Blackberries in the Dark

by Mavis Jukes

"Austin's visit to his grandmother's is the first since Grandpa died. Austin notices Grandpa's things but feels the emptiness of his absence. This spare story vividly captures the emotions of painful times and shows how they ease with sharing and remembering. Boy and grandfather were close, but boy and grandmother seem destined to be just as close, with Grandpa's memory to bind them. Poignant and perceptive, this has impressive resonance, and readers won't easily shed its warm afterglow."--(starred) Booklist.  

Genres: Childrens, Fiction, Picture Books, Middle Grade

64 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1985

About the author

Mavis Jukes (born May 3, 1947 in Nyack, New York), is an American author of novels for children. She has also published nonfiction books for children and pre-teens about puberty. Her books are usually health-based.

Before becoming an author, Jukes was a lawyer and a teacher. Her first book, No One is Going to Nashville, was published in 1983. She lives with her husband, the sculptor and painter Robert H. Hudson, and their daughters in Sonoma County, California. She is the daughter of Thomas Hughes Jukes, a famous molecular biologist and nutritionist, who pioneered the use of methotrexate as a new cancer therapy and was one of the first to formulate the neutral theory of molecular evolution.

She received the Newbery Honor distinction in 1985 for her book Like Jake and Me.

Reviews

[Khanh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Technically, this was a reread. I have fond memories of reading this when I was like nine years old at camp. I tried to steal the book because I fell in love with the story and wanted to read it over and over and over again, but then I chickened out at the last second For fear of getting caught.
That was also the year that I picked blackberries for the first time and developed a love for blackberry pie.
Oh to be a kid again!
It's still a super delightful story over 30 years later.

[Tym · Rating 4 out of 5]

A poignant story of loss and learning to move on, I especially enjoyed it because the farm felt much like my own grandparents’ farm I visited every summer and loved deeply. They’re long gone now which made this story all the more moving.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book my school has in its leveled library. I picked it up for the first time a few years ago to read with a guided reading group. I liked it enough so pulled it out again this year.

Austin enjoys visiting his grandparents during summer vacation. His grandfather and he fish. Grandfather has promised to teach him how to fly fish this coming summer. In the interim, grandfather died. Austin still visits his grandmother. She has cleared out grandfather's things, which saddens the boy. She gives him an antique doll, which breaks. Austin agrees to go pick blackberries for a pie. Doing so, he and his grandmother forge their own memories together.

This story has good description and provides an opportunity for my students to infer many things on a level they can handle. I find this a rich story, although I think it is abbreviated. This is like a snippet of a longer story that is not told. Even so, it is a good book to practice inference.

I find that I have to help my students understand fishing, which they seem unaware of, and other vocabulary.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars -- Austin visits his grandparents every summer. This summer, however, is different. Austin's grandfather passed away during the course of the year, so this summer's ten days will be just with his grandmother. Despite being just 48 pages, the story presents impactful detail and emotion. Austin really misses his grandfather. His grandfather fished & tinkered & farmed, and Austin was a part of all of that. I love how the story comes full circle with the coral bead necklace & the antique doll. I love how the grandmother comes through with fishing. I love how Austin and his grandmother help each other. It really is a beautiful story, "hells bells" and all.

[Karie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would have given it five stars if it wasn't for Grandma's exclamatory comment just before the end of the book. Inappropriate and totally doesn't "fit" the book, nor "Grandma". Why on earth would they put that in? Because I will more than likely be using this book to teach English in the future, I liberally pasted-over the exclamatory remark with something better. So, other than that it was a great story. -That just spoiled it. Mine was published in 1985 and with a different cover. I can't approve or disapprove of the newer one.

[Teresa Grabs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful story about Austin's first summer back on his grandparent's farm after his grandfather passed away. Even though his grandfather wasn't there anymore, Austin found that traditions mean someone isn't really gone.

[Jonathan Ouellette · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't really like it. It was very underwhelming. There was not much going on and the characters were lackluster. I fekt I didn't care about the characters or what was happening and for that I give this book two stars.

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Austen visits his grandmother shortly after his grandfather's death, and they bridge the gap between them with the help of a broken string of doll's beads and some trout fishing flies. An extremely moving story told with unsentimental prose and eloquent pencil drawings.

[Nader Nate · Rating 3 out of 5]

6.5/10

[Danette · Rating 3 out of 5]

A young boy deals with the death of his grandfather by spending some special time with his grandmother.

[Pamela Powell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet story of Austin and his Grandma learning to be together after Grandpa has died.

[Steven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic fantastic book

[Kristen Reyes · Rating 4 out of 5]

How accurate are representations of language, culture, setting, and relationships?
The story depicts a family: grandson, grandfather, and grandmother. The relationship between the three characters seems rocky at first because the story begins with news that the grandfather had passed away. There is tension and bottled up emotions from the young boy at first. The setting seems to be in a rural town with a shed and river nearby the boy's grandparents house.


• Are characters fully realized and shown to have agency?
The grandfather's character transcends through the story even though his character is not actually present in it. The memories shared between grandfather and grandson follow him back to the home when he goes to visit (for the first time since the death). The boy's grandmother is just as important to the story because she allows the boy to open up and share his feelings through exploration of the house, shed, and river bank.


• How are characters’ lives and perspectives interrelated and interdependent? How are these interconnections shown in text and image?
The story ends with the young boy sitting alone by the river bank with his fishing pole and fishing supplies. As he listens to the water, he begins to reminisce about his grandfather and even becomes upset that he was never able to teach him how to fly fish. Once again, the grandmother comes to save the boy when he slips and falls into the water. The illustrations show the two attempt to learn how to fly fish together.

• How and by whom are perceptions of difference transformed, and with what implications for future relations?
The grandmother's character transformed the way the young boy thought about him grandfather. Since the boy was so young (around ten years old) he did not fully understand why his grandfather had died. The boy felt betrayed in a way but, because of his grandmother, he ended up with a peaceful memory that involved his grandfather and his grandmother.

[Books Kids Like · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Austin visited his grandparents in the past, his grandfather would take him fishing. It became a tradition to eat blackberries in the dark because they would always fish after dinner. Now Austin's grandfather is dead, and Austin is reluctant to go for his annual summer visit. Grandma tries to make him comfortable. She offers to make a blackberry pie for dinner if Austin picks the berries. While he is down by the river's edge, Grandma appears dressed in Grandpa's fishing gear. Together they catch a beautiful brook trout and then set it free. Back at the house Grandma gives Austin the surprise Grandpa had set aside for him. Jukes weaves a tender story. It’s a perfect read aloud for parents or grandparents to share with their beloved children or grandchildren.

[Judi Paradis · Rating 2 out of 5]

Austin has always spent his summer vacation at his grandparent's farm. His grandfather taught him to fish, to ride a tractor, and to pick blackberries in the dark. This year is going to be different though--his grandfather died in the spring, and Austin and his grandmother have to figure out how to go on together without the person they both miss most. This story is slow, but satisfying. A good choice for kids who like realistic fiction and want to see how someone lives through a difficult situation.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was doing bus duty the other morning and a bus driver handed me a copy of this book that had been found on the bus. I had it half done before all the buses had arrived. it is a very early chapter book. The story tells of a young boy who has loved visiting his grandparents on their farm each summer. Grandfather has now died and he has reservations about going back to visit without him there. It is nicely done as it weaves Austin's memories of Grandfather in to his new relationship with Grandmother.

[Jana · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a touching story about a boy's visit to his grandmother for the summer. It's the first summer after his grandfather has passed away. The boy and the grandfather had shared special times fishing, and it's tough to face the summer without him. But as the grandmother and boy share an experience learning to fly fish together and picking blackberries the healing begins for both of them. Kids that enjoy fishing will probably relate well to this story, but it's a good story for everyone.

[Duane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Austin is spending his first summer at his grandparents place after losing his grandpa. Him and his grandmother help each other overcome the loss that tugs at both of their hearts. This is a short book with illustrations so a beginner reader should have no problems enjoying this book.

[Marcia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A heartwarming story of a boy coming to terms with the death of his beloved grandfather. It feels a little dated, but there is always a need for these kinds of stories, to open conversation with kids who are hurting.

[Anaudy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book

[Rebekah · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a heartwarming book about grief and bereavement. I really enjoyed it.

[WSL Library]

x4

[Vanessa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another Book for Tom. Great story of how a grandson and Grandmother help each other through the grief of Grandpa's death. Good fishing/blackberry hunting tale.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of sad, kind of odd, touching.

[Juliet · Rating 2 out of 5]

Was just really boring

[Theresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

the grief of visiting grandma the summer after grandpa died

[Katya Lazukina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would use this book in a third to fifth grade class because the book offers a lot of description and in the forth grade that is where students need to pay attention to details (I believe).
Transition book from picture books to chapter books.
Touching story about loss of a loved one.

[Mariss]

In the beginning of Blackberries in the Dark, by Mavis Jukes the tone is set up right away, as the grandmother is having a short conversation with Austin, her grandson. The grandmothers clean white outfit lets us in on what type of personality she may have. I chose this book because it was about the boy, Austin and his grandfather. They used to go fishing and eat blackberries, but grandpa died. This reminds me of my grandpa as well, who loved fishing. Now just my dad and I go.
We see a closeness just by the way Jukes portrays the boy missing his grandpa. The reason behind the title is revealed on page 31, "we stayed out late. We picked blackberries in the dark. We brought them home and you made that pie." The boy is reminiscing of his grandpa while talking to his grandmother. I can tell how much they miss him. Grandma soon tries to make up for grandpa being gone and takes Austin fishing just like grandpa used to do.
It's a great, short book because there is a strong sense of family and old traditions. The turning point is when grandma tries to make Austin feel better by fishing and staying out late, eating blackberries in the dark.