Archive for August 17, 2015

The Secrets of Blueberries, Brothers, Moose & Me

Written by Sara Nickerson

Need a summer job? Twelve year old Missy and her older brother Patrick did. They saw an ad in the newspaper for kids to pick blueberries. After talking Mom into it, they got started on the new job.

It was harder than they expected. The days were long and hot. Not all of the other kids were friendly, and then there was the mystery feud between the owner of the blueberry patch and his brother.

Parallel plots including the divorce of Missy’s parents, her father’s new girlfriend, and her Mom’s depression are all factors bringing tension into the story. Then when Missy gets a chance to hang out with her school friends near the end of summer, she gets the feeling they are outgrowing her friendship as middle school looms in front of them.

Exceptionally well written, this book is hard to put down. Librarians and teachers aware of twelve year old girls uncomfortable with a parent’s second marriage or with heading into middle school might recommend this book. It is also funny at all the right places. And the mystery of the blueberry farm? Oh yeah, that gets solved, too. A really good book.

Buy on Amazon

  • Secrets of BlueberriesTitle: The Secrets of Blueberries, Brothers, Moose & Me
  • Author: Sara Nickerson
  • Publisher: Dutton Children’s Books, 2015
  • Reviewer: Elizabeth Swartz
  • Format: Hardcover, 326 pages
  • ISBN: 978-0-525-42654-7
  • Genre: Fiction
  • Grade level: 5 up