"The Blossoming Summer" by Anna Rose Johnson

[reviewsbyerin]

This new release from award-winning middle grade author Anna Rose Johnson tells a sweet story with a vintage feel as 13-year-old Rosemary must leave her home in London to escape the Blitz. She moves with her family to northern Wisconsin, reunited with a grandmother she's never met due to family issues. Rosemary has long dreamed of finding Paradise, a place where both family and flowers blossom. Could Wisconsin be the land she's longed for?

Rosemary gets to know her grandmother through gardening and other adventures, and she soon discovers there's a whole heritage that has been hidden from her. Her grandmother is a Native American of the Ojibwe tribe. A whole new world opens up as Rosemary explores the culture of her ancestors.

I loved how Rosemary felt she must be the peacemaker for her family during this stressful time. As a fellow big sister, that rang very true to me. Rosemary gives her all to bring people together and work for a happy future even though she's young and other people's choices can be difficult for a child to understand.

I appreciated how the story twists and turns, with friendship and discovery and hearts mending. I'd recommend this for young and old readers alike, alongside the author's previous books The Star That Always Stays and The Luminous Life of Lucy Landry.

I received my copy of the book from the author. All thoughts in this review are my own.