COUNTRY OF THE BIRCH TREES

In this middle-grade novel, a 13-year-old girl explores her heritage and other mysteries.

It’s 1978, and River Wren is living on Sourland Mountain, a scenic area of New Jersey resplendent with gorgeous surroundings, artistic inspiration, and idyllic childhoods. The teenager engages in friendly competitions with her pals George and Joe to see who can finish a book series the fastest. While Joe grabs forbidden Elmore Leonard novels, River jams along to the songs of Beowulf’s Brother, her father’s band. When she sees an art exhibition celebrating the Lenni-Lenape tribe, from which she is descended on her father’s side, her curiosity is piqued. River has dark skin and hair like her father, while her mother, a professional crafter, and younger sibling resemble the family’s Irish side, with pale skin and red hair. Unfortunately, River’s otherwise supportive dad isn’t much help. He’s estranged from his one sibling and is reluctant to talk about his own connections to his Native roots. Meanwhile, River’s 9-year-old sister, Savannah, keeps going off on her own—but to where? And George’s mother is experiencing extreme mood swings—but why? There’s only one solution: River, Joe, and George form The Three Detectives Club to get to the bottom of things. But as the trio will soon learn, there are no easy answers in life—although supportive families and friends make everything a little more beautiful. This novel is the third installment of McGlothlin’s Sourland Mountain series, though it can easily be read as a stand-alone. The mountain provides a lovely scene—there’s even an illustrated map at the beginning of the book—and almost becomes a key character. The author deftly handles complex issues, like cultural background and mental health, in a gentle but realistic manner. River is an intelligent and thoughtful hero, wanting to know more about the world around her in a way that’s consistent with a young teen. But at times, River and her friends seem a bit younger than 13: Wanting to solve mysteries is age appropriate, but forming a club to do so is slightly childish.

A sweet, positive tale about teen issues.