My Mixed-Up Berry Blue Summer

This is a story about a young girl who is encountering many struggles that come with growing up including boys, friends, and growing into a woman. On top of all this she is having a hard time dealing with and reacting to her mother being homosexual.

This book is a great tool to have in a classroom because it is so relevant to students this age because they can relate and may be going through the exact same thing. The content in the story is presented honestly and the plot is credible. The characters in the story are convincing and the author avoids stereotyping. This is a quality piece of realistic fiction to suggest to students who have similar events going on in their life.

This is also a great book to introduce prejudice in a show more classroom. Students need to learn what prejudice is and how humans deal with it. This book could also be with a lesson on stereotyping.

Reading Level: 4-8
Genre: Contemporary Realistic Fiction show less

June has always known that her mom has "special friends" but it never mattered before. June had her best friends Luke and Tina, her pie baking, and her beloved Lake Champlain. But now Mom's friend, Eva, has moved in and since the new civil union law has passed, they're planning to get married.

On top of the usual angst of a new step-parent, June has to deal with how she feels about Eva and her mom being together permanently, her longing for a father, and the unpleasant reactions of some of the people in her small town, including her best friend Tina's family. To make things even more complicated, June is starting to wonder how she really feels about Luke and her mom and Eva are fighting about how to deal with the negative publicity.

I show more thought the author did an excellent job of putting all the events into perspective from June's point of view; she's got a lot going on and her emotions are all over the place. She's upset and scared by the negative reactions, but sometimes she feels angry that her mom has put her into this position. She doesn't really like Eva, but she wants her mom to be happy. She's confused by her feelings for Luke and hurt that her friends don't always back her family up. She's embarrassed by the people who want to define her - and her mom - by their lifestyle, both negatively and positively.

In the end, June has grown up a lot over the summer, learning more about herself and her friends. She understands a little more how hard it is to stand up to people, she's willing to make allowances for people and compromise, and she's gained new self-confidence.

SPOILERS

The dramatic endings - June saves Tina's little brother's life with Eva's help and wins a baking competition against 46 other adults - are rather unrealistic, but kids like dramatic endings and at least Gennari didn't stereotype the town's reactions to the events.

Sort of pre-verdict:
Am I going to think about community reaction to this book? Well, yeah. We're a public library and we serve the public - that means that the bulk of what I'm going to buy is going to be what the public wants to read. I can think "this is an important topic and we should have a book on it" but that doesn't matter if nobody ever checks the book out. I originally purchased this book for the library not because it was about a girl with two moms, but because A. Julia Denos created the cover, making it a sure winner and B. I can always use more books about baking. While our small town is pretty conservative, I've never had problems with any books we've purchased. A few suggestions to move books to a different area (completely merited - Piers Anthony is NOT always appropriate for teens!) and one problem with a magazine subscription in the four years I've been here. Of course you never know how people will react, but our parents generally seem to be comfortable with the idea that we're a public library and it's up to them to decide what their kids read. I appreciated that the description delineates the plot clearly so we won't have any shocked parents saying they didn't know what it was about. I won't booktalk it unless I know the parent and child well enough to know if they'll be offended, but I think it will easily go out on it's own.

Verdict: Even if they aren't in this situation themselves or know someone who is, kids can relate to the emotions about a step-parent and growing up. I loved the descriptions of Lake Champlain and I am WILDLY ENTHUSIASTIC about the very manageable length of this middle grade title. Not preachy, well-written, attractive cover, and a story kids will enjoy. I'd say it's a winner. Recommended!
ISBN: 9780547577395; Published 2012 by Houghton Mifflin; Borrowed from the library; Purchased for the library show less

Twelve-year-old June and her mom have always gotten along fine -- but now Eva, her mom's girlfriend, has come to live with them, and June is not sure what she thinks about that. The book is set in 2000, just after Vermont passed civil union laws, and June and her family are caught in the upheaval over that decision. It may not be the best time for June to put herself in the spotlight by entering one of her pies in the county fair, but it's the one thing June has her heart set on during this tempestuous summer. This book is pretty brief, which young readers will probably approve of, but I thought it needed a little more development in spots.

In My Mixed-Up Berry Blue Summer by Jennifer Gennari, June Farrell just wants to bake pies and hang out with her best friend. Instead she has to contend with her mother wanting to get married to her longtime girl friend and the neighbors taking sides against civil unions for same sex couples.

June spends a good chunk of this novel bouncing between anger and fear. Her anger is directed not only at the friends and neighbors she feels has betrayed her and her mother, but also at Eva, her soon to be stepmother. She's also sometimes angry at her mother and wishes a few times that her mother were straight and that she had a father.

I suppose June's conflicted feelings are there to let her play Devil's advocate in the debate over same sex show more marriage. Her intense feelings, though, weren't grounded in a firm enough foundation. We're told that her mother opted to have a baby on her own using a sperm bank. We're told that her best friend's father has been a help to her mother and a bit of a father figure for June.

But this is all done with very little show and a whole lot of tell. The result is that I never felt like I truly knew or understood June or any of the other characters in the book. Characterization seemed to be sacrificed for making sure all the different arguments in the issue of same sex marriage were touched on. show less

June is a twelve-year-old girl who lives with her mom on Lake Champlain, where they run their own shop in a marina. Her mom is a lesbian with whom her soon to be bride has just moved in. Her dad is an unknown sperm donor. The story is set after Vermont passed the legalization of civil unions. Those against civil unions begin demonstrating against it and call for a boycott of gay owned businesses. This is a very confusing time for June and she tries to reconcile her feelings for her mom and soon to be step mom and her fears for them, herself, and their business. Your heart will go out to this likable character, as she struggles to find her voice in this controversy that is so close to her home and heart. This book contains very mature show more themes, although its target audience is middle school. Its lessons of acceptance, tolerance, and standing up for what is right, however, are good for people of all ages. This book is recommended. show less

Twelve-year-old June's biggest worry is winning the pie competition at the fair until her mom and girlfriend decide to get married under Vermont's new civil union law and become the object of prejudice. A great debut novel deftly tackling a timely subject.

It's very rare to find a book that is based in queer issues for mg readers. Quite sweet with believable family and town issues. Also, a pie recipe is included.