“She hit him in the best way, like a rainstorm after five years of drought, healing the parched earth with a gentle touch; and in the worst way, like an unexpected earthquake, leaving dust and debris in her wake. She was, in equal parts, a gift and a natural disaster. Her name was Juniper Jones.”
Ethan got into it with another student at the end of the school year with another student and is suspended for the few remaining weeks of school. His father makes a decision to send him to stay with Ethan's aunt for the summer, hoping that the town will teach him something he is not learning in the city. Ethan discovers that this little town in Alabama is not nearly as receptive to his skin color as they were in the big city he came from. He is faced with racism in ways he has not experienced it before at nearly every turn in this new town. He forms an unlikely friendship with a socially-outcasted, girl named Juniper Jones. Juniper is determined to make this a summer Ethan will never forget by making a long impossible list of adventures and new things to try for the very first time.
This was an engaging and at times, difficult to story to read. The story elements that worked the best here were Ethan's overall characterization and the struggles he faces as the only black teenager in a very segregated town. His struggle to maintain his identity and composure, while maintaining his safety is a story that was relevant in the 60s and is still relatable to people of color now. The internal struggle of Ethan's character and his complicated relationship with his family members created a tension that was felt palpably by the reader.
Where Ethan's character contained depth, Juniper Jones' character filled the pages with a sort of "manic-pixie-dream-girl" energy. This MPDG vibe felt a little distracting from the tone of the book and excessively difficult to connect with. It was difficult for me to see her as a fully formed character rather than just a idea that highlighted the uniqueness of Ethan and Juniper's relationship. I could not fully connect to Juniper the way I suspect the author had intended and that made the read feel a little disjointed in places. This is a much needed emotional story and perspective in the Young Adult genre and I know that even though it wasn't a homerun for me, so many readers will love and connect with the Invincible Summer of Juniper Jones in a way I couldn't!
⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 Stars
Reviewers note: This book was given to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest book review!
You can find The Invincible Summer of Juniper Jones on shelves near you on June 16th, 2020
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