3/5⭐️
Took me a while to get into this one. Felt very much like a MG read. The ending ended up being with sticking it through.
TW: racism, violence

This coming of age novel set in 1964 Texas was an eye opening book and I loved it. Looking at how To Kill A Mockingbird was received or not received across America when it came out. I feel like this one needs to be taught in schools along side To Kill A Mockingbird. While there is summer in the title it is not a a light summer read. But it is a necessary read that I think everyone should read.

The tone of the narration of this book was new to me. It’s like watching a movie with the break in character as there is an aside solely for the viewer. I’m sure there is a name for such writing, but at the point of writing this review, I’ve not looked into what it might be called.

Corky is a happy teen. She lives in her own world and loves reading. In 1964 Texas, the segregated town has a railway track running through it. This summer Corky is going to work at her father’s Soda shop. The summer behind innocuously enough.

The librarian gives well-meaning Corky ‘How to Kill a Mockingbird’ to read and this opens a whole new train of thought in the young girl’s life. She lends it to her brother and then to America, the first colored friend Corky tries to make.

There are a lot of people who have their own ways of dealing with their ideas of race. There are different lines for everyone that they don’t cross. When the idea of a black girl playing in a church softball league is openly planned, everyone’s thought process is challenged.

The way the book is laid out makes it interesting to follow. It feels like we are part of the narrative. It felt a little longer than it needed to be, but the innocence of the children was well done. No character felt older than their years, which felt new in a book with so many younger characters. This also means that this book works for adults and younger audiences alike.

I would highly recommend this book to fans of historical fiction, especially since this is not a dual timeline narrative, another bonus in my book.

I received an ARC thanks to Netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

I had my ups and downs with this book, but in the end I must say this story really touched by heart.
3.5 stars

A child of the 60's, just like Corky, the experiences of the young people in this book caught on the sticker bushes of my memories and I was dragged along. . .and it was a good thing. White kids of those days lived a rather curated life - more than you'd think unless you lived it. Lines were drawn, boundaries were closely guarded and the grownups in our lives felt like they weren't paying attention, but I assure you they were. . .I had a friend like America. . .so this took me back. I didn't get it either, for a long time. Maybe haven't yet. . .but am working on it, and books like this help.

Corky's experience with Mockingbird was eerily close to mine. The question about a new word, shut down fast, mother-fish-eyes applied to the situation and I never asked again. It was a dictionary, encyclopedia that finally popped that bubble for me. This read gave me the chance to follow Corky and her brave brother around and was a trip right back to night-lit ball fields, wide open parks and shadowy corners without parental surveillance - at once both exciting and terrifying.

A read that brought up new thoughts, and old ones; one that shows where and how we've changed and how we've still got a long way to go. But friendships, one built at a time, further the ground gained.

Keep up the insightful, compassionate writing, Lynda Rutledge: You've got an earnest fan in this reader!

*A sincere thank you to Lynda Rutledge, Lake Union Publishing, Brilliance Publishing and NetGalley for an ARC to read and review independently.* #MockingbirdSummer #NetGalley

Lynda Rutledge’s "Mockingbird Summer" is a beautifully evocative and richly layered novel that transports readers to a small Southern town teeming with charm and complexity. Rutledge's vivid descriptions and engaging prose bring the setting to life, while her well-crafted characters navigate themes of family, secrets, and personal transformation. The narrative is both heartwarming and poignant, capturing the essence of summer and the impact of past events on present lives. With its blend of warmth, humor, and emotional depth, "Mockingbird Summer" is a captivating read that will resonate with fans of character-driven and atmospheric fiction. Highly recommended for a delightful escape into a memorable story.

I decided to read this novel due to it's author, Lynda Rutledge. I read her previous book West with Giraffes and just loved it. So with that recommendation I picked this one up.

I know this book was billed as 'coming of age' however I never saw or read that it was also YA. But that is my take on this book - totally YA. Not because the protagonist is a young girl, but because it read like YA. It felt like a sunny afternoon walk in the park. Due to the meat of the book I expected a really good story and was disappointed to find it more whitewashed than blatant.

This is set in the mid 60's in a town that the railroad tracks divides the town - white families on one side and black families on the other. The 'north' and 'south' that permeated so many towns back then. But low and behold a young black girl is invited to play on the - up until then - only white girls softball team. This creates big changes, not only within the town, but also within the girls' lives.

The book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee plays a large part in this story as well.

I will continue to look for books authored by Rutledge, in hopes that I find them more like West with Giraffes, than like Mockingbird Summer.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Shore Publishing tor allowing me to read and review this book.

A provocative read that is hard to read because of the uncomfortable subject in some chapter, but a necessary read.
I think the themes of the novel still resonant today of progress, hope, acceptance, and tolerance.
Sometimes it seems like no progress has been made but the novel shows some things can be changed for the better..

Another wonderful read by Lynda Rutledge!

What I loved:
1. Great historical fiction about a critical time in history for our country.
2. Coming of Age story - I loved getting to know the girls and felt they were well developed.
3. Captured the small town feel in a very accurate way

What I wanted to be different:
1. The book was coming of age and sometimes felt as if written for YA but in the end, I was ok with it.
2. There were some slow parts of the story - but great ending.

GREAT QUOTE: 'I've been thinking about lines. Lines that we stand in. Lines that divide us. Lines that long ago, blurred for a moment at a little baseball field...And the lines others crossed to do wrong...'.

My thanks to Net Galley and Lake Union Publishing for an advance copy of this book.

So confused by the 5 stars. I did not like this book one bit. I felt it was written as YA. Nothing like her previous. Oh well.

Mockingbird Summer is written a bit like a classic fiction novel. There is no doubt that the writer was inspired by the vibe of To Kill a Mockingbird.

We, the reader, get to follow Corky and her adventures from childhood to young adult. A journey that teaches her the importance of friendship and just how wrong some things are in this world. We also meet America, who I would love to be friends with, she seems like she can do anything. She is a bit older than Corky and lives on the other side of the tracks. Corky doesn't see in skin colors, she sees the soul of people and America has a soul that inspires her. They make a bond that will change them both.

Ich weiß ehrlich gesagt nicht, wie ich dieses Buch bewerten soll, da ich es aufgrund relativ kurzer Ausleihdauer (ohne Verlängerung) nicht lesen konnte.

Corky is a tomboy coming of age in Texas during the summer of '64. This is an enjoyable story of an innocent young girl learning about the controversial issues of the 60s. Being a youth in the 60's with parents who watched the nightly news, I heard bits and pieces of how things were regarding racism, women fighting for equality, segregation, the civil rights movement, Vietnam "conflict" and segregation.
Corky is given a birthday gift by the librarian The gift is a copy of "To Kill a Mockingbird" this book brings up questions for Corky and brings to light the racial injustices that are still alive in her Texas town.

I was able to relate to Corky in her trying to understand. She asks information of the adults she trust only to be quieted with no answer.

This book will appeal to many and could be a nice addition to any high school library. It fits well in the YA category. I purchased and have also listened to the audio version of this title and enjoyed it as well

I thank NetGalley for the advanced E-book edition in an exchange for my honest review.

A book that revolves around my favorite book? Sign me up!

Set in Texas during the cultural upheaval of the 1960s, it deals with a lot of issues of the time like segregation, civil rights and Vietnam but I wish there had been more nuance to them. This read a bit YA but I still enjoyed the story and Rutledge's writing.

3.5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union for the copy to review.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of "Mockingbird Summer" by Lynda Rutledge. I really enjoyed this book. Being a child of the 60's I can identify with so much the main character Corky experienced. I found the story to be very touching and a true definition of friendship between Corky and America. I love the message in the author's notes that said: The moral of the story, if it has one, is about the absolute miracle of friendship,how, if given a chance, it can cross any divide and open up new worlds. My father coached Little League baseball during this time and I fondly remember him driving "across the train tracks" to pick up boys to play on his teams. People thought my father was wrong for including African Americans on his team but in the end I hope it taught many a lesson to be more tolerant.

The author's descriptions of important settings (drugstore, baseball field, Southside across the train tracks) made me feel I was there.
After reading I realized I had to go back and read the classic "To Kill a Mockingbird" I may find new feelings now at age 64 than I felt when I read it in high school. This was the book choice for my book club and can't wait to discuss since all the members where children/teenagers in 1964.
I thoroughly loved West with Giraffes and feel Lynda Rutledge has another hit on her hands. I have and will recommend this book to others.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an ARC.

A coming of age story set in the mid-sixties in Texas ... tomboy ready to grow into a girlie-girl ... inquisitive ... white girl ... black girl ... softball ... boys ...

Story hit many the highlights of the era and the author handled each one very well ... characters were well developed ... plausible story ... and although there were sensitive situations, there was also humor.

Good book ... fast read ... enjoyable.

Mockingbird Summer by Lynda Rutledge is a fantastic coming of age story set in a Texas small town, that is divided by the railroad tracks and segregation and the Jim Crow laws are in full force, in the year 1964 just before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 is about to be signed.
Corky is a thirteen year old white girl, who asks alot of questions and has read To Kill a Mockingbird, but doesn’t really understand the story being told. When she meets America a sixteen year old black girl she befriends her and invites her to play on her church's softball team without even thinking of the consequences.
Corky is really naive and doesn't even think twice to lend America her copy of To Kill A Mockingbird and it isn't until America explains to her that she realises what was going to happen. Things are changing in her small town and Corky does alot of growing up that summer.
The writing and storyline had me hooked from the beginning and I read this in one sitting. This might of been my first book by Lynda Rutledge but it will not be my last.
I have already recommended this to my friends and family.

I love Lynda Rutledge and her writing style! The first book of hers I read, I think about almost daily still. This one, though, fell a little short. We're taken to a small town in Texas during the Civil Rights Act era and the book felt very YA. The characters were not super deep, they were hard to get into and like due to the writing, This is very different from my first experience with Lynda. I was hoping to feel the same sentiment for the characters and the storyline.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book. This was a fantastic coming of age story! The writing is superb and the characters jumped off the page. This is one of those stories that gives you all the feels!

Mockingbird Summer is a charming middle grade book about the changing cultural tides of the 1960s. It explores the many characters of protagonist Corky's small Texas town. I found the story entertaining and somewhat informative, though a bit candy coated. My dad grew up in Texas at the same time but in more urban Dallas and has expressed that racism and sexism were extreme during this time. That so many of the book's characters were open-minded is probably a bit inaccurate. That being said, this book does approach difficult topics in a way that is accessible to middle grade readers.