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.

In this Romeo and Juliet story, narrator Julia Whelan portrays a strong female character who encounters a magical setting when she steps through a threshold. Jack O'Donnell, a girl who is called June, accepts the shimmery dark elements that surround her home as she has always accepted the long-standing feud between her family and the Angerts. Each of the men in the story has a distinct voice, and June's father has a commanding tone, while her little brothers have higher pitches, pleading but never whiny, as they negotiate family rules. June's desperate shouts as she navigates the new magical territory are punctuated with quiet moments of love. This audiobook will have listeners holding fast to every word. A.L.C. � AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine