It’s the summer of 1955. For Ethan Harper, a biracial kid raised mostly by his white father, race has always been a distant conversation. When he’s sent to spend the summer with his aunt and uncle in small-town Alabama, his Blackness is suddenly front and center, and no one is shy about making it known he’s not welcome there. Except for Juniper Jones. The town’s resident oddball and free spirit, she’s everything the townspeople aren’t—open, kind, and full of acceptance.

Armed with two bikes and an unlimited supply of root beer floats, Ethan and Juniper set out to find their place in a town that’s bent on rejecting them. As Ethan is confronted for the first time by what it means to be Black in America, Juniper tries to help him see the beauty in even the ugliest reality, and that even the darkest days can give rise to an invincible summer.

Daven McQueen’s Juniper Jones is a character for all ages in this sweet coming of age story set in 1950s Alabama.

Author Bio:

Daven McQueen grew up outside of Los Angeles, California, and graduated from BrownUniversity, where she earned a BA in literary arts and economics. Her works on Wattpad includeDecember, Beautiful Dreamer, and Superior, which received a Watty Award for Science Fiction.When she’s not writing, Daven can be found tap dancing, embroidering, cooking, and eatingdessert. She currently lives in Boston, Massachusetts, with her cat, and works in education.