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THE WILD JOURNEY OF JUNIPER BERRY by Chad Morris Kirkus Star

THE WILD JOURNEY OF JUNIPER BERRY

by Chad Morris & Shelly Brown

Pub Date: Aug. 15th, 2023
ISBN: 9781639930999
Publisher: Shadow Mountain

Juniper Berry lives in the California woods with her family, but when her brother gets sick, they have to leave to get help.

Eleven-year-old Juniper is perfectly happy in the woods, where she learns from mom Clara and dad Zephyr in “earth school” alongside older sister Skylark and younger brother Hawk. But when Hawk becomes dangerously ill, the family goes with him to the hospital. While he recovers, they’re stuck in what Clara calls “society,” where the kids encounter cars, refrigerators, the internet, and public school. Sky and Juniper meet their uncle Parker and cousins Kori and Alayna for the first time—and move in with them. Juniper and Alayna clash: Alayna finds Juniper embarrassing, while Juniper wonders, “Why would it be bad if I acted differently from other people?” Juniper aims to make money to help pay for Hawk’s care so they can all go home to the woods, but she only succeeds once friends help. Juniper is a marvelously developed character navigating extremely uncomfortable situations. Alayna, too, is developed with depth and care; she and Clara have their “storms” (panic attacks) in common, for which they eventually get help. The family members are racially ambiguous: Juniper has light skin and light brown hair and takes after her mother; Sky and Hawk have their dad’s light brown skin and curly dark hair.

A fascinating, touching story of an off-the-grid family facing changes and the invisible threads that connect people.

(Fiction. 9-12)