THE PEACH REBELLION blew me away. The varied family dynamics in which each of these young women is entangled, and the evolving relationships that develop between Ginny Rose, Peggy, and Lisette, fuel this powerful historical novel about post-WWII California. Its depiction of women’s roles at the dawn of the Boomer era hint at the changes that, decades in the future, would eventually culminate in Title IX; female governors, senators, and Supreme Court justices; and Kamala Harris sitting a heartbeat away from the Presidency.

Excellent YA historical fiction set in post-WWII northern California. The novel is narrated by Ginny Rose, a poor girl whose family migrated from Oklahoma during the Dust Bowl, and Peggy, who lives on a peach farm. Ginny Rose and Peggy had become fast friends when they met as children, and when they reconnect ten years later, their friendship remains strong despite the differences between them. There are definitely some modern sensibilities brought into this story, but it works well and the characters are absolutely wonderful. Van Draanen clearly did a lot of research for this novel, and works it seamlessly into the story. Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Children's, and Knopf Books for Young Readers for a digital review copy.

The Peach Rebellion focuses on two teenage girls, Peggy and Ginny Rose, growing up in California in the 1940s. The story is told in the first person and alternates chapters between the two girls. They were friends as children, when Ginny Rose's family worked as pickers on Peggy's family peach farm. After years apart during which Ginny Rose's family in particular struggled to survive, they have reunited. Ginny Rose's family is still dealing with the aftermath of her younger brother's deaths many years earlier. Peggy, whose family is better off than Ginny Rose's, is frustrated that she works the farm for almost nothing. Neither of their parents are happy that they're friends again. When Ginny Rose learns about a beautiful section of the local cemetery where babies and young children are buried, she's determined to move her brothers' bodies there in the hopes that it will help to heal her mother's broken heart - but when her parents refuse, she and Peggy come up with a plan to do it on their own.

This book was very slow moving until the last third or so. I found it difficult to get into, largely due to the writing style. I don't love when narration is written in dialect (for example, apostrophes at the end of words ending in g - rollin', workin', etc - in the narration, not just the dialogue). I know it's meant to help us get into Ginny Rose's head and differentiate her chapters and way of speaking from Peggy's but it didn't work for me, though I can see where it may work for other readers. The first half of the book felt like a set up for the second half, with a lot of exposition, and not a lot happened for a while.

I did really like the way the book showed the differences between Peggy, Ginny Rose, and Peggy's friend Lisette, the rich daughter of a banker, as well as the similarities between them and the way they all came together despite those differences. Each of the girls helps the others grow and learn to stand up for themselves, and Lisette in particular really benefits from Ginny Rose's experiences and perspectives and has perhaps the most character growth despite not having a first person perspective.

A lot of things seemed to wrap up a little too easily. While it was nice, it didn't all feel very realistic, which was too bad considering the gritty tone the book often tried to take.

I read some of Wendelin Van Draanen's books many years ago and remember liking them, especially The Running Dream, so I was really looking forward to this one. I'm not sure if it just didn't work for me as well as the others or if I would feel the same way about her other books if I were to read them now. Overall, this wasn't for me, but I think readers who enjoy a slower, character based book and who don't mind the narration style would appreciate it more. 2.5 stars, rounded up.

This was a cute story about friendship and how it evolves over time.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Thank you Netgalley for the chance to review this book.

Ginny Rose and Peggy were best friends at seven, picking peaches on hot summer days. Peggy’s family owned the farm, and Ginny Rose’s were pickers, escaping the Oklahoma dust storms. That didn’t matter to them then, but now, ten years, hard miles, and a world war later, Ginny Rose’s family is back in town and their differences feel somehow starker. Especially since Peggy’s new best friend, Lisette, is a wealthy banker’s daughter.

Being from Georgia the cover drew me in! This was a historical romance so I was a little iffy about reading it. It's a very beautiful tale of friendship. Friends fighting against injustices, this is a truly inspiring and heart-warming story.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, Random House Children’s and by #NetGalley. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Fantastic, lovely historical fiction. Relatable characters a book that should appeal to many.

I love Wendelin Van Draanen’s books and The Peach Rebellion is her best yet! It’s also my favorite book that I’ve read in a while.

Ginny Rose is a former migrant worker from Oklahoma whose family is finally settling down in California after WW2. She’s happy to be living near Peggy, whose family owns a peach orchard that Ginny Rose and her family worked at for several summers. As young girls they were great friends despite the differences in their situations, and Peggy is thrilled to see Ginny Rose again after years of wondering where she was and how she was doing.

A tragedy many years before continues to cast a shadow over Ginny Rose’s family, but Ginny Rose is determined to do what she can to love and support her family.

Peggy works hard as farmer’s daughter and is tired of being seen as less-than by others, including her best friend Lisette’s family. Lisette’s father is a banker and her mother is very concerned with appearances.

The book shifts between the perspectives of Ginny Rose and Peggy, both of whom begin to question the status quo, and feel the need to go against their families’ rules to do what is right.

I loved this book so much. The details and the setting transported me back in time and I felt like I was there. I loved the strong female protagonists. They made mistakes (relatable) and you can see their development and growth as the story progresses. Plus, and this is a big one, I just liked and cared about them both a lot.

I recommend this to everyone, and especially those who enjoy historical fiction or books about the power of friendship or overcoming adversity.

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

World War II is over, but things are still difficult for some people. This includes Ginny Rose, whose family was displaced by the Dust Bowl. They ended up in California after the deaths of her two young brothers from dystentery. For a while, they worked at Peggy's family peach farm, and the two girls became good friends. After time away, finding work in other places, Ginny Rose and her family, which now includes three younger sisters, are back. Their father has a job, they have a modest place to live, and Ginny Rose is earning good money for the summer at the local cannery. Peggy is glad to see her friend back, even if her mother is not. Peggy works long hours at the family farm, and is not happy when her older sister, who left home to get married and is now pregnant with her second child, tells her that their brother will inherit all of the property just because he is male. Peggy is interested in a boy who is very popular and whose father runs the local car dealership, and this sometimes puts her at odds with her friend Lisette. Lisette's father is a banker, and is moving the family into a "better" neighborhood, to a house that the bank has repossessed. Lisetter is very judgemental and cares deeply about appearances, but does care for Peggy, and gives her many of her old clothes. Peggy is grateful for these, and in turn gives some of her old dresses to Ginny, who is just grateful to her more than two outfits so that she doesn't have to do as much laundry after returning from her job covered in peach juice. Ginny Rose's mother suffers from depression tied to the deaths of the young boys years previously, and Ginny Rose comes up with a plan-- if she can retrieve the remains from the ditch where the boys were unceremoniously buried, and get them a plot in the local church cemetery, perhaps her mother's moods would improve. When Peggy hears about this plan, she reaches out to the minister's wife with a plan to ask the congregation for money, and soon even Lisette is drawn into the plan. Add in some romances, plans for the future, and family tensions, and Peggy and Ginny Rose's summer before returning to high school becomes a complicated one indeed.
Strengths: In her first historical novel, Van Draanen has certainly done her research into post WWII America, and there are lots of good details about the late 1940s. The fashions (that feed sack dress with the kittens holding umbrellas!), the cars, the roller skating, and the societal expections for the girls, based on their socioeconomic status, all are interesting. There were so many family farms in the mid twentieth century, and so little coverage about what life was like for those young people. California was an especially interesting place during this time period, and seeing how "Okies" were treated even years after the Great Depression was fascinating.
Weaknesses: There's a bit of modern sensibility layered on top of the realities of life in the 1940s, but younger readers won't notice this. I had trouble believing that Ginny Rose's mother was so despondent over the death of her sons. Women during the Great Depression and WWII were no strangers to loss, and would have had no choice but to forget and go on. My other niggle is that feed sack dresses were not stiff and scratchy, especially when they were well worn, but there is an entire PhD dissertation on feed sacks that could be had!
What I really think: Given the age of the characters and the length of the book (416 pages), this is most likely a Young Adult novel, but it reads more like YA from the 1980s (It reminded me vaguely of Lowry's Find a Stranger, Say Goodbye or Voigt's Tillerman saga, for no particularly good reason) or a current middle grade book. Since I have three copies of this author's 2011 The Running Dream, which is still very popular with my students, I will definitely be purchasing a copy.

I’m quite the fan of Wendelin VanDrannen, so I was excited to learn about this, her first historical fiction novel. The entwined stories of Ginny Rose, her sisters, and the boys, along with Peggy and Lisette made for a sweet, post WWII novel about how we can all find our similarities in our differences. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to be an early reader in exchange for my review.

This is a very thought provoking story about three 17-year-old girls in California. Set in 1946, it deals with differences in the economic status of each of the families: one is the daughter of a banker, one lives on a farm growing peaches, one is the oldest in a family of migrant laborers. Each has pre-conceived ideas about the lives of the others, but they discover they have more in common than one would have expected.

Get out your hankies and set aside a block of time for this one because even though you can imagine how the storyline will proceed, you will want to know just how we get there.
Though this may be written for a young adult readership, as a senior adult I simply couldn't put it down and was fully immersed. I could picture everything as I read and empathize with each of the characters and their pride, vanity, warm-heartedness, fatigue, energy, worries, and foibles. It's a lovely tale of three very different girls coming together to make their lives meaningful. Sequel please! Actually, I'd sure love to see this as a film as well!

Here is a n historical tale where folks decide they can put their own agendas aside and just do the right thing. The author has woven a beautiful story adults should read and heed the lesson, put the past behind and step boldly into the future.

Ginny Rose and Peggy were best friends back when they were seven years old and picking peaches on hot summer days. Peggy’s family owned the farm, and Ginny Rose family were pickers, escaping the Oklahoma dust storms. Now jump ten years into the future filled with hard miles, and a world of tragedy later, Ginny Rose’s family is back in town and their differences are now quite distinct. New seventeen, Peggy’s new best friend, Lisette, is a wealthy banker’s daughter making the reunion more complicated

Still, there's no denying all three girls have commonalities. Each family has great issues that are about to break wide open taking the children with them.

It’s time to take a stand and this summer they each find how to overcome the economic status that defines each girl. It’s a season of secrets revealed and a daring and seemingly impossible plan to heal old wounds. This one summer proves to break through prejudices where the adults realize it’s time to put aside pride and make things right for all involved.

Gifted and talented writer, Wendelin Van Draanen, provides her readers young and old with an extraordinary historical novel using, alternating voices of two courageous, unbreakable teenagers during post World War II California.
While inspiring and definitely worthy of reading, I don’t see many middle and YA readers sticking with this to the end.

This summer long story includes themes of friendship, forgiveness, family, social injustices, heartbreak, healing, and love which will speak to all ages and backgrounds. Ginny Rose is from a large migrant family who fled Oklahoma during the Dust Bowl with virtually no possessions. Peggy is a successful peach farmer's daughter, and Lisette, a wealthy banker's daughter. Each girl's story comes with very unique family dynamics.

It’s a rough and rocky road as these three resilient young ladies discover how strong and unstoppable they are as they unite for a common purpose. Be ready for a heart-stopping adventure that will lead them down a path with an unpredictable outcome especially since their bravado is totally in the face of their parents beliefs and wishes.

Another fantastic story by Wendelin Van Draanen! A lovely historical fiction piece that tells the story of three teenage girls and their summer of change. Beautifully written with relatable characters, this book is sure to appeal to many readers.

This book was cute, but not quite my cup of tea. I was bored, couldn’t really get into it. It’s a sweet story about class struggles and friendships, but I personally feel that it’s more for younger YA readers. The writing style is just not for me. That being said, students in my library do enjoy Van Draanen’s other books, so they will probably enjoy this one as well.

“And as I reseat the tire and pump it full of air, I start thinkin’ about how a tire is like life itself. When it springs a leak, you can moan about the flat, or you can patch it, pump it full of air again, then get back on and ride. ’Course people don’t usually see the patches of your inner tube, which is how a tire and life are different.” --Ginny Rose from The Peach Rebellion

The ultra-gifted and talented writer, Wendelin Van Draanen, treats her reading audience to an extraordinary historical novel via the authentic, alternating voices of two courageous, unbreakable teenagers during post World War II California.

This story will captivate you from the heartrending Prologue to the insightful, inspiring words on the last page. It's definitely worthy of reading, re-reading, and will make a fantastic discussion book when it debuts in the spring. In my humble opinion, this one has award winner written all over it.

The timeless themes of friendship, forgiveness, family, social injustices, heartbreak, healing, and love will resonate loudly with readers of all ages and backgrounds. However, what drives this compelling story is the character development of three complicated, multi-faceted teenagers: Ginny Rose, a migrant from Oklahoma during the Dust Bowl, Peggy, a peach farmer's daughter, and Lisette, a banker's daughter. Each girl's story comes with very unique family dynamics.

This spirited trio must find a way to forget their differences and come together to right a wrong and bring peace and closure to a broken family. In the process, these three resilient young ladies discover how strong and unstoppable they are as they unite for a common purpose. It will take them on a wild, heart-stopping adventure that will lead them down a path toward binding up the wounds of the past and embracing a promising future.

No one captures the pain, anguish, failures, joys, triumphs, hopes, and dreams of her characters quite like Wendelin Van Draanen. She has an uncanny ability to articulate, with her impeccable language skills, the essence of who they are and what motivates them to action.

The signature element of Wendelin Van Draanen’s writing is the way she engages her readers and brings them into the heart of her story with her descriptive, powerful words and fast-paced storylines.

This master weaver of stories creates breathtaking, satisfying conclusions. The one for The Peach Rebellion may be the best yet, leaving you very uplifted and possibly in tears.

As a longtime school librarian and proud fourth generation native Oklahoman, I invite you to pre-order The Peach Rebellion, available in bookstores and online in May, 2022. It will be a reading experience that will live long in your heart, soul, and memory as it will in mine.

This story of friendship, class differences, and humanity set in post-WWII California will tug at heartstrings. This could be a Battle selection in the future!

What a fantastic book! The only other book I have read by Wendelin Van Draanen is The Running Dream, but I knew I could expect a good read. This book blew my expectations out of the water! I was completely invested from the first pages. This was a book that pulled on my heartstrings and my love of history. I will be recommending this book to my students when we get to the Great Depression and Dust Bowl unit. I may even set up a book circle for it. The interwoven stories of three young women from varying social backgrounds navigating a world built for men and upset by depression and war made this book so accessible and engaging. I know this book has not been released yet, but I find myself hoping the author revisits this group of ladies as they grow into adulthood in the 1950s. I would love to see how they tackle societal expectations in an age of conformity and a time when America was looking away from rural settings to the suburbs and space!

Loved this book! The timeless tell of unique friendships, hardship, and of course peaches. I immediately connected with the characters and was rooting for them till the very end.

Historical fiction set in California after World War 2. This story follows two very different girls who were best friends one summer: Ginny Rose, whose family traveled all over California picking fruits and vegetables (people who were called Okies back in the day) and Peggy, whose family owns a peach orchard. The two girls had met the summer when they are seven and had become fast friends. Their paths cross again one day when Ginny Rose and her family move back to town, 10 years later. This book tells about the differences between the two families and shows how hard some families had to work and struggle just to get by.

I enjoyed this historical fiction set in California after WWII. It shows the difference between the white collar families in the small town and the Okies that migrated to California to do what ever it takes to support their family. Two young girls, Ginny Rose and Peggy, each come from different worlds but both come to realize how unfair the world around them is and they try to make changes.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book for review.