Juneberry Blue

by Candice Ransom

Taking inspiration from Sleeping Beauty and charming small towns, this contemporary magical realism novel includes a mistaken destiny, a dying town, and a determined ghost cat.

Eleven-year-old Andie Jennings, of Morning Glory, Virginia ( 8), is set to inherit her family's magic on Midsummer's Eve. And Andie plans to use it to bring her dad home for good from his long-haul trucking job. Except her gift doesn’t come.

But when a see-through cat starts following her, Andie realizes she didn't fail to get her magic at all. Her gift just isn’t what anyone expected. Turns out, her new ability to communicate with the ghosts she can suddenly see may be the very thing that Morning Glory—and her own family—needs.

Inspired by storytelling and tales passed down through generations, Juneberry Blue celebrates the importance of listening to stories--and the people who tell them.

Genres: Middle Grade, Fantasy, Magical Realism, Fiction, Audiobook, Mystery, Magic

307 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 18, 2024

Reviews

[Danielle Nichole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Libby: Adorable. Definitely juvenile fiction, but it's nice to believe in magic for a little while.

Read by Stephanie Willing. #booksin24

[Melanie Dulaney · Rating 4 out of 5]

11 year old Andie lives above the family diner with her grandmother, mom and little sister. She has a best friend, loves to create stories, isn’t always thrilled to do her part at the dinner and misses her dad when he’s out of town using his 18 wheeler to haul musicians’ equipment across the country. Totally typical, right? Nope. She lives in a dwindling town with a population of 11, has a morning glory plant named Priscilla who actually snatches things off the diner countertop/people’s plates, and on Midsummer’s Days she will “test” a recipe to see if she has inherited her family’s magical gift that seems to run through the oldest girl each generation. The usual gift does not come, but Andie does begin to see ghosts and to communicate with them and with their help, may be able to revive the old soda factory, bring her father home for good, and keep Morning Glory from falling off the map.

Wonderful “ghost” story that isn’t the least bit scary. But middle grade readers will thoroughly enjoy meeting a unique cast of characters and solving the mystery of the lost Juneberry Blue soda recipe right along with Andie. Text is free of profanity, sexual content and violence.

Read alike: Ghosts of Ordinary Objects series by Angie Smibert.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

As shown in this middle-grade novel, sometimes gifts come in unexpected forms and disappointments can lead to paths that turn out to be the right ones after all. That's what happens for eleven-year-old Andie Jennings, who lives with her family in Morning Glory, Virginia. The town's seen better times, having lost much of its population and appeal after the closing of the local factory that produced and bottled a delicious drink called Juneberry Blue. When the results of Andie's Test aren't what she expects, she turns to other means to have her heart's desire granted. The setting is idyllic, and the descriptions of the various foods and recipes make readers' mouths water so much so that they'll be tempted to find the town on a map or online. There are quite a few characters who make brief appearances, making it sometimes hard to keep up with them. The supernatural element and mystery add another layer to this story, making readers believe in the impossible. Fans of fairy tales may enjoy this one since Andie makes story boxes and tells her own versions of fairy tales to her little sister, Bunch, until she decides to start writing her own original stories.

[Lyon.Brit.andthebookshelf · Rating 5 out of 5]

“There are lots of special things in this world that appear ordinary until you really notice them.”

So much to love about this magical middle grade…

A forgotten small town.
An abandon soda factory.
A young girl with a special gift.

“Don’t be wishing your life away, my girl. It goes by quicker than you think.”

This one read with a blue tint to it all. A bit of a mystery mixed with stories passed down through generations. These characters stole my heart and I would love to revisit the small town of Morning Glory, Virginia and visit the Roadside Astronomer (Sweet), Mrs. Apricots thrift store which sounds magical… and of course see what NeeNee is cooking up at the Unlucky In Love diner. And oh what I wouldn’t give to try a glass of Juneberry Blue 🫐

“From up here, it didn't seem so dilapidated. It was greener, sleepy and peaceful, as if under a spell. It only needed to wake up.”

Thank you Peachtree 📖

Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Lyon.brit.A...

[Shaunasandberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's been quite awhile since I've enjoyed a book this much. I loved the quirky characters, the plot and the setting. It has a magical feeling about it and indeed, mysterious things happen, but somehow they seem apropos, as the book is about dreaming big, beating the odds, and in essence, about Hope. The writing is lyrical and the town of Morning Glory, also a "character," has a lot of heart. The author earned my trust and took me on a worthwhile and uplifting ride. She lets the story tell itself, and indeed, the power of storytelling, is a theme. But there are so few books I can say that about these days. So few seem to trust readers to come to their own conclusions but they instead hammer us with social justice themes.

This book was good for my heart and soul; I highly recommend it

[Tracey Kyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to the author for an ARC of this middle-grade novel set in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

The protagonist is Andie, a tenacious 11 year old girl in a sleepy town who wants to revive an old soda factory so that her truck driver father can return home to work. This is Andie's story, but the other characters are just as relevant and unique. I loved so much about this book: magical realism, realistic dialogue, beautiful descriptions of the landscape and the mystery itself, which is wrapped up nicely at the end. But my favorite part was the cat. A GHOST cat!

[Morgan Gayles · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was honestly the perfect palette cleanser. Something about a YA book that just gives me all the feels. I’m back in 8th grade thinking I need to save the world, or in Andies case, come up with a recipe to save my town, find the secret soda formula and restart the factory while helping my ghost friends move on to the afterlife in peace … you know just the typical stuff lol

[Tracie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet summer story with gentle magical realism.

Sleeping Beauty vibes (but it's the town--not the heroine--that needs waking).

[JV Austen · Rating 3 out of 5]

torn between 3 & 4 - my favorite characters were Andie and Priscilla (the plant)

[Susan Apps-Bodilly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Middle grade ghost story complete with interesting characters and a map of the town!
Loved it.

[Mariah Oleszkowicz · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little bit of magic for a dying town. Turns out they just need the key

[SarieBerrie]

DNF this story is very strange and hard to follow

[S.A.C. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kinda boring but I thought the characters and setting were interesting.

[Sarah Solomon · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/4 stars! Middle school level book that was a quick and cute read. Some elements didn’t make a ton of sense to me (like Priscilla the plant being alive but literally nothing else like that in the entire book). But overall not a waste of my time to listen to.