What a beautifully written book. Admittedly, I felt the first 25% dragged a bit but once I got to know Ethan and Juniper more, the book tugged at my heartstrings and made me want to go on their adventures with them. This book made me feel so many things - it made me happy, angry, sad, frustrated, elated, joyous and most of all, it made my heart full. This book revolves around Ethan who, as a punishment is sent to live with his aunt and uncle in a small town in Alabama where people refuse to accept him because of the color of his skin - everyone except Juniper Jones who declares that they will be best friends and have an invincible Summer. This was a wonderful book and I would definitely recommend it to anyone and everyone.

Beautiful book dealing with racism and other hard topics. I was surprised but how much I enjoyed this only because I haven't had the best of luck with this publisher in particular but I loved this one. Very emotional and real, so much feeling in it!

In the summer of 1955, biracial teen, Ethan Harper, is forced to go visit his aunt and uncle down in Alabama after an incident at his school. Ethan is very much treated as an outsider in the small town until Juniper Jones comes into his uncle's ice cream shop. She is a force to be reckon with, taking Ethan on different adventures throughout the town. When Ethan is with Juniper, he actually enjoys being in this small southern town. Unfortunately, the sins of the town catches up to Ethan and Juniper and his trip ends in tragedy.

I knew from the beginning how the book was going to end but I still enjoyed the ride. I thought Juniper was one of those larger than life characters that sometimes has no faults, but McQueen did a great job of showing that even Juniper wasn't the hero every time in the face of the terrible racism during that time.

“My baking skills could use some work . . . But I also have jam, and jam fixes everything.”

The Invincible Summer of Juniper Jones by Daven McQueen really caught me off guard. I wasn’t expecting to love it so much or get so attached to Ethan and Juniper.

As the description says, this is set in 1950’s rural Alabama which paints a pretty distinct mental picture right off the bat. Ethan Harper is the main character, he’s 14 and was sent to Alabama for the summer by his father for getting into a fight back home in Arcadia, Washington. Ethan faced an incredibly boring summer in the Deep South until whirlwind Juniper “Starfish” Jones blows through his uncle’s malt shop. Juniper is heartwarming to read about and constantly brought a smile to my face. She loves sunflowers, riding her bike as fast as humanly possible, root beer floats and the Fourth of July.

I absolutely loved the friendship that developed between Juniper and Ethan and the bond that formed from being the two town outcasts. Ethan’s struggles were realistic and heart wrenching. He was constantly having to correct those around him and I can only imagine how exhausting that became.

“So much sunshine here in the summer, but God knows this town could use a little light.”

The whole time I was reading this, I kept thinking what an excellent movie it would make. I hope it gets the chance to be on the big screen.

Other notable things: This book is fraught with racism so be prepared.

Thanks so much to Netgalley and the Publisher for an e-arc!

This book was an important gut-punch of a novel. The writing was beautiful and the message important. The characters will stay with me for a long time to come.Juniper helps us remember what it is like to be good, in a time when everything is especially uncertain. I also loved that this book did not talk down to children and did not sugarcoat the real issues. I recommend this book to everyone and hope to introduce it to my students.

There are so many charming things about this book: the beautiful portrayal of summer (in a way that almost makes it a separate character), the indomitable spirit of Juniper Jones, the unexpected discussion of broken families in an American era when this wasn't that common. I was pleased to see the relationship between Juniper and Ethan-- you don't frequently read fictional accounts of friendship between a White girl and Black boy. I was even more pleased that Ethan was our narrator; the books I have read in which the narrator was an adolescent Black male are very limited.

There were some things that I didn't love, however. Juniper's character was so overwhelming that she felt wholly unrealistic, and the portrayal of her as a perfect innocent maybe gave away the ending a little bit. I also felt a bit like the dialogue took it out of its setting in terms of time frame. It was a lovely book, but the predictability was a problem for me, definitely.

What a brilliant story!!! Very well written, raw and emotional.

The Invincible Summer of Juniper Jones, Daven McQueen's debut novel, is a coming of age story set in Alabama during the 1950s - a time of extreme racism; of white supremacy, segregation and violence.

Ethan, a biracial teenager finds himself sent to live with his aunt and uncle after getting into trouble for fighting at school. While working at his uncle's milkbar, Ethan meets Juniper Jones....the town 'loon' ....and the unlikely pair become fast friends. Together they set out to create the summer of their wildest imaginations, armed with a mile long to-do list. On an adventure of their own making, the very likeable Ethan and Juniper must face the town's ridicule, prejudice and the ever-present threat of racial abuse, in a summer Ethan will never forget.

🌷 R E V I E W 🌷⁣
⁣
“She has forest-fire hair and hurricane eyes, and when he met her it was as if his world had been set a flame. She was, in equal parts, a gift and a natural disaster.”⁣
⁣
“I figured, you know, it never hurts to have a friend when things are hard. And there’s nothing like an adventure to take your mind off all the bad stuff.” ⁣
⁣
Man, I already have a book hangover from 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘐𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘚𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘑𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘑𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴!⁣
⁣
It’s June 1955, and Ethan Harper is sent to live with his aunt and uncle in Ellison, Alabama for the summer by his father. ⁣
⁣
Ethan is already wishing for September to return to Arcadia, Washington, and knows that his summer will consist of working at The Malt and listening to records in his bedroom. ⁣
⁣
One day, in walks Juniper Jones at The Malt, and Ethan’s summer is changed forever. The two kids create the “Project Invincible Summer,” where they do all sorts of activities.⁣
⁣
However, the town of Ellison isn’t as welcoming to the relation of Juniper, a white girl, and Ethan, a biracial boy. Tensions are high in the county, and Ethan realizes that his summer in a segregated city is going to question his identity, and question his relationship with friends and family.⁣
⁣
I chose this book as part of the #sparkjoyreadathon with @readwithsam —my book that is meant to teach me something. This is also the September pick for #readsrandibuddyread. I recommend this book to everyone to read—you won’t regret it! 🌻⁣
⁣
tw: racism, death, assault⁣

Okay, growing up, did you ever read Pippi Longstocking? If not, stop what you’re doing, run to your local library (or navigate to their home page since, you know, we’re still in a pandemic…) and enjoy.
Now that you’re up to speed on my girl Pippi, let me start by setting the scene for you:
Pippi Longstocking, in the 50’s, in Alabama. Best friends with the biracial new kid. This, my dear friends, is my new favorite leading lady, Juniper Jones.
This book has it all. It takes on the discussion of race in a small town where outsiders aren’t welcomed with open arms, a kid who struggles with straddling two worlds (both the racial divide and the small town life versus big city living), and still allows for two kids to just be kids.
The description makes the book sound dark and hard, and while it does handle difficult subjects, our dear sweet Juniper Jones makes the best of her world and repeatedly brought a smile to my face!
Every single page has me wanting to reach through and hug Ethan. He is just trying to find his place in his world, and he deserves all the good things. I love him – he’s not perfect by any means, but he is doing his best.
Now, Juniper. My leading lady. The new level of kindness I aspire to reach. She is a rare breed, a beautiful soul that inspires imagination and joy in life. She may be a small town kid who doesn’t quite fit in, but that doesn’t stop her from having the best adventures – and from convincing Ethan to go along with all of her plans!
I can’t say too much about the plotline without spoilers, and this is definitely one you want to go into unspoiled, so I will leave you with this bit of advice:
Settle in with your favorite snack, a pile of tissues, and be prepared to forget what decade you’re currently in. You’ll be transported back to the days of soda shops, kids playing unsupervised, and good music on vinyl.
I gave this 5/5 stars – I can’t stop thinking about it and I finished it a couple of months ago! (whoops…)

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this book. I'll be posting my review on Goodreads and Amazon

Oh man, you guys. This book destroyed me. This is a beautiful and INVINCIBLE coming-of-age story of friendship, race, and history.

There is an innocence to both Ethan and Juniper; and the author takes the reader on an emotional ride by experiencing through Ethan's perspective the first hand experiences he has with racism. No doubt he's experienced racism back home in Washington State, but the world is different in Ellison, Alabama.

Juniper is the antithesis of the racist townspeople; she is kind, open, fun, and loving. She very much reminded me of Anne Shirley (Anne of Green Gables). My heart was so full reading about her and Ethan's friendship; it is such a special feeling when you make your first true best friend and McQueen captured this beautifully.

Thanks to Wattpad books for the ARC; however the file wouldn't open properly on my e-reader so I ended up buying this book to read it.

This is absolutely one of my favorite books of this year. I want to share it with the whole world. Set in the Deep South of the 1950's, it does have mature content, but nothing is too graphic. This book came out during a time of great change in our country, and the elements that are discussed are sadly alive and well today. It broke my heart and stitched it back together again. I would absolutely recommend this for parents and children to read and discuss this together.

Thank you so much Netgalley for allowing me an arc of this book.

Be ready to cry your eyes out! As the title says this book is truly invincible. This book is out of anything I’ve ever read before it’s totally out of my usual scope of books but I could not be more happy that I read it. This book really gave a lot of self reflection and showed a lot about what is going on in the world right now especially right now. I would definitely recommend this book to friends and I would definitely buy them a box of tissues to go with it!

Thank you, Netgalley, for an eARC of this book. My opinions are completely my own.

Wow.

What. A. Story. I have no words. As the title goes, this book is invincible.

As tragic as this book goes as a story that depicts the trauma of racism from the lenses of Juniper, and Ethan, it is so full of hope, and so full of light. The writing style is stunning.

And I suppose that makes it all the more beautiful (perhaps tragic). This book is an utterly brilliant coming-of-age novel with parallels of racism that has found root in this world. It is a heartbreaking reminder of the corrupt that's seeded in our world, and we will do so well to fight against it because nobody should be at the end of the horrors.

It's such a remarkable book. 5🌟.

Be ready to cry your eyes out! This book gave me so many feels. Summer has always been my favorite season, and I think it's partly because of all the epic adventures my siblings and I had with our cousins on our grandparents' farm. Ethan and Juniper's adventures reminded me of them.

The characters were so well-developed and vibrant, I felt like I was in the story with them. The lush summer descriptions of the lake and town added to the story's charm. And the best part was, that despite dealing with some sad, unfair things, in the end, the reader is left with a sense of hope for a better tomorrow.

Fans of Bridge to Terabithia and Tuck Everlasting will enjoy this book, as well as anyone who loves a great friendship story full of hope.

This is one of the best books I've ever read. It started like it was just going to be a fluffy romance but then it got serious dealt very well with some serious topics. Highly recommend

I did not expect such a good book. It was just perfect from start to end : excellent writing, intriguing story, absolutely endearing characters, unexpected ending, powerful message... I very highly recommend it to everyone !

i’ve heard tons of people talking about this book, and honestly it was so amazing. this is honestly such a beautiful book, and honest to god I loved every minute of it. it was such a touching story. it is such a beautiful story about friendship, love, race, and how everything could change the one summer.

The Invincible Summer of Juniper Jones

All the stars


Beautiful. Heartbreaking. I don’t even know what to say. I think this should be mandatory reading. It’s a reminder of how far we have come and how far we still our from getting it right. This is a story of family, of race, relationships and friendships. I don’t want to say to much because you just need to read it but it’s set in Alabama in 1955. Ethan is a biracial teenager who has been living in the north. His white father is sending him to his tiny hometown in Alabama to teach him a lesson about getting into
Fights. Hw learns really quickly that things in this small southern town are not like things in the north. He meats Juniper Jones. She is full of life and is very different from the rest of the town. They quickly become friends and help each other get thru the summer. I’m not going to lie, this is a hard read but it’s so worth it.

The Invincible Summer of Juniper Jones is a bit slow in the middle, but the ending is incredible. I cried through the last several chapters.

Juniper is a larger than life teen who lives in a small Southern town in 1955. She decided Ethan, a biracial kid who is spending the summer there as punishment, is going to be her best friend as they have the best summer of their lives. They both get a rude awakening to what it means to be Black in America as they deal with the prejudice of the townspeople.

I know I'm not the target audience for this young adult novel. For me, the middle dragged and was a bit heavy handed, and I skimmed through several sections, but I'll definitely be handing this to my son one day. For someone who's ready to have some difficult conversations about racism, this book would be a great starting point.