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The Peach Rebellion
A historical tale of friendship, family, and the power of sisterhood to help heal the wounds of the past and step boldly into the future of post-WWII America.
Ginny Rose and Peggy were best friends at seven, picking peaches on hot summer days. Peggy’s family owned the farm, and Ginny Rose’s were pickers, escaping the Oklahoma dust storms. That didn’t matter to them then, but now, ten years, hard miles, and a world war later, Ginny Rose’s family is back in town and their differences feel somehow starker. Especially since Peggy’s new best friend, Lisette, is a wealthy banker’s daughter.
Still, there's no denying what these girls have in common—families with great fissures that are about to break wide open.
So when Ginny Rose imagines a radical plan to try to heal the rift in her family, these three not-quite-friends come together to see it through. They sense that this is a moment for them all—to prove they have the power to make things happen. To know that they can build better futures for themselves in a changing world.
Ginny Rose and Peggy were best friends at seven, picking peaches on hot summer days. Peggy’s family owned the farm, and Ginny Rose’s were pickers, escaping the Oklahoma dust storms. That didn’t matter to them then, but now, ten years, hard miles, and a world war later, Ginny Rose’s family is back in town and their differences feel somehow starker. Especially since Peggy’s new best friend, Lisette, is a wealthy banker’s daughter.
Still, there's no denying what these girls have in common—families with great fissures that are about to break wide open.
So when Ginny Rose imagines a radical plan to try to heal the rift in her family, these three not-quite-friends come together to see it through. They sense that this is a moment for them all—to prove they have the power to make things happen. To know that they can build better futures for themselves in a changing world.
416 pages, Hardcover
First published May 17, 2022
56 people are currently reading
2839 people want to read
About the author
Wendelin Van Draanen
54 books2,210 followersWendelin Van Draanen has written more than thirty novels for young readers and teens. She is the author of the 18-book Edgar-winning Sammy Keyes series, and wrote Flipped which was named a Top 100 Children’s Novel for the 21st Century by SLJ, and became a Warner Brothers feature film with Rob Reiner directing. Her novel The Running Dream was awarded ALA’s Schneider Family Award for its portrayal of the disability experience.
Van Draanen's latest book, Hope in the Mail, is part memoir, part writing guided, designed to encourage aspiring writers to pursue their dream.
Van Draanen is also the author of two short chapter-book series. The Gecko & Sticky books, are fun read-alouds, perfect for reluctant readers, and the Shredderman books—featuring a boy who deals with a bully—received the Christopher Award for “affirming the highest values of the human spirit” and became a Nickelodeon made-for-TV movie.
Van Draanen was a classroom teacher for fifteen years. She and her husband reside in California and have two sons.
Van Draanen's latest book, Hope in the Mail, is part memoir, part writing guided, designed to encourage aspiring writers to pursue their dream.
Van Draanen is also the author of two short chapter-book series. The Gecko & Sticky books, are fun read-alouds, perfect for reluctant readers, and the Shredderman books—featuring a boy who deals with a bully—received the Christopher Award for “affirming the highest values of the human spirit” and became a Nickelodeon made-for-TV movie.
Van Draanen was a classroom teacher for fifteen years. She and her husband reside in California and have two sons.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 305 reviews
January 9, 2022
“And as I reseat the tire and pump it full of air, I start thinkin’ about how a tire is like life itself. When it springs a leak, you can moan about the flat, or you can patch it, pump it full of air again, then get back on and ride. ’Course people don’t usually see the patches of your inner tube, which is how a tire and life are different.” --Ginny Rose from The Peach Rebellion
The ultra-gifted and talented writer, Wendelin Van Draanen, treats her reading audience to an extraordinary historical novel via the authentic, alternating voices of two courageous, unbreakable teenagers during post World War II California.
This story will captivate you from the heartrending Prologue to the insightful, inspiring words on the last page. It's definitely worthy of reading, re-reading, and will make a fantastic discussion book when it debuts in the spring. In my humble opinion, this one has award winner written all over it.
The timeless themes of friendship, forgiveness, family, social injustices, heartbreak, healing, and love will resonate loudly with readers of all ages and backgrounds. However, what drives this compelling story is the character development of three complicated, multi-faceted teenagers: Ginny Rose, a migrant from Oklahoma during the Dust Bowl, Peggy, a peach farmer's daughter, and Lisette, a banker's daughter. Each girl's story comes with very unique family dynamics.
This spirited trio must find a way to forget their differences and come together to right a wrong and bring peace and closure to a broken family. In the process, these three resilient young ladies discover how strong and unstoppable they are as they unite for a common purpose. It will take them on a wild, heart-stopping adventure that will lead them down a path toward binding up the wounds of the past and embracing a promising future.
No one captures the pain, anguish, failures, joys, triumphs, hopes, and dreams of her characters quite like Wendelin Van Draanen. She has an uncanny ability to articulate, with her impeccable language skills, the essence of who they are and what motivates them to action.
The signature element of Wendelin Van Draanen’s writing is the way she engages her readers and brings them into the heart of her story with her descriptive, powerful words and fast-paced storylines.
This master weaver of stories creates breathtaking, satisfying conclusions. The one for The Peach Rebellion may be the best yet, leaving you very uplifted and possibly in tears.
As a longtime school librarian and proud fourth generation native Oklahoman, I invite you to pre-order The Peach Rebellion, available in bookstores and online in May, 2022. It will be a reading experience that will live long in your heart, soul, and memory as it will in mine.
The ultra-gifted and talented writer, Wendelin Van Draanen, treats her reading audience to an extraordinary historical novel via the authentic, alternating voices of two courageous, unbreakable teenagers during post World War II California.
This story will captivate you from the heartrending Prologue to the insightful, inspiring words on the last page. It's definitely worthy of reading, re-reading, and will make a fantastic discussion book when it debuts in the spring. In my humble opinion, this one has award winner written all over it.
The timeless themes of friendship, forgiveness, family, social injustices, heartbreak, healing, and love will resonate loudly with readers of all ages and backgrounds. However, what drives this compelling story is the character development of three complicated, multi-faceted teenagers: Ginny Rose, a migrant from Oklahoma during the Dust Bowl, Peggy, a peach farmer's daughter, and Lisette, a banker's daughter. Each girl's story comes with very unique family dynamics.
This spirited trio must find a way to forget their differences and come together to right a wrong and bring peace and closure to a broken family. In the process, these three resilient young ladies discover how strong and unstoppable they are as they unite for a common purpose. It will take them on a wild, heart-stopping adventure that will lead them down a path toward binding up the wounds of the past and embracing a promising future.
No one captures the pain, anguish, failures, joys, triumphs, hopes, and dreams of her characters quite like Wendelin Van Draanen. She has an uncanny ability to articulate, with her impeccable language skills, the essence of who they are and what motivates them to action.
The signature element of Wendelin Van Draanen’s writing is the way she engages her readers and brings them into the heart of her story with her descriptive, powerful words and fast-paced storylines.
This master weaver of stories creates breathtaking, satisfying conclusions. The one for The Peach Rebellion may be the best yet, leaving you very uplifted and possibly in tears.
As a longtime school librarian and proud fourth generation native Oklahoman, I invite you to pre-order The Peach Rebellion, available in bookstores and online in May, 2022. It will be a reading experience that will live long in your heart, soul, and memory as it will in mine.
June 23, 2022
I loved this book! There were a lot of life lessons about kindness, tolerance, and change. It was also a beautiful story of friendship.
December 8, 2024
Libby app, Overdrive was better
-----
A wonderful, beautiful story of friendship, family, forgiveness, and changing your perceptions.
I already miss these people 😪.
You really get a sense of the settings and the people... the orchard and Ginny Rose's house were characters on their own right.
Couldn't put this one down and it was never far from my thoughts.
The narrators did a wonderful job 👏 👏 as well, they brought everything to life and the story was up a Level (not sure how else to say it).
One of those random libby picks when audiobook hopping worked out :).
Have tissues 🤧 ready in some parts and seeing red in others.
-----
A wonderful, beautiful story of friendship, family, forgiveness, and changing your perceptions.
I already miss these people 😪.
You really get a sense of the settings and the people... the orchard and Ginny Rose's house were characters on their own right.
Couldn't put this one down and it was never far from my thoughts.
The narrators did a wonderful job 👏 👏 as well, they brought everything to life and the story was up a Level (not sure how else to say it).
One of those random libby picks when audiobook hopping worked out :).
Have tissues 🤧 ready in some parts and seeing red in others.
March 8, 2022
Richie’s Picks: THE PEACH REBELLION by Wendelin Van Draanen, Random House/Knopf, May 2022, 416p., ISBN: 978-0-593-37856-4
“Liberty, laughing and shaking your head
Can you carry the torch that'll bring home the dead?”
– Graham Nash, “Southbound Train” (1972)
In 1947, two childhood best friends reconnect as teenagers, leading to a multiplicity of actions and reactions in a California Central Valley agricultural community.
Shades of Tom Joad: Ginny Rose Gilly is a so-called Okie. Her father used to farm 80 acres of wheat. But the drought that precipitated the historic Dust Bowl led to crop failures, bank foreclosures, and the necessity for the Gilly family to load up the old farm truck with whatever would fit, and head to California. They’ve been trying, ever since, to survive by eking out a living as migrant farm workers. This sequence of events in Ginny Rose’s young life also led to the deaths of Ginny’s two younger brothers.
Peggy Simmons is the daughter of a Central Valley peach farmer. She and Ginny Rose were best friends in their pre-pubescent years, two little girls hanging out together, doing farm work, sorting peaches. But then Ginny Rose’s family didn’t show up at the Simmons’s orchard for years. Peggy eventually became best friends with Lisette.
Lisette Bovee is the privileged, only child of the town banker.
THE PEACH REBELLION blew me away. The varied family dynamics in which each of these young women is entangled, and the evolving relationships that develop between Ginny Rose, Peggy, and Lisette, fuel this powerful historical novel about post-WWII California. Its depiction of women’s roles at the dawn of the Boomer era hint at the changes that, decades in the future, would eventually culminate in Title IX; female governors, senators, and Supreme Court justices; and Kamala Harris sitting a heartbeat away from the Presidency.
But that’s not how it was in 1947:
“Primogeniture is the right, by law or custom, of the firstborn legitimate child to inherit the parent’s entire or main estate in preference to shared inheritance among all or some children, any illegitimate child, or any collateral relative. In most contexts it means the inheritance of the firstborn son”
– Wikipedia
Peggy:
“She sat up a little straighter and said, ‘So Mother didn’t also tell you why I left?’
‘Why you…?’ I could see in her eyes that I was missing something but I didn’t know what.
She leaned forward, her face hardening. ‘Why I eloped…?’
I had no idea what she was getting at, so I simply said what I believed. ‘Because you fell madly in love with Tom and were sick of living at home?’
She hacked out a laugh, one full of bitterness. ‘Tom happened because I was angry.’
I bit my tongue. She’d always been some shade of angry.
In response to my silence, she asked, ‘So…do you want to know why?’
I didn’t want to know. But since it would be rude to say that, and since the kettle was coming to a boil, I said, ‘If you’re sure you want to tell me,’ and got busy making a pot of tea.
‘Well, you’re almost seventeen, so you better start facing facts.’
I turned to look at her. ‘What does this have to do with me?’
‘You know we’re just free labor to them, right?’
I gave her a hard squint. ‘What are you talking about?’
‘They’re leaving it all to Bobby. The orchard. The land. The house. Everything.’
As I sat two cups and the steaming teapot on the table, my legs turned to jelly and I landed in the chair across from her again.
‘Ha!’ she said, taking in my expression. ‘I knew they wouldn’t tell you.’”
Ginny Rose’s sudden reappearance in Ginny’s life, after a half-dozen years apart, contributes to Ginny’s and Lisette’s enlightenment, and leads to them speaking up in ways they never have before. The story also personifies and foretells the degree to which rigid class structure in the United States would begin dissolving during the booming postwar era.
This book is one not to miss. It is perfect for middle school readers as well as high schoolers.
Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.pbworks.com
https://www.facebook.com/richiespicks/
https://twitter.com/richiespicks
richiepartington@gmail.com
“Liberty, laughing and shaking your head
Can you carry the torch that'll bring home the dead?”
– Graham Nash, “Southbound Train” (1972)
In 1947, two childhood best friends reconnect as teenagers, leading to a multiplicity of actions and reactions in a California Central Valley agricultural community.
Shades of Tom Joad: Ginny Rose Gilly is a so-called Okie. Her father used to farm 80 acres of wheat. But the drought that precipitated the historic Dust Bowl led to crop failures, bank foreclosures, and the necessity for the Gilly family to load up the old farm truck with whatever would fit, and head to California. They’ve been trying, ever since, to survive by eking out a living as migrant farm workers. This sequence of events in Ginny Rose’s young life also led to the deaths of Ginny’s two younger brothers.
Peggy Simmons is the daughter of a Central Valley peach farmer. She and Ginny Rose were best friends in their pre-pubescent years, two little girls hanging out together, doing farm work, sorting peaches. But then Ginny Rose’s family didn’t show up at the Simmons’s orchard for years. Peggy eventually became best friends with Lisette.
Lisette Bovee is the privileged, only child of the town banker.
THE PEACH REBELLION blew me away. The varied family dynamics in which each of these young women is entangled, and the evolving relationships that develop between Ginny Rose, Peggy, and Lisette, fuel this powerful historical novel about post-WWII California. Its depiction of women’s roles at the dawn of the Boomer era hint at the changes that, decades in the future, would eventually culminate in Title IX; female governors, senators, and Supreme Court justices; and Kamala Harris sitting a heartbeat away from the Presidency.
But that’s not how it was in 1947:
“Primogeniture is the right, by law or custom, of the firstborn legitimate child to inherit the parent’s entire or main estate in preference to shared inheritance among all or some children, any illegitimate child, or any collateral relative. In most contexts it means the inheritance of the firstborn son”
– Wikipedia
Peggy:
“She sat up a little straighter and said, ‘So Mother didn’t also tell you why I left?’
‘Why you…?’ I could see in her eyes that I was missing something but I didn’t know what.
She leaned forward, her face hardening. ‘Why I eloped…?’
I had no idea what she was getting at, so I simply said what I believed. ‘Because you fell madly in love with Tom and were sick of living at home?’
She hacked out a laugh, one full of bitterness. ‘Tom happened because I was angry.’
I bit my tongue. She’d always been some shade of angry.
In response to my silence, she asked, ‘So…do you want to know why?’
I didn’t want to know. But since it would be rude to say that, and since the kettle was coming to a boil, I said, ‘If you’re sure you want to tell me,’ and got busy making a pot of tea.
‘Well, you’re almost seventeen, so you better start facing facts.’
I turned to look at her. ‘What does this have to do with me?’
‘You know we’re just free labor to them, right?’
I gave her a hard squint. ‘What are you talking about?’
‘They’re leaving it all to Bobby. The orchard. The land. The house. Everything.’
As I sat two cups and the steaming teapot on the table, my legs turned to jelly and I landed in the chair across from her again.
‘Ha!’ she said, taking in my expression. ‘I knew they wouldn’t tell you.’”
Ginny Rose’s sudden reappearance in Ginny’s life, after a half-dozen years apart, contributes to Ginny’s and Lisette’s enlightenment, and leads to them speaking up in ways they never have before. The story also personifies and foretells the degree to which rigid class structure in the United States would begin dissolving during the booming postwar era.
This book is one not to miss. It is perfect for middle school readers as well as high schoolers.
Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.pbworks.com
https://www.facebook.com/richiespicks/
https://twitter.com/richiespicks
richiepartington@gmail.com
February 21, 2023
4.5
Why aren't more people talking about this book? This is a story that unfurls slowly, but keeps you captivated by providing small tidbits of information that leave you hanging on every word. Learning about the depth of each girl, their families, and their history was done in such a raw and honest way. Not only did this book touch on compassion, friendship, and humility, but also grief, resilience, and classism. In all the historical books that I've seen/looked at, I've honestly never heard about one that touches on this specific time period. It's such a unique story that I think will leave a lasting impact. I would highly encourage everyone to give this one a try.
Why aren't more people talking about this book? This is a story that unfurls slowly, but keeps you captivated by providing small tidbits of information that leave you hanging on every word. Learning about the depth of each girl, their families, and their history was done in such a raw and honest way. Not only did this book touch on compassion, friendship, and humility, but also grief, resilience, and classism. In all the historical books that I've seen/looked at, I've honestly never heard about one that touches on this specific time period. It's such a unique story that I think will leave a lasting impact. I would highly encourage everyone to give this one a try.
April 10, 2022
I love Wendelin Van Draanen’s books and The Peach Rebellion is her best yet. It’s also my favorite book that I’ve read in a while.
Ginny Rose is a former migrant worker from Oklahoma whose family is finally settling down in California after WW2. She’s happy to be living near Peggy, whose family owns a peach orchard that Ginny Rose and her family worked at for several summers. As young girls they were great friends despite the differences in their situations, and Peggy is thrilled to see Ginny Rose again after years of wondering where she was and how she was doing.
A tragedy many years before continues to cast a shadow over Ginny Rose’s family, but Ginny Rose is determined to do what she can to love and support her family.
Peggy works hard as farmer’s daughter and is tired of being seen as less-than by others, including her best friend Lisette’s family. Lisette’s father is a banker and her mother is very concerned with appearances.
The book shifts between the perspectives of Ginny Rose and Peggy, both of whom begin to question the status quo, and feel the need to go against their families’ rules to do what is right.
I loved this book so much. The details and the setting transported me back in time and I felt like I was there. I loved the strong female protagonists. They made mistakes (relatable) and you can see their development and growth as the story progresses. Plus, and this is a big one, I just liked and cared about them both a lot.
I recommend this to everyone, and especially those who enjoy historical fiction or books about the power of friendship or overcoming adversity.
Ginny Rose is a former migrant worker from Oklahoma whose family is finally settling down in California after WW2. She’s happy to be living near Peggy, whose family owns a peach orchard that Ginny Rose and her family worked at for several summers. As young girls they were great friends despite the differences in their situations, and Peggy is thrilled to see Ginny Rose again after years of wondering where she was and how she was doing.
A tragedy many years before continues to cast a shadow over Ginny Rose’s family, but Ginny Rose is determined to do what she can to love and support her family.
Peggy works hard as farmer’s daughter and is tired of being seen as less-than by others, including her best friend Lisette’s family. Lisette’s father is a banker and her mother is very concerned with appearances.
The book shifts between the perspectives of Ginny Rose and Peggy, both of whom begin to question the status quo, and feel the need to go against their families’ rules to do what is right.
I loved this book so much. The details and the setting transported me back in time and I felt like I was there. I loved the strong female protagonists. They made mistakes (relatable) and you can see their development and growth as the story progresses. Plus, and this is a big one, I just liked and cared about them both a lot.
I recommend this to everyone, and especially those who enjoy historical fiction or books about the power of friendship or overcoming adversity.
June 4, 2022
First sentence from the prologue: It's August sixteenth. My birthday. I wake up before sunup, excited.
Premise/plot: The Peach Rebellion is historical fiction with dual narration. Our two heroines are Peggy Simmons and Ginny Rose Gilley. These two were friends as children, but life has pulled them in different directions, until now. Now eleven years later, these two friends are reuniting. But they've grown and changed in oh so many ways. The Gilley family migrated to California from Oklahoma during the Dust Bowl. Life has been HARD, tremendously hard. The Simmons family isn't rich by any means, but they are rich by comparison. They have their own farm--growing and selling peaches. Neither family is super-excited that the girls are becoming friends again. Another person who shows some dissatisfaction with this new (old) friendship is Lisette Bovee, the banker's daughter.
The historical setting is California in the summer of 1947.
My thoughts: I wanted to (but didn't) love this one. There were things that I liked about it. I think I liked the characters at their core. I liked Peggy and Ginny Rose. I even grew to tolerate Lisette. (Mostly I wanted to yell at Lisette.) But I definitely did not like the story or the direction the story goes. A different story with these characters I could easily see myself enjoying more. I liked the coming-of-age elements of this one. And how each of the girls is handling the new responsibilities that come with growing up. Including an interest in boys. There is a we're-in-this-together element that I definitely enjoyed.
So what didn't I like about the story itself? I thought it was MORBID. Morbid and weird. The major plot of this one involves, well, something a bit unusual...and dark. In my opinion. Reading is subjective. Maybe other readers won't find it so unpleasant?
S
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Read at your own risk, spoilers ahead.
So in the prologue (when the main characters are around seven), Ginny Rose goes with her father to bury her younger (twins???) brothers who died of disease in one of the migrant camps. (Remember this was during the Dust Bowl, the big migration to California, and during the Great Depression as well.) That's not the morbid part, not really. Now as a teen (seventeen? eighteen?) Ginny Rose is determined (with the help of her friends) to go on a journey to discover the unmarked grave of her brothers and bring home their bodies. Maybe it is 100% me. Maybe teens wouldn't mind at all trekking across the country in a "borrowed" family truck with a couple of shovels on a mission to dig up dead bodies. But for me, well, it isn't so much the desire to give closure to the family by giving them a proper burial and an actual marked grave that is disturbing, but the hands-on and SURPRISE element of it. They are going to sneak out on their own and SURPRISE their family with the bodies in the back of the truck. And that just doesn't sound like something you should just surprise someone with. Or maybe again that's just me???
Premise/plot: The Peach Rebellion is historical fiction with dual narration. Our two heroines are Peggy Simmons and Ginny Rose Gilley. These two were friends as children, but life has pulled them in different directions, until now. Now eleven years later, these two friends are reuniting. But they've grown and changed in oh so many ways. The Gilley family migrated to California from Oklahoma during the Dust Bowl. Life has been HARD, tremendously hard. The Simmons family isn't rich by any means, but they are rich by comparison. They have their own farm--growing and selling peaches. Neither family is super-excited that the girls are becoming friends again. Another person who shows some dissatisfaction with this new (old) friendship is Lisette Bovee, the banker's daughter.
The historical setting is California in the summer of 1947.
My thoughts: I wanted to (but didn't) love this one. There were things that I liked about it. I think I liked the characters at their core. I liked Peggy and Ginny Rose. I even grew to tolerate Lisette. (Mostly I wanted to yell at Lisette.) But I definitely did not like the story or the direction the story goes. A different story with these characters I could easily see myself enjoying more. I liked the coming-of-age elements of this one. And how each of the girls is handling the new responsibilities that come with growing up. Including an interest in boys. There is a we're-in-this-together element that I definitely enjoyed.
So what didn't I like about the story itself? I thought it was MORBID. Morbid and weird. The major plot of this one involves, well, something a bit unusual...and dark. In my opinion. Reading is subjective. Maybe other readers won't find it so unpleasant?
S
P
O
I
L
E
R
A
L
E
R
T
Read at your own risk, spoilers ahead.
So in the prologue (when the main characters are around seven), Ginny Rose goes with her father to bury her younger (twins???) brothers who died of disease in one of the migrant camps. (Remember this was during the Dust Bowl, the big migration to California, and during the Great Depression as well.) That's not the morbid part, not really. Now as a teen (seventeen? eighteen?) Ginny Rose is determined (with the help of her friends) to go on a journey to discover the unmarked grave of her brothers and bring home their bodies. Maybe it is 100% me. Maybe teens wouldn't mind at all trekking across the country in a "borrowed" family truck with a couple of shovels on a mission to dig up dead bodies. But for me, well, it isn't so much the desire to give closure to the family by giving them a proper burial and an actual marked grave that is disturbing, but the hands-on and SURPRISE element of it. They are going to sneak out on their own and SURPRISE their family with the bodies in the back of the truck. And that just doesn't sound like something you should just surprise someone with. Or maybe again that's just me???
Read
September 25, 2022i....... really wanted to like this. i just couldn't get into it /:
November 3, 2023
set in late 1940s California. Can three seventeen-year-old girls from different backgrounds become friends? Peggy is the daughter and middle child of a small business owner; her family owns and runs a peach farm. Lisette is an only child of a banker who is determined to climb the social ladder and Ginny Rose is daughter of hard times; her father lost their farm during the dust bowl of the 1930s. They have migrated from place to place and have finally settled in Fairbanks, California near where they had spent three summers picking peaches for Peggy's family. Now it's the summer before the three girls' senior year, a summer where they flex their independence, clash with their parents and work together .
If you like historical sagas with multiple narrators (chapters alternate between Peggy and Ginny Rose), give this a try. Or if you are looking for a great book for tweens and young teens about high school aged characters and young romance that's not too racy.
If you like historical sagas with multiple narrators (chapters alternate between Peggy and Ginny Rose), give this a try. Or if you are looking for a great book for tweens and young teens about high school aged characters and young romance that's not too racy.
June 12, 2022
This book was just so smooth, like a sultry summer night with a glorious pink and orange sunset that melts before your eyes.
There really wasn't anything dramatic, no sudden turns or surprises. The story just kept slowly unfolding. The depth of these girls, their families, and the way they saw their lives was raw and honest. There was no shame in how the girls found themsleves in their respective life stations (since how could they control it?), just the urge to be compassionate, caring, and humble towards everyone. The overall message was so subtle, but so carefully interwoven. This is one of those books where it seems like the author didn't write the story--the story birthed itself.
Simply the perfect summer read with the right amount of honesty, light-heartedness, and grit.
There really wasn't anything dramatic, no sudden turns or surprises. The story just kept slowly unfolding. The depth of these girls, their families, and the way they saw their lives was raw and honest. There was no shame in how the girls found themsleves in their respective life stations (since how could they control it?), just the urge to be compassionate, caring, and humble towards everyone. The overall message was so subtle, but so carefully interwoven. This is one of those books where it seems like the author didn't write the story--the story birthed itself.
Simply the perfect summer read with the right amount of honesty, light-heartedness, and grit.
July 28, 2023
This is such a good book! Set in the post-WWII era in California, it deals in positive and constructive ways with Dust Bowl aftermath, women's rights, community, and friendship. Highly recommended! This book is a breath of fresh air for me after reading so many negative things lately. I'm hoping I can get my 14yo daughter to read it.
August 25, 2022
finished it in one day! guess I needed a lighter read for the moment, and this definitely ended on an uplifting note
August 18, 2022
Women 👏🏽 Supporting👏🏽 Other 👏🏽Women! This book was a little unexpected and I kind of went into it not knowing what it was about. While I did feel like it took a little bit to get to the actual story, the ending was nice and sweet as peaches!
"... seeing that no matter where each of us had come from, no matter how different we once were, we'd join together to create something sweeter than any of us could ever imagined."
"... seeing that no matter where each of us had come from, no matter how different we once were, we'd join together to create something sweeter than any of us could ever imagined."
May 28, 2022
I was absolutely blown away. I can tell it will be one of my favorite reads of the year.
I love Wendelin Van Draanen's writing style, but especially her characters. And I think the three girls in this book are my favorite characters she's written yet. I also loved the themes explored and the historical aspect of the book.
If you enjoy historical fiction, this is a must read.
I love Wendelin Van Draanen's writing style, but especially her characters. And I think the three girls in this book are my favorite characters she's written yet. I also loved the themes explored and the historical aspect of the book.
If you enjoy historical fiction, this is a must read.
May 29, 2025
Audiobook— great narration and characters. Cute story of friendship and loyalty.
August 28, 2022
I really enjoyed this book. It's actually historical fiction about a family of "Okies" and their struggles in the Central Valley of California. I liked the relationship between Ginny Rose, Peggy, and Lisette.
April 4, 2024
It was unexpected how much I would enjoy this book. This was such a sweet story about friendship and found sisterhood. This also beautifully covered grief, loss, classism, and the growth we face when faced with life’s challenges and traumas. It was slow moving but so worth the read. And the peaches were just the right sweet treat on top of it all 🍑
March 25, 2023
Set in California right after WWII, this was rich in time and story. I loved this coming-of-age about 3 girls trying to figure life out. Heartfelt & full of what it means to be a true friend and also stand up for yourself.
Content: pretty mild, some kissing
Content: pretty mild, some kissing
June 1, 2022
Readers should not be deceived by the book cover into thinking this is some frothy story set in the South and populated by Southern belles. Instead, it's set in Central Valley, California in 1947, and features three strong teen girls from very different walks of life. There certainly is a rebellion as each girl realizes that the path charted for her and family and societal expectations may not be what's best for her. Like other reviewers have mentioned, it's clear that the author spent plenty of time researching this particular period, evidenced through the cultural references to popular songs, fashions, hairstyles, and drinks--for instance, a Coke cost a nickel in those long-gone times. There are occasional moments when some modern sensibilities seem to intrude, but they don't detract from readers' enjoyment of the story. Fans of this author's earlier work such as The Running Dream will find this book well worth reading too and won't be disappointed in this, her first attempt at historical fiction. Honestly, anyone who's read or heard of John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath or the derisive term "Okies" or ever felt marginalized or judged because of what they have or don't have will be caught up in the story. The narration alternates from Peggy Simmons, sixteen-going-on-seventeen, and Ginny Rose Gilley, who is the same age. The two girls became friends almost a decade ago when Ginny Rose's father worked in Peggy's father's peach orchard. The Gilleys traveled up and down California and through nearby states trying to eke out a living after losing their Oklahoma farm. But Peggy hasn't seen Ginny Rose for several years until this one (1947). Ginny Rose has a job working in the local peach cannery and tends to her three young siblings while her mother falls further and further into depression over the death of two sons a decade ago. Peggy is dealing with the realization that farm life isn't for her and resents the fact that she and her sister won't inherit anything since it will all go to her brother Bobby. Although Lisette Bovee, sophisticated, stylish daughter of the local banker doesn't tell part of the story, she is integral to it. You see, she and Peggy have a crush on the same boy, Rodney St. Clair, the son of the local car dealer, although neither realizes it at first. Rodney epitomizes the term "cad" since he has several girls on his string and always seems to be on the outlook for the next one. He calls Peggy "Peaches," a moniker that both delights and embarrasses her because she likes the attention. Ginny Rose and Lizette dislike each other at first sight because they come from opposite worlds and because the Gilleys blame bankers for their loss of the farm. The girls eventually find common ground in dealing with Rodney and finding a way to bring back the bodies of Ginny Rose's two brothers, buried near the roots of a tree back in northern California, and rebury them so that her mother will have some closure and a place to mourn them. This book is packed to the brim with topics for discussion, heartbreaking moments, inspiring insights, and well-developed, complex characters with whom readers will fall in love. I was completely immersed in it from the very first page and never lost interest until I reached the last one, page 402. Based on this one, I won't be the only person who hopes the author will write another historical fiction title.
September 10, 2025
I see myself in all the characters and used it as a chance to self reflect. The ability to heal human relationships is a gift.
May 17, 2023
𝐌𝐲 𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠…✿ ✿ ✿ ✿
𝐈 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐝…
✦ The fact that this story unites three young girls from different walks of life
✦ I have to be real with you this is such a cute friendship story. I myself have two best friends and I really enjoyed seeing these three girls become really close companions
𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬…
✦Ginny is a noble girl who went the extra mile for her family without expecting anything back. I sympathized with her when she argued with her mother. I know depression takes a toll on quality of life but it seems like her mother projected it onto her children which just irked me. Didn’t really like her father either, he was such a door mat and didn’t stand up for Ginny the way she deserved. I admire Ginny’s courage but wish she really stood up for herself against her mother.
March 27, 2023
absolutely delightful to read
This book was amazing. I laughed. I cried. I cheered. It raised so many different emotions. I canno wait to share it with my library readers. What a delightful read.
This book was amazing. I laughed. I cried. I cheered. It raised so many different emotions. I canno wait to share it with my library readers. What a delightful read.
June 2, 2024
BRB BAWLING MY EYES OUT! 😭😭🩷🩷
August 9, 2025
I absolutely loved this book!! Such great messages and strong friendships full of love through thick and thin. Great book!
January 16, 2026
The best historical fiction book I’ve ever read. The characters were perfect, and the story made me want to find out more about this time in American history. Absolutely perfect!!!!!🤩
November 8, 2024
I love a book that has consequential messages that resonate with my current day life. When I find a book that touches me like this one then it's no surprise that it is a rare recipient of a 5 star review.
The Peach Rebellion, a young adult book, is a story about three girls from completely different walks of life. The two narrators, Ginny Rose and Peggy, alternate telling the story of their connections and how their friendship began at a Peach Farm owned by Peggy's family.
Oklahoman migrants, Ginny Rose Gilley and her family worked the peach farm one harvest where the two girls became fast friends. At the end of the season Ginny Rose and her family moved on. Peggy always looked for the Gilley family's return each summer hoping to rekindle the childhood friendship with Ginny Rose. As time passed, Peggy developed a new "best friend" with Lisette, a banker's daughter, who filled the absence of Ginny Rose for the time being.
Fate brought the Gilley family back to the area which reunited Ginny Rose and Peggy but also created some friction with Lisette. The trials of a small town living, the class separation of families in 1947, and the individual familial problems tugged hard at the friendships of our three teenage characters. Yet, they managed to persevere, weather the challenges, and find something that was bigger than themselves.
This book reminds the readers about our present day life, how we "label and treat others as outsiders", and how the "lingering effects of economic disparity, and the fortifying power of being part of something bigger than ourselves" is the dialog we need to be having to make positive cohesive societal change. The author eloquently states in her Author's note, "over time they grew and blossomed into young women with their own unique identities, and it's their differences I wanted to celebrate. Like peaches being the sweet result of disparate elements (earth, air, sun, and water), Ginny Rose, Peggy, and Lisette combine forces to create change not just in themselves and their families, but also in their community."
We need to do better to create change in our broken world. We need to stop the finger-pointing, name-calling, and hatred. Instead, we all need to find a cohesive way to thrive together, yet still honor our respective differences.
This book was read for the 2024 Popsugar Reading Challenge prompt "A book set 24 years before you were born".
The Peach Rebellion, a young adult book, is a story about three girls from completely different walks of life. The two narrators, Ginny Rose and Peggy, alternate telling the story of their connections and how their friendship began at a Peach Farm owned by Peggy's family.
Oklahoman migrants, Ginny Rose Gilley and her family worked the peach farm one harvest where the two girls became fast friends. At the end of the season Ginny Rose and her family moved on. Peggy always looked for the Gilley family's return each summer hoping to rekindle the childhood friendship with Ginny Rose. As time passed, Peggy developed a new "best friend" with Lisette, a banker's daughter, who filled the absence of Ginny Rose for the time being.
Fate brought the Gilley family back to the area which reunited Ginny Rose and Peggy but also created some friction with Lisette. The trials of a small town living, the class separation of families in 1947, and the individual familial problems tugged hard at the friendships of our three teenage characters. Yet, they managed to persevere, weather the challenges, and find something that was bigger than themselves.
This book reminds the readers about our present day life, how we "label and treat others as outsiders", and how the "lingering effects of economic disparity, and the fortifying power of being part of something bigger than ourselves" is the dialog we need to be having to make positive cohesive societal change. The author eloquently states in her Author's note, "over time they grew and blossomed into young women with their own unique identities, and it's their differences I wanted to celebrate. Like peaches being the sweet result of disparate elements (earth, air, sun, and water), Ginny Rose, Peggy, and Lisette combine forces to create change not just in themselves and their families, but also in their community."
We need to do better to create change in our broken world. We need to stop the finger-pointing, name-calling, and hatred. Instead, we all need to find a cohesive way to thrive together, yet still honor our respective differences.
This book was read for the 2024 Popsugar Reading Challenge prompt "A book set 24 years before you were born".
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 6, 2022
Ginny Rose and Peggy were best friends at seven, picking peaches on hot summer days. Peggy’s family owned the farm, and Ginny Rose’s were pickers, escaping the Oklahoma dust storms. That didn’t matter to them then, but now, ten years, hard miles, and a world war later, Ginny Rose’s family is back in town and their differences feel somehow starker. Especially since Peggy’s new best friend, Lisette, is a wealthy banker’s daughter.
So when Ginny Rose imagines a radical plan to try to heal the rift in her family, these three not-quite-friends come together to see it through. They sense that this is a moment for them all—to prove they have the power to make things happen. To know that they can build better futures for themselves in a changing world.
Van Draanen has certainly done her research into post WWII America, and there are lots of good details about the late 1940s. California was an especially interesting place during this time period, and seeing how "Okies" were treated even years after the Great Depression was fascinating. The characters didn't feel like they were completely enmeshed in the post-WWII time period. I had trouble believing that Ginny Rose's mother was so despondent over the death of her sons. Since women during the Great Depression and WWII were no strangers to loss. It also didn't feel like she had fully decided on a target audience. It also gets a little preachy at the end, but it's a good coming-of-age, buddy story.
So when Ginny Rose imagines a radical plan to try to heal the rift in her family, these three not-quite-friends come together to see it through. They sense that this is a moment for them all—to prove they have the power to make things happen. To know that they can build better futures for themselves in a changing world.
Van Draanen has certainly done her research into post WWII America, and there are lots of good details about the late 1940s. California was an especially interesting place during this time period, and seeing how "Okies" were treated even years after the Great Depression was fascinating. The characters didn't feel like they were completely enmeshed in the post-WWII time period. I had trouble believing that Ginny Rose's mother was so despondent over the death of her sons. Since women during the Great Depression and WWII were no strangers to loss. It also didn't feel like she had fully decided on a target audience. It also gets a little preachy at the end, but it's a good coming-of-age, buddy story.
September 14, 2022
Absolutely loved this story. The theme of people going through things you may never know about is always relevant. It vividly shows the nuances about class and gender struggles at that time. It's heartbreaking in parts, heartwarming in others. If you're a crier when you read books, you will almost definitely cry when you read this one. The way Ginny Rose's mom treats her and her sisters just about broke my heart. I really wish that there had been some non-white characters but to my knowledge the author is white so that isn't really her story to tell. Mexican workers are mentioned in passing and their struggles with other farmers and pickers are alluded to but not discussed outside of a few sentences and there are no mentions of Asian, Black, or Native farm workers. We really need those stories. Hopefully if readers like this book, they will look into stories about post-Dust Bowl & WWII teenagers from even more backgrounds.
April 20, 2022
Thank you Netgalley for the chance to review this book.
Ginny Rose and Peggy were best friends at seven, picking peaches on hot summer days. Peggy’s family owned the farm, and Ginny Rose’s were pickers, escaping the Oklahoma dust storms. That didn’t matter to them then, but now, ten years, hard miles, and a world war later, Ginny Rose’s family is back in town and their differences feel somehow starker. Especially since Peggy’s new best friend, Lisette, is a wealthy banker’s daughter.
Being from Georgia the cover drew me in! This was a historical romance so I was a little iffy about reading it. It's a very beautiful tale of friendship. Friends fighting against injustices, this is a truly inspiring and heart-warming story.
Ginny Rose and Peggy were best friends at seven, picking peaches on hot summer days. Peggy’s family owned the farm, and Ginny Rose’s were pickers, escaping the Oklahoma dust storms. That didn’t matter to them then, but now, ten years, hard miles, and a world war later, Ginny Rose’s family is back in town and their differences feel somehow starker. Especially since Peggy’s new best friend, Lisette, is a wealthy banker’s daughter.
Being from Georgia the cover drew me in! This was a historical romance so I was a little iffy about reading it. It's a very beautiful tale of friendship. Friends fighting against injustices, this is a truly inspiring and heart-warming story.
February 3, 2022
Historical fiction set in California after World War 2. This story follows two very different girls who were best friends one summer: Ginny Rose, whose family traveled all over California picking fruits and vegetables (people who were called Okies back in the day) and Peggy, whose family owns a peach orchard. The two girls had met the summer when they are seven and had become fast friends. Their paths cross again one day when Ginny Rose and her family move back to town, 10 years later. This book tells about the differences between the two families and shows how hard some families had to work and struggle just to get by.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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