Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

Jamie Sumner writes middle grade novels that readers want to read. I really feel like this will be helpful to kids who struggle with anxiety, feel like the misfits, and want to be "seen" in a book. June goes between rebellious (shaving her head) and renegade (taking on new challenges, such as the secret library garden).

The characters felt authentic to me, and I loved the author's writing style. I think this will be popular with my youth book club.

Jamie Sumner is excellent at writing strong female characters. Readers will root for June as she figures out who she is.

I’m a new fan of this author! I have pre ordered the book for my kids and will probably order more from this author. I struggle with anxiety but I think my parents did too. This is a great book that will help kids think about things

A relatable mid grade story with a main character easy to like/sympathize with. Friendship is a theme throughout!

Clinical anxiety is overwhelming, and nearly impossible for the outsider to understand. That's what makes books like this one so important. In June we have a protagonist who has fully come to terms with her anxiety. She accepts the need for her therapist and finding the right medication. And she is determined to "beat" her illness. She's determined and pushes back against things that are hard for her. But the narrative is also realistic. Sometimes she fails. Sometimes the fight is too hard, her anxiety too overpowering, and she shuts down. There is no miracle cure, no perfect ally who will help her overcome. It's a constant battle to win as many days as she can and find comfort in the days that she can't. The plot is fairly simple, giving Sumner plenty of space to develop the characters into fully fleshed people with quirks and failings. A charming read for the introspective sort.

I loved this sweet book. I honestly didn't have big hopes for it but was very pleasantly surprised! Deals so beautifully with Anxiety Disorder in a younger person and all the ways younger people want to try and "fix" themselves. I was very impressed with how delicately and beautifully the author gave such a vivid picture of what it is like to live with anxiety. I also have to say that being a librarian I loved the library aspect of the story. It tugged at my heart and made me feel like my job was worthwhile.

Adorable and heartwarming middle grade contemporary. I loved that the story was set so often in the library. Fantastic anxiety rep that is dealt with in a healthy way, though do be aware of content warnings for physical manifestations of anxiety. June is a cute character and her relationship with her mother is wonderful. The majority of the story felt very realistic and moved smoothly, but the character of Mrs. Tandy was a distraction. She felt a bit too predictable and problematic, a bit of a stereotype for the crotchety character who wrecks the plan for the whole town. If she had been softened a bit around the edges and made to feel more human and believable this book would have been a 5-star. As is, this is still definitely a middle grade worth the read. Wholesome, inspiring, and cozy.

This is the best book I’ve read in a long time. Maybe it’s because I can really relate to it. Anxiety is a fickle monster rearing it’s head when you least expect it and beg it not to. It’s always at the worst times.

June’s story is one of the most important stories I’ve read for middle grade students (and adults) ever. It encompasses anxiety like someone who truly understands and that is something hard to accept if you don’t know it personally.

With that, June is starting the summer with the goal of conquering her anxiety and being “a Lion”. Unexpectedly and invited a new person inserts himself into her life and she constantly worries about this too. However, every time she makes a step forward she feels like she goes backward too. She is determined to make hers and her moms dreams come true this summer, but to do this, she has to let people that care in and learn to calm her anxiety.

A great addition to the books about kids with anxiety. It showed the negative sides of the illness as well as moments of full-blown trauma and had some very sweet moments. This had lovely a mother-daughter relationship, positive relationships between safe adults and kids, and the cute beginnings of friends/crushes. This was a quick read.

I loved meeting June and her supporting cast of characters! Sumner does a wonderful job of making June's anxiety tangible, but not taking it so far that younger readers will be overwhelmed. Of course I smiled to see the setting of the library as a safe space, despite one very cranky librarian. There were many well-developed characters, most of whom where more than first meets the eye. We know all along that there is much more to June than her anxiety - an idea which she reinforces for herself as she gets to learn about other dimensions to the people in her life. There are wonderful sensory descriptions through the novel. The ending feels triumphant without being too easy. Sumner does a nice job of keeping the triumphs realistic for an eleven-year-old.

Wonderful book by the author of Roll With It and One Kid’s Trash. Like her author works, Sumner highlights a main character who has a significant struggle, in this case, anxiety. June wants to be strong and independent and with support from a new friend, her mother, and another staff member in the library, this summer she takes a stand and is able to fight for something she believes in. Readers will hurt for June as she tries to cope with almost overwhelming panic and feelings of unworthiness and cheer as she begins to take small steps in speaking what she knows and taking pride in her abilities. Well-developed characters, great descriptions of feelings, and of a teen library space that everyone will wish they had! No profanity, sexual content or violence. Highly recommended for grades 4-7.

June hopes to tame her anxiety this summer and own her independence. She learns new coping skills, grows a secret garden behind the library, “the plants have taken care of me”, and opens herself up to trying new experiences so she won’t miss anything. She meets poetry quoting Homer who encourages her to be herself, and it gives her courage to stand up for herself in a tough situation. Great book showing the possibilities and growth where one can live in the moment.

Thank you to netgalley for providing an e-galley for review. June has anxiety, but this summer is going to change everything, starting with a major change that June isn't quite certain about after she does it. This is a positive, hopeful middle grade novel about a girl with anxiety that shows therapy and therapists in a positive light, that shows mental illness without stigma. It's very real, but it is not dark and depressing.

Meet June, who at the beginning of summer vacation is moving to a new town and trying to deal with her anxiety. She has decided that THIS summer, she's going to get her anxiety under control. She's been pulling her hair out as a coping mechanism, leaving her with big bald patches, so she's cut off all her hair. She meets a boy named Homer who quotes poetry and a man named Luis who plants things. It has wonderful themes of friendship and family, supporting one another, coping with anxiety, and finding your own path. I think the kids are going to love this one.

Great middle grade book featuring anxiety and worry. I could relate to a lot of what June felt and went through and I think many of my students could as well.
I really liked how June's friendship with Homer developed. I think he was a great friend for her.
I wish some more information about Mrs. Tandy and her library experience would have been included but maybe the librarian in me wanted that more than a young reader would. :)

June shows us how dealing with anxiety can affect our lives in big ways. June is a likable character who you will want to root for, as she faces challenges. She has a great relationship with her mom and strives to overcome her fears and worries, but sometimes circumstances overpower her. She is resilient though, and keeps coming back and working to be strong as she makes a new friend and fights for an important cause.

I've only just started reading this book and already I've started talking about it to others. I've wanted a book like this since I started realizing how long my kid has been suffering from crippling anxiety and the depression it became. June's experiences sound like so many of the things my kid has described over the years and its the content I think we need more of. Too many kids don't understand what it's like to feel this way and often inadvertently make their friends feel even worse. I wish this book had come out when my kid was in middle school and we listened to audiobooks on the way to school and back. I think we could have started solving the problems much sooner. Thank you to the author for diving into a hard hard topic in a way that keeps me turning pages.

This book showed such a realistic portrayal of adolescent anxiety. June was a relatable character, and the way she dealt with her anxiety really made me think about my own tween daughter and how she copes in stressful situations. It's important to pick up on cues and to be empathetic.

I worry greatly about the stress we put on kids these days, and how they are expected to deal with complicated situations. I like that June was not talked down to by the adults in her life, and that she had good role models in her mom, her therapist, and a few others.

With her single mom being the YA librarian at their local library, and it being summer break, much of the book takes place in the library. June meets Homer, a boy her age who is at the library everyday, and they become friends. I appreciated the way their friendship developed, and that both of them had things that they were not able to express to others, that they could confide in with each other. Their friendship was built on trust and it was wonderful to see June have a supportive friend her age.

I hope that kids who have anxiety take comfort in seeing parts of themselves and their experiences portrayed in contemporary middle grade fiction. It's nice to see therapy being normalized, especially since my own ten year old daughter started therapy earlier this year.

Excellent book that I'll be referring to a few of my friends!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an opportunity to review this digital ARC.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC.

Honest, heartbreaking, and hopeful all at once. June is like a breath of fresh air and so many young readers will relate on so many levels to this brave, amazing girl. I could not put this story down.

On a personal note, my oldest also deals with anxiety and this book gave me a window into what she lives. Thank you Jamie for helping me to understand her just a little more.