A Million Junes

May 22, 2017
In Five Fingers, Mich., ghosts and legend are as real as the generations-old rift between the O’Donnell and Angert families. When refined Saul Angert, 20, returns to town, 18-year-old Jack “June” O’Donnell IV begins to question the deeply held convictions and warnings passed down by her father in grand stories of adventure, magic, curses, and betrayal. Confronting memory and myth, June must accept that her “inheritance is grief and sunlight, and the ability to choose which to hold on to.” Through time slips, Henry (The Love That Split the World) lets June and Saul experience firsthand and interpret the seminal moments that formed their families and their attendant mythologies. The long line of “Jacks”in June’s family tree are captivating, allowing readers to more deeply understand her as a resilient and flawed character. Her connection and devotion to her deceased father is gorgeously portrayed, most notably her struggle to preserve his life and legacy as she forges her own path. Henry’s writing is lush and evocative, adding volumes to an already moving premise. Ages 12–up. Agent: Lana Popovic, Chalberg & Sussman.

March 15, 2017
In a town where magic is alive and cherries taste like the sun, the children of two rival families must break a curse that's haunted them for generations and learn what it means to live with loss.Jack O'Donnell IV--called Jack, Jackie, Junior, or June--knows two things for sure. First, she will always be her father's daughter, even though he passed when she was 8. Second, she must never, ever interact with the Angerts, or terrible things will happen to both families. But when Saul Angert returns to town and the two literally bump into each other, their chemistry is undeniable--as is the fact that they're suddenly able to enter their deceased loved ones' memories. As the recollections lead them closer to the truth about the O'Donnell-Angert vitriol, they also reveal that the father June grew up worshipping was more complicated than he seemed. Early on, readers will fall for the teens' witty repartee and June's father's tall tales, but Henry's (The Love That Split the World, 2016) beautifully crafted if largely white world, which is rich with a strong best friendship, a complicated writing teacher, and a dreamlike touch--becomes unwieldy as fantasy takes over. A potential treat for readers who enjoy magical realism, but there are stronger examples of the genre, such as Laura Ruby's Printz-winning Bone Gap. (Magical realism. 12-16)

COPYRIGHT(2017) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

April 1, 2017
Gr 8 Up-Jack O'Donnell IV, who prefers to be called June (short for Junior), is an 18-year-old girl living in the small town of Five Fingers, MI. She and her best friend Hannah are seniors in high school. June, like her late father, grandfather, and great-grandfather before her, knows the one main rule of being an O'Donnell: stay away from the Angerts at all costs. But when gorgeous 20-year-old Saul Angert arrives in town after three mysterious years away, June finds it difficult to stay away from him. Together, with magical memories that drift in doorways and the haunting spirits who have visited June since childhood, June and Saul discover that it is not only a feud that plagues their families but also a generations-old curse. As they grow closer, the protagonists risk everything to quell their families' hatred and rescue them from their fate. If they do not succeed, the result could be deadly. Henry takes the well-known Shakespeare tragedy Romeo and Juliet and turns it into a modern-day romance with an original ghostly twist. This is an enjoyable and fast-paced read. While the star-crossed lovers trope is a familiar one, readers won't mind. Additionally, June's strong relationship with Hannah is delightful and refreshing. VERDICT A perfect choice for young teens looking for romance, friendship, and magic in their fiction.-Ariel Birdoff, New York Public Library

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.