I put off reading this because I've read too many children's books about death this year. But then the audiobook became available and I needed something to listen to on a long flight. So I was prepared to dislike this and pick apart how similar it would be to the many other works of grief fiction I've read. (To be fair, it's not the author's fault there are so many middle grade novels about the death of a family member.)

In some ways, this book did irritate me (particularly this plot device of keeping the reader in suspense over who the main character is grieving). But mostly I was surprised by how the book weaved together two different sad stories, two kinds of grief, two ways of experiencing loss. There's the main character Leah who comes from a stable middle-class family and has lost her sibling in an accident. Then there's Jasper the 14-year-old manic pixie dream girl who pops into Leah's life with a mysterious vagabond vibe. Jasper has clearly experienced serious poverty and neglect, which sort of opens up this connection between her and Leah. They are both emotionally traumatized. They are both feeling alone. They're both able to offer what the other needs (Leah needs companionship, Jasper needs material help). I was almost uncomfortable with the way they were kind of using each other, but then I thought that's how a lot of friendships begin, particularly for young people when they are thrown together by circumstance.

I'm a fan of Laurel Snyder's writing -- it's brilliantly clear and clean, sometimes almost like poetry. In the end I was surprised by how much I liked this given how I really really don't want to read any more books about children dealing with the death of a family member. ( )

This one is a lyrical & haunting story of one girls who has lost a sibling befriending another who's lost what she had of a family. And what appears winsome & fairy like is actually desperate & possibly dangerous. But its also a story about finding friends who have the strength to look at you & to see you. ( )

My Jasper June is a beautiful book about two girls, who find each other and become friends at just the right time. Leah is living with her “ghost” mom and dad as they are quietly mourning the death of Leah’s brother. Jasper is alone in the world. The two girls become fast friends and enjoy adventures throughout the summer days. The two girls may not see it right away, but both girls rescue each other in different ways. I highly recommend this book for 5th through adult! Absolutely beautiful❤️! ( )

Leah and her friends have drifted apart and she faces a lonely summer with not much to do. Then she meets a girl named Jasper, who is confident, mature, and sunny. Due to family dynamics, she lives on her own in an abandoned little house and swears Leah to secrecy about her living situation. Jasper brings a joy and light that Leah has long missed in her life but will she be able to keep Jasper’s homelessness a secret for long? Solid portrayal of a young teen grappling with grief. Dialogue and friendship with Jasper rang true as did the portrayal of a fresh new friendship cutting through Leah’s grief and helping her heal. ( )

Leah's younger brother Sam died last summer, and for the year since, everything has been different, especially Leah's parents. Leah has been lonely, but then she meets Jasper, and she has a new friend. Leah tells Jasper about her life, and Jasper tells Leah a little about hers - slowly, and making her promise not to tell anyone.

*Spoilers*

Because Jasper's mom is an alcoholic, and she's supposed to be living with her sister, but her sister's husband hits her. So Jasper has made a home for herself in an abandoned cottage in the woods (like Mandy), checking in with her sister every now and then. But when Leah sees a stranger lurking near Jasper's place, and then there's a huge storm, she has to check on her - and her parents find out.

This being a middle grade novel, the ending is a happy coda: Jasper lives with Leah's family while sorting out the legal issues. A teen or adult novel might have ended differently. But it's nice to see humanity triumph over bureaucracy.

Quotes

Everything was not okay, and I was done pretending. (7)

"Can something be a secret if everyone in the whole world knows it?" (Leah to Jasper, 57)

"Don't apologize. I'm not angry at you. Why do you always feel guilty when you should be mad?" (Jasper to Leah, 91)

We just sat there together then. Feeling sorry for each other, I guess, and feeling sorry for ourselves, but lucky too. Feeling everything. All the things. Holding on to everything at once. (115)

I stood there, trying to think about whether it was true, what I was saying. Deep inside, I thought it was. It was like there was a sharp clear bell ringing, like I'd stumbled onto the truth, even if I didn't quite understand it. (143)

If someone is expressing feelings, but nobody can understand them, does it count? (195)

"...sometimes, fighting the sadness is worse than the sadness itself, because you just can't win. And at those times, you play the sad game. Which is just trying to let yourself be sad. To be okay with being sad." (Jasper to Leah, 206)

"You know, it's funny, how once you see something unbelievable happen a few times, it stops being so unbelievable." (Leah to Jasper, 289) ( )