I will not be giving feedback on this book as I couldn’t really get into it but I think others may enjoy it.

This quickly became my favorite MG release of 2019. This engaging and timely story has the perfect balance of adventure, entertainment and seriousness. My children and I could not put it down.

Just South of Home was a suspenseful and spooky read that took me on an incredible adventure. I enjoyed the family dynamics of the Greene family, and it was nice to watch Sarah and Janie develop a friendship from the bottom up. I also appreciated the evolution and resolution of the rift between Sarah and her best friend Jovita. The ghost story element, aside from being spine-tingling, drew meaningfully on Black history, and the theme of personal and community healing from a history of hateful violence created an overall hopeful and uplifting tone for the story.

Just South of Home is a very suspenseful middle grade novel that explores the racist history of the South. Astronomy-loving Sarah Greene, her brother Ellis, and Ellis’ best friend Jasper all live in Werrenville, Georgia. When they suddenly receive news that their difficult cousin, Janie, will be coming down from Chicago to stay with them (while her mother auditions for a film in Hollywood), they aren’t excited in the least. Janie hates their town and wants nothing to do with her cousins. Meanwhile, their emotionally-distant grandmother, Mrs. Greene, is unhappy that twelve-year-old Sarah has been placed in charge of watching Ellis and Janie for the summer, so she is badgering their parents at every turn — even threatening to punish the kids with a switch. But when the kids are confronted by a gang of haints at the cemetery next to Creek Church (which was burned down by KKK about 70 years ago), they discover they need their grandmother now more than ever. Will they be able to work together to save their ancestors before they are beyond redemption?

This book is a great combination of history, mystery, creepiness, family, and friendship, where the focus continually returns to healing — healing of ancestors, healing of dissolved friendships, healing between neighbors, and healing of current family. I enjoyed seeing attitudes slowly change between various relationships. For example, Sarah learns important details about a friend who dismissed her in recent months, Janie begins to understand and open up to let her cousins in, and Mrs. Greene softens as she discovers her crucial responsibility to her family and the town — everyone is learning how to put their past to rest and move forward.

The spookier portions of this book reminded me a little of Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward while the mystery portions reminded me of the vivid action involved in The Parker Inheritance by Varian Johnson. Also included are a stream of astronomy tidbits tossed into the story line for the many science-lovers out there! This one will be an exciting addition to any middle grade library. There are already at least THREE starred reviews (including Kirkus and Booklist) on this title!! TRIGGER WARNING for mentions of violent historical racism including church burning and lynchings. There’s also mention of punishment by switch.

My thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for offering an e-ARC so I could provide my honest review. This title hits shelves May 7th and I heartily recommend!

I hoped to like Just South of Home, but I had no idea how much it would wrap me up into its world. Karen Strong is a writer to keep your eye on, because she’ll knock your socks off.


Just South of Home CoverTwelve-year-old Sarah is finally in charge. At last, she can spend her summer months reading her favorite science books and bossing around her younger brother, Ellis, instead of being worked to the bone by their overly strict grandmother, Mrs. Greene. But when their cousin, Janie, arrives for a visit, Sarah’s plans are completely squashed.
Janie has a knack for getting into trouble and asks Sarah to take her to Creek Church: a landmark of their small town that she heard was haunted. It’s also off-limits. Janie’s sticky fingers lead Sarah, Ellis, and his best friend Jasper to uncover a deep-seated part of the town’s past. With a bit of luck, this foursome will heal the place they call home and the people within it they call family.
Goodreads

I received an eARC of Just South of Home from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Just South of Home needs trigger warnings for mentions of lynching, mentions of the Ku Klux Klan, mentions of church burning, ghosts (specifically haints), mentions of an unsolved murder, mentions of sharecropping, and discussion of racism.

Now I know that that’s a lot of trigger warnings, but don’t let that scare you away if you’re up for reading about the topics mentioned. Just South of Home deals with the racist history of the South in a way that I’ve never seen done before. It is heartbreaking and wonderful in a way that only a Black author could have handled this story.

I loved the way we got to see the Greene family grow together, each in their own ways. Sarah learned to be a little more outgoing and realize what was really important in life, while Janie learned that it was okay to let other people in. I loved seeing them get closer throughout the story, little by little, despite their differences.

As I mentioned, Karen Strong is an amazing writer who makes you feel like you’re in Warrenville, Alabama alongside Sarah, Janie, Ellis and Jasper – and the haints.

You want to pick a copy of this up for anyone in your life who reads middle grade books.

Thoroughly enjoyed this engaging middle grade novel. Karen Strong expertly combines supernatural, historical, and familial aspects to craft a story that will delight and move readers. Highly recommended.

Absolutely loved this book! An amazing story about history and identity with a fair amount of laughs and gasps along the way!

Interest Level: 3-6

Do you believe in ghost? Sarah doesn't... or she didn't until that summer. Sarah was excited about her summer plans - she was going to get to stay home, babysit her little brother, and read all of the astronomy books that she wants to. This may not sound glamorous but considering that their previous summers have been spent at their overly-strict grandmother's house getting worked to the bone. Little did Sarah know that everything was about to change. Sarah's aunt gets an offer to be in a movie in Paris so her daughter, Janie, has to stay with them. Janie is not happy to be there in this small country town with no excitement and she lets everyone know about it. Now Sarah is not only having to babysit Ellis, she is also having to babysit Janie, even though she is only a year younger than her. Things start off very rocky with these three but when Ellis tells Janie a ghost story about Creek Church, everything changes. Creek Church was burned to the ground about 70 years before by the KKK. Rumor is that many restless spirits haunt the area and if you take anything from the area, a ghost will follow you home. Since there is nothing exciting in the town, Janie convinces Sarah to go out there. She finds a necklace on the ground and she decides to take it. As they are leaving they see a little boy and Sarah has no idea who it is. When they wake up the next morning there is a message written on Sarah's window that says "take it back". This begins a summer that they will never forget! They learn that the little boy is a restless spirit being held to the land until one of his kin releases him. Can Sarah, Janie, Ellis, and their friend Jasper find a way to release him without angering the other spirits? Will Sarah and Janie find a way to put aside their differences and work together, or will they continue to be enemies? Will they be able to trust any adult to help them, or are they on their own? Read this fantastic book to find out the answers to these and many more!

I loved this book!!! I can not wait to share this book with my kids at school!! A majority of my kids love a good ghost story and this one will not disappoint them!! I love the way Karen Strong develops these characters as the summer goes along. Of all the characters, my favorite is a supporting character, Ellis. He has such a dry sense of humor. The scene can be in a very serious moment and he will say something and just crack you up. This is a must read book for 2019!!!

It was a good book for middle school students. It has ghost and a mystery to keep them entertained but it also shows them how if you over come your hate that you can heal.

The story centers around Sarah, Ellis, Janie, Jasper and it takes place in the town of Werrenville which is outside of Atlanta. Sarah loves science and is looking forward to September when she can meet her idol and ask him questions. Ellis is Sarah’s brother who like to build model cars and loves to pray. Janie is the cousin who was dropped off to spend the summer with her family who is from Chicago. She also has a sticky finger problem. Finally, Jasper is Ellis’s friend and lives in the trailer park. These four kids come together to help heal the town of their hate at how the people have been treated over the last decades and put to rest the unsettled ghost of the town.

This earned four stars because the ending of the book seemed to rush. I felt like the author wanted to keep the book’s page numbers low so middle school student would read it. They might feel the same when 2 side adult characters all sudden became friends instead of being enemies. Overall, I know that this would be one book that I would place in my classroom for my students to read.

Thank you Netgalley, the publisher, and author for allowing me to have an advance copy of this book.

I loved everything about JUST SOUTH OF HOME—most of all how it embraces the importance of family, friends, and having a community. At the start of the story, Sarah is trying to understand the distance her best friend has placed between them at the same time she (not so excitedly) welcomes her cousin for the summer. The exploration of these friendships (and Sarah’s relationship with her wonderful, hilarious, loveable brother Ellis) alongside their discovery of the ghosts of Warrenville, weave together so perfectly. This story is fun and adventurous and thoughtful and spooky, filled with love (as Sarah’s family is close-knit and caring—even Mrs. Greene, though she has a firmer way of showing it). The violent history of the town is handled with such care as Sarah and her friends remember and honor the past. This is absolutely one of my favorite reads this year!

Just South of Home is the best of a child's summer: family, friends, mystery, and adventure!
Responsible Sarah is finally old enough to be in charge of her little brother, Ellis, for the summer. This means that instead of toiling away under the hot sun following her emotionally distant grandmother's orders, she can read all the books she dreams of! What Sarah didn't plan on was her cousin, Janie, being included in these plans. Janie dislikes Sarah's country life, and misses both her mom and the big city she left behind for the summer.
When Ellis shares an old tale of haunting with Sarah and Janie, they become intrigued...And soon enough, they are in over their heads!
I loved this book! The family relationships were memorable and evolving. From the distant and judgmental grandmother to the cranky cousin, to the doting and encouraging parents and the strong sibling dynamic - it was a joy to spend the summer with them all.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, I loved that the kids revisited the racial history of the Deep South. While many in the town would have liked to forget some of the evil that had occurred there, the kids knew that the only way to truly move forward would be to acknowledge and honor the struggle and pain of those who had walked before them.
I highly recommend this book for students in grades 4 and up.

JUST SOUTH OF HOME

BY KAREN STRONG



SIMON AND SCHUSTER CHILDREN’S PUBLISHING

SIMON & SCHUSTER BOOKS FOR YOUNG READERS

CHILDREN’S FICTION

PUB DATE 07 MAY 2019





I am reviewing a copy of Just South Of Home through Simon and Shuster Children’s Publishing and Netgalley:





Sarah is twelve years old and is finally in charge. She can spend her Summer Reading her favorite science books and bossing her younger brother Ellis home. She does not have to worry about being worked to the bone by her strict Grandmother Mrs. Greene. But when her cousin Janine arrives Sarah’s plans are squashed.





Janine is good at getting into trouble and asks her cousin to take her to Creek Church, a landmark in their little town that she had been told was haunted. The church happens to be off limits. Janie’s sticky fingers lead Sarah, Ellis and his best friend, Jasper, to uncover a deep-seated part of the town’s past. With a bit of luck, this foursome will heal the place they call home and the people within it they call family.





If you’re looking for a good Middle Grade read one filled with adventure and strong characters. A character that middle grade girls who are interested in adventure,



I give Just South Of Home Five Out Of five stars!





Happy Reading!

Sarah is thrilled that she and her brother Ellis are going to be allowed to stay home by themselves over the summer, rather than spend time with their uptight and controlling grandmother, Mrs. Greene. Sarah loves space, and has a research project planned, while the younger Ellis plans on constructing model cars. When their cousin Janie's mother wants to go to Hollywood and leave Janie with Sarah's family, Sarah struggles to make the best of the situation, especially since she and her only friend, Jovita, have fallen out. Janie is angry about being left by her mother in a small town Warrnesville, but Sarah tries to show her around. They are both particularly intrigued by Mrs. Whitney, who has a souvenir shop in the Town Square and is trying to revive interest in local history. Leaving Ellis with a neighbor, the girls, along with neighbor Jasper, travel to the nearby ruins of Creek Church. They start finding out that the church's history is intertwined with the Civil Rights movement, and realize that Mrs. Whitney is right about their being "haints" in the area. They have awaken one, a small boy named Abner, and try to figure out what needs to be done to put him to rest. The town, and especially Mrs. Greene, doesn't wish to discuss the troubled racial past of the area, but Sarah knows that it is important to understand the past in order to make peace with it.
Strengths: There are not enough books about children being allowed to be at home while their parents work during the summer, and Sarah's set up is well described. The cousins' relationship is absolutely realistic, and I enjoyed the fact that they both really tried to get along, even though they had different interests. The history, and the tie-in with the family, is interesting and timely. I even liked Mrs. Greene, despite her faults. She meant well. The cover is fantastic.
Weaknesses: This would have had more emotional impact without the "haints"; it makes the murder of Abner somehow less real. While my students like mysteries, ghost mysteries are probably their least favorite.
What I really think: Definitely purchasing for fans of Johson's The Parker Inheritance and Vaught's Things Too Huge to Fix by Saying Sorry.

Just South of Home was quite a long book for middle grade. It was a fast read and interesting. Being from the south myself, I felt like the characters were pretty true to life. We also love our ghost stories. The cover is gorgeous. This book reminded me of a modern version of the movie Now and Then.

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read Just South of Home.

Such a great read! Just South of Home was educational while being an eventful story that gives a glimpse into small town southern life. The focus on the lynchings and murders that happened during the Jim Crow years is an important topic and the history lesson was woven well with a contemporary ghost story. Well done!

Thank you to NetGalley, Edelweiss, and the author for giving me an opportunity to read an eARC of this book (I tried many ways to get my hands on it, and I so appreciate Karen's help!)

It's summer, and Sarah is finally old enough to be in charge of herself and her younger brother, Ellis, rather than spending it under the watchful eye of her grandma, Mrs. Greene. Her plans are thwarted when her cousin, Janie, unexpectedly ends up staying with her family. Janie isn't prepared to quietly sit around and read books with Sarah, and leads the kids into a situation that finds them facing haints (ghosts), discovering a secret, and becoming involved in history of the town that still haunts it.

What I loved most about this book is it felt like a roller coaster ride; there was a great balance of realistic story with the high drama of the supernatural aspects, and though it was somewhat scary at points it was never excessively so. I enjoyed the way the kids learned about the terrible history of their town without it feeling like a dark book. I loved watching Janie develop and seeing her stick up for Sarah on more than one occasion. And all of the characters are becoming more independent, questioning and challenging lost-held beliefs, and discovering their own answers.

This book is released on May 7th, and it definitely has my recommendation.