#MMGM: The Wild Journey of Juniper Berry by Chad Morris & Shelly Brown
ABOUT THE BOOK
Juniper Berry knows how to handle bobcats, bears, and mountain lions, but can she survive the toughest predator of all—middle school?
Eleven-year-old Juniper Berry lives with her family deep in the wild woods. Living off the grid is pretty exciting, but her happy life in the wild ends abruptly when her younger brother gets sick, and they move to the city to be closer to the hospital. Juniper and her older sister end up living with cousins they hardly know and attending public school for the first time, which is harder to navigate than the wild woods ever were. Juniper feels like a wolf cub separated from her pack.
As the hospital bills for her brother start piling up, Juniper knows they’ll need to be paid before the family can go back to the woods, so she decides to make enough money to help out. With her cousin Alayna’s support, Juniper starts posting videos filled with her wisdom from the woods, hoping to get a following. But what if it doesn’t work? What if the bills never get paid? Not going home to the wild is Juniper’s worst nightmare. While she’s stuck in the city, she might as well make the most of it, like sticking up for Alayna, who’s being bullied by her supposed friends, for starters.
The Wild Journey of Juniper Berry is a story about perseverance when faced with difficult and unfamiliar challenge, belonging and finding your identity, compassion for others, and learning that our differences can sometimes be our strengths.
REVIEW
Juniper Berry won me over from the very first word of the story. I laughed, I cried, I felt angry, I felt frustrated. Juniper gave me quite the ride. Having grown up in the woods, Juniper's arrival in 'society' is abrupt and shocking to her. While her brother stays in the hospital it's up to Juniper and her sister, Sky, to find a way to adapt to the very different environment in which they find themselves. Juniper's spunkiness helps her cope with everything that gets thrown at her, but it leaves her bristling a bit at those around her. Juniper and her cousin, Alayna, don't get along, and it leads to conflict and Juniper getting in trouble when she tries to protect her cousin. She struggles with sitting in her classes all day but enjoys the freedom of P.E. even if she doesn't really know how to play soccer. The tension between family members grows as the bills pile up, Sky changes to blend in, and Juniper tries to find work as well as post videos in an attempt to earn money to help pay the hospital bills so the family can return to the woods. But her inner bear bursts out when she discovers that not everyone in the family wants to return to the woods.
Juniper makes for a very winning heroine as she faces some pretty big challenges with courage, if not wisdom. She tries and tries, even when things don't go right. The animal and woods imagery that Juniper uses to refer to modern appliances as well as the people she meets made me smile over and over. For example, the first boy she meets who isn't kind to her she calls 'coyote boy' because of his behavior. There were lots of fun little details that added to the fun of the story, glimpses into Juniper's parents and why they moved to the woods. Societal expectations and the power of social media play an especially big part in the world Juniper enters, but she struggles to fully understand it while taking advantage of it. All in all, a delightful story about coming at real world challenges from a different perspective that offers a perfect blend of humor and heart while reminding readers of the importance of empathy.
Comments
Post a Comment