Brave in the Woods

November 15, 2020
Juniper Creedy and her friends embark on a desperate quest after her older brother goes missing in action in Afghanistan. Juni has always known that her family, descended from the Brothers Grimm, is cursed: According to her grandmother Anya, the family's extreme luck--both good and bad--comes from an encounter their famous ancestors had with a Greek witch. But despite her own brushes with fate, including lifelong asthma attacks, the curse doesn't feel real to Juni until the Army delivers the news that Connor is missing. Now, her parents are distant and unreceptive to Juni's conviction that Connor is still alive, but Anya shares new information with Juni, partly through first-person journal entries, about her own childhood and the curse. So when it's time for the annual end-of-summer camping trip with her friends Mason and Gabby (chaperoned by Luca, Gabby's older brother and Connor's best friend), Juni requests a few additional stops in hopes of finding a witch and breaking the curse. Holczer's clear, gentle prose allows the emotional and descriptive elements of the text to shine in this multilayered road-trip story, complete with flashbacks at key landmarks. While Juni's Grimm ancestry isn't critical to the plot, it underscores her faith in the fairy-tale elements that ultimately enable catharsis around Connor's fate. Most characters are coded White; Gabby and Luca's family is cued as Latinx. A thoughtful exploration of grief, family lore, and human connection. (Fiction. 8-12)

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December 1, 2020
Grades 5-8 Juniper awakens one morning with the disconcerting feeling that she may be sprouting antlers. To anyone else, this would seem like the remnant of a dream, but family legend has it that she is descended from the Brothers Grimm, who were long ago cursed by a disgruntled witch to experience the highs and lows of their own fairy tales--and Juniper's family certainly seems prone to both miracles and terribly bad luck. After her older brother is declared missing in action while on a military tour in Afghanistan, Juniper becomes determined to break the curse and set things right in her world. By turns heartbreaking and humorous, this is a story that hints at the possibility of magic while remaining rooted in real-world problems and relationships. There is love and hope amid the grief and confusion, just as the Grimm tales contain both wonders and horrors in their own right. A heartfelt lesson on the power of love and the tales we tell ourselves.

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January 15, 2021

Gr 5-8-All her life, Juniper has been told by her grandmother that her family is descended from the Brothers Grimm. Unfortunately for her family, they were also supposedly cursed by a witch to constantly relive the tales that they stole. When her brother Connor goes missing during his military tour of Afghanistan, Juni thinks it must be the curse rearing its head again. She begins receiving signs that must mean Connor is still alive, though her parents have given up hope. Believing that she is running out of time, Juni decides that she must embark on a quest to somehow break the spell put on her family centuries ago. If she succeeds, Connor will be found and finally come home. Juniper convinces her friends Malcolm and Gabby, as well as Connor's best friend, Luca, to help her to retrieve Elsie, Connor's golden retriever service partner from the home where she was sent after Connor's disappearance. This is a beautiful tale of love and grief, friendship and family, and of hope. The tale of Juni's life and the quest she undertakes for her brother unfolds like a fairy tale. With each new layer of the story and character introduced, readers understand a little more about what drives Juniper, why she feels like she owes her life to her brother, and why she refuses to give up on him. Give this to readers who loved Ali Benjamin's The Thing About Jellyfish and Kate Allen's The Line Tender. VERDICT Holczer's use of humor, thoughtful imagery, and magical realism elements makes this a wholly unique blend of modern fairy tale, hero's quest, and coming-of-age story. A suggested purchase for all middle grade collections.-Sara Brunkhorst, Glenview P.L., IL

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