The Wild Journey of Juniper Berry

Eleven-year-old Juniper Berry has lived her entire life happily off the grid with her parents, older sister Sky, and younger brother Hawk, far away from the pressures of society. But when five-year-old Hawk’s appendix bursts, his harried hospital visit thrusts Juniper into contemporary civilization, a world she’s only imagined and never longed for that’s brimming with seemingly magical machines and new foods. Sent with Sky to Redburn, Calif., to live with relatives she didn’t know existed while Hawk recovers, Juniper aches to return to their family’s remote lifestyle. Enrolled in school for the first time, she must contend with mean girls, an exasperated cousin, and more rules than she could ever hope to understand. For a girl well versed in climbing trees and living off the land, navigating life among the masses may prove to be more challenging than any danger she ever faced in the woods. Juniper’s first-person voice and the many memorably developed characters she meets cultivate a feel-good story that reminds readers of both the pitfalls and the benefits of coexisting with others. Juniper is described as looking like her white mother; her father has “dark curly hair and light brown skin.” Ages 8–10. (Aug.)