My Jasper June

My Jasper June
Laurel Snyder
Harper Collins, September, 2019 291 pages
Grades 5-8
Realistic Fiction

Leah has very few expectations for the summer ahead. A family tragedy from the summer before has devastated her family and nothing is the same. Her parents have become ghosts and barely notice that she is around. With nothing planned for the summer and all of her friends distant both physically and emotionally, Leah takes to exploring the neighborhood. At a pond by an old farm she meets Jasper, who is living rough in an abandoned house after she escapes from an unhappy situation. Leah and Jasper have an instant connection and spend the ensuing month hanging out, watching tv and eating snacks. They are able to tell each other secrets about their pasts that they can't confess to anyone else and begin to trust and protect each other. Finally, Leah's parents tune into the fact that she has a new friend of whom they have never met and become concerned and curious. Leah meets a creepy homeless man and begins to worry about the safety of Jasper. The action comes to a head as Leah rushes to protect her new friend, just as her parents rush to protect her. Finally, Leah's family talks about the tragedy from the year before and make a plan to move forward. What will become of Jasper now that her homelessness is revealed to Leah's parents and what steps will the family take towards healing?

I am a big fan of Snyder's book Orphan Island from 2017 and, in fact, picked it as one of my top books of that year. Judging from the cover and the previous book I was expecting something slightly magical and fantastic. This new title is very different from this last work by the author. Snyder turns to gritty reality as she explores family tragedy and teen homelessness. Much of this book is sad, which will appeal to many of today's readers, who are clamoring for such titles. Leah is a very lonely and lost character with who the reader will sympathize. Luckily, positive resolution happens for both her and Jasper, which will allow the reader a sigh of relief, as most of the plot threads are sewn up in a satisfying manner. Not a lot happens in the book. It is more about character development and traces the friendship between the two girls. Readers will worry about Jasper and keep turning pages to see if she gets a forever home and finds safety. At nearly 300 pages the book felt long to me, but is a perfect representation of those long summer days that fall into each other with not much happening and feel as if frozen in time. It’s too bad it will not be released until September for it is a perfect summer book and I know a lot of readers I could recommend it to right now. At any rate, this is sure to be a popular title with middle grade readers and will circulate well in my library.