with a hidden depth alongside Stargirl Caraway. I loved how this book focused primarily on the idea of friendship between Juniper and Ethan without forcing a romantic element. As someone who teaches a coming of age unit, I could see encouraging students to adopt this for their book clubs next year.

Reading through vision loss
Book Review

The Invincible Summer of Juniper Jones by Daven McQueen

This amazingly written novel takes on race in a small very white centered town in Alabama during the summer of 1955. Ethan Harper is a biracial kid raised by his white father, who has never really discussed race with him. Ethan’s world is turned upside down when he is sent to live with his Aunt and Uncle in Alabama for the summer. His skin color is suddenly all the small town sees. Then he meets Juniper Jones, the town’s oddball. She persuades him to a help her have the most “invincible” summer ever. She tries to help him find the beauty in the ugliest of times. Two of my favorite quotes: “She’s the reason. The whole reason I made it through this summer. She showed me that people can be good and there can be hope , even when it hurts.” “ The revolution is a fire set to burn for generations.” I highly recommend this coming of age story, it brought many laughs, tears, and joy to me. Can’t wait for this authors next story.