The Secrets of Blueberries, Brothers, Moose & Me

April 1, 2015
Twelve-year-old Missy narrates a summer full of tumultuous change, from her first job to her father's remarriage. Together, Missy and brother Patrick, almost 14, have weathered their parents' two-year separation. (Brother Claude, nearly 3, doesn't remember life before the Parenting Plan.) Missy's two best friends head off to camp-too costly an option for her family. Patrick, intent on remaking his skinny-guy image with new school clothes, spies an ad for blueberry-picking jobs for kids. After persuading each parent, the siblings begin several life-changing weeks at a nearby farm. Missy becomes an expert picker, while Patrick becomes smitten with Shauna; their growing romance between the rows infuriates Missy. Shrouded by a towering hedge and some heavily foreshadowed mystery, the farm, owned by taciturn Moose and wife Bev, has long been divided in two-Moose's estranged brother farms next door. This subplot-in which Missy discovers the secret of the brothers' enmity-is the novel's weak element, relying for its advance on implausibly candid confidences that Moose, Bev, and field boss Al share with Missy. It's Missy's feisty, utterly believable narration that shines through here. As friends change and her family morphs again, Missy, with her mother's subtle guidance, gradually accepts the inevitable with a newly emerging grace. Heart-rendingly unflagging in the face of life-changing events, Missy's a funny, compelling heroine that readers will cheer for. (Fiction. 10-13)

May 1, 2015

Gr 4-7-Twelve-year-old Missy and her older brother Patrick think they're in for another boring summer, but an ad for blueberry pickers changes everything. Missy quickly discovers that she is an adept picker and loves the quiet magic of the blueberry fields. Much to Missy's chagrin, Patrick meets Shauna, a fellow worker, and becomes more interested in having fun than picking blueberries. Already upset over her father's impending remarriage and the shift in her friendship with her two best friends, Missy feels betrayed by Patrick's change of heart. A clue to field owner Moose's blood feud with his brother is revealed when Bev, Moose's wife, spots Missy's potential and asks her to pick the secret blueberries. While trying to get back at Patrick, Missy inadvertently reveals the field's secret location and suffers the consequences. As the summer draws to a close, Missy learns that she must begin accepting the changes that inevitably occur as one grows up. VERDICT This quiet, deftly written coming-of-age novel is a good choice for kids looking for a sympathetic protagonist whose issues are relatable but not too serious.-Kefira Phillipe, Nichols Middle School, Evanston, IL

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2015
Grades 5-8 Missy does not like change. One year after her parents' separation, she struggles to adjust to her new life. She is not ready to accept her dad's plans to remarry, nor how her best friends have inside jokes she doesn't understand, nor the way her brother, Patrick, acts around bikini-clad Shauna. But this summer is all about change. It starts with Missy and Patrick picking blueberries at a local farm to earn money. As Missy falls in love with farming and the journey from the soil to the grocery stores to the dinner table, she uncovers a blood feud at the heart of the blueberry farm. Slowly, Missy understands that, unlike the old cowboy movies she watches with her mom, life does not have clear-cut good guys and bad guys. Instead, she must learn to make peace with the humanity of others. The book moves forward with smooth pacing and subtle foreshadowing, drawing the reader into Missy's life. Nickerson's characters are likably flawed, each acting with good intention and varying results.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)