Where the Watermelons Grow

March 1, 2018

Gr 4-6-When 12-year-old Della finds her mom digging black seeds from a watermelon in the middle of the night, she worries that the schizophrenia that put her mom in the hospital several years ago is back. Along with the stress of her mother's illness, her dad is struggling to save the family farm as scorching hot temperatures and a drought threaten the crops. Della asks the local Bee Lady for magic honey, which has been known to repair the wounds of residents in their North Carolina town for generations. She also helps take care of her 16-month-old baby sister so that her mom will have more time to rest. But as her mom's symptoms worsen, Della begins to see that rather than trying to fix her mama, she must find a way to love and accept her. The family is surrounded by helpful neighbors including Della's best friend Arden's family, who owns the farm next door. Della's voice will tug at reader's heartstrings as she tries to hold her family together. VERDICT Middle grade stories about mental illness, particularly those that focus on empathy and acceptance, are rare. This heartfelt story will stay with readers. A top choice.-Sarah Polace, Cuyahoga Public Library System, OH

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 15, 2018
Della painfully learns she can't fix her schizophrenic mother, but maybe the 12-year-old can heal herself.It's bad enough that her daddy's watermelons, the sweetest in all of North Carolina, are in jeopardy because of disease and drought, now Della's mama is acting "crazy" again, hearing voices that warn her to keep germs away from Della and her baby sister, Mylie. The preteen knows that her mother's schizophrenia surfaced when she was born and blames herself for her mother's condition. Della's also heard stories, passed down through her small town, about the miraculous powers of the honey from Miss Tabitha's backyard hives. Della makes it her mission to cure her mama and is certain Miss Tabitha's honey will do the trick. Her first-person narration is realistically earthy without crossing into gritty. The math-loving girl witnesses some of her mother's breakdowns and assumes most of Mylie's care, but she's still very much a child, not yet ready for the boys and kissing she hears come with seventh grade. As her mother's health fades, Della finds she has other strong women in her life, including Miss Lorena, who's experienced her own tragic loss. As Della accepts that her mother will always be sick (though never "crazy" anymore, and the text makes the term's harmfulness quite clear throughout), Miss Tabitha's honey does work, giving this spunky girl the resilience to overcome hardship. This debut novel gushes with Southern charm and depicts a warm, compassionate community where white families like Della's and Miss Tabitha's live amicably alongside black families like Miss Lorena's.This story's as sweet as Della's daddy's watermelons but never saccharine. (Fiction. 9-12)

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July 16, 2018
“I closed my eyes, trying to forget all about those watermelon seeds, all about Mama yelling and acting crazier than she had in a long, long time, wishing there was anything in the world that could pull Mama’s brain back together.” It’s been years since 12-year-old Della’s mother’s schizophrenia took control. Now, as a drought threatens their North Carolina farm, her mother once again becomes preoccupied by germs and debilitated by fear. Della tries to step up, taking care of her sister, Mylie, a rebellious toddler, and letting her mother rest. She feels responsible; after all, the doctors say that it was Della’s birth that first woke the schizophrenia. Still, she can’t help but wish for a normal mother, and she is disappointed in her father, whose own anxiety closes him off, leaving Della abandoned. In her debut novel, Baldwin presents a realistic portrayal of life with a mentally ill parent; the simultaneous confusion and frustrated anger ring true. There isn’t an easy answer to Della’s guilt and her mother’s illness, but, with the help of family and friends, Della begins to view her mother as she is—sick—and accept the support of those who love her. Ages 8–12.

Starred review from June 1, 2018
Grades 4-7 *Starred Review* The fan barely moves the hot summer air as Della, 12, and Mylie, 2, try to sleep, their room stifling because their mother refuses to have the air conditioner repaired. Della heads to the kitchen for some water and finds her mother sitting with the fridge door open, feverishly flicking seeds from watermelon slices and nodding to voices only she can hear. Thus begins the story of Della's endeavor to come to terms with her mother's schizophrenia. While her dad struggles to keep their North Carolina farm going during the drought, Della takes on more responsibility for Mylie. Della yearns for normalcy and, having heard stories of Miss Quigley's magic honey, decides to ask the Bee Lady for some to cure her mother's sickness. Though the Bee Lady shares her special watermelon honey, she explains that Della may be the one in need of its healing power. First-time author Baldwin has written a heartbreaking, yet heartening, story that explores mental illness and its effects on an entire family. Readers will connect with the novel's well-formed characters and be absorbed by the plot, which pulls no punches but doesn't overwhelm. As Della comes to better understand her mother, both she and the readers will see that love comes in many forms.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)