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My Mixed-Up Berry Blue Summer

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Twelve-year-old June Farrell is sure of one thing—she’s great at making pies—and she plans to prove it by winning a blue ribbon in the Champlain Valley Fair pie competition. But a backlash against Vermont’s civil union law threatens her family’s security and their business. Even when faced with bullying, June won’t give up on winning the blue ribbon; more importantly, she won’t give up on her family.

128 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2012

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About the author

Jennifer Gennari

2 books29 followers
My stories come from my passion for truth and justice and my compassion for people of all ages. When I was young, I read everything, which introduced me to the different experiences people have in the world. I am an optimist at heart, and I hope my books connect us, one to another.

I'm a big reader! I hope you are one, too. By the time I was ten, I was carrying stacks of books home on a bus from the public library. Curling up with a book is still one of my favorite things to do.

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5 stars
58 (21%)
4 stars
104 (38%)
3 stars
90 (33%)
2 stars
11 (4%)
1 star
4 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 76 reviews
Profile Image for Beth.
Author 8 books19 followers
September 6, 2012
My manager came to me with this book and said he'd written a review of it for the library system's magazine, and it was turned down because of the subject matter. WHAT?!? This book features a librarian as one of the main positive and accepting adult figures, and the library system is shutting it down? Because it's about gay marriage? Oh, I am so ashamed! I know it's Oklahoma, and people here are homophobic (way more than Vermont, which is where the story takes place). But still! Libraries and librarians are supposed to be the ones who support! We don't censor (even when all anyone wants to read is urban smut, Amish mysteries, and vampires). We provide the books and ideas without letting our personal feelings get in the way. It's what we're known for. But apparently, in Oklahoma, there are limits.

Or maybe by not posting it in our magazine and just quietly offering it on the shelf, we're providing service without raising the hackles of the commission, who aren't librarians.

The book has a good message that goes deeper than just "don't be a homophobic jerk." It's about standing up for yourself, doing the right thing, and making a kick-ass pie. All good topics. The protagonist is a twelve-year-old, but I think it's perfectly appropriate for younger readers.

Profile Image for Barbara.
13.7k reviews288 followers
April 14, 2012
Although the book has aspects that are a tad didactic and some of the disharmony is resolved too easily, I still enjoyed this title, in part because of its honesty and in part because of its exploration of a topic not often tackled in books for middle graders. June and her mother have lived happily on Lake Champlain in Vermont all of their lives. But now that Eva, her mother's significant other, has moved in, and the two women plan to wed, everything seems to change. As the women's relationship becomes more open, many of the area citizens turn on them, and they find themselves at the center of an anti-gay firestorm with signs extolling Vermonters to "Take Back Vermont" and others advocating that citizens support the rights of gay couples to marry with signs saying to "Keep It Civil." Twelve-year-old June is wonderfully imperfect and real, torn between loving her mother and being embarrassed about her relationship with Eva. When she grows angry at Eva and mistreats her and even says hurtful things, she sounded every bit as annoyed as an actual girl in her situation would be likely to sound. After all, it seems as though she's lost her best friend Tina over the relationship, and Tina's brother and father often express sentiments filled with bigotry and an element of bullying. As June prepares to enter a pie baking contest at the fair and ponders the possibility of love blossoming between her and best friend Luke, the author describes an idyllic setting beset by division over same-sex marriage while also folding in yummy descriptions of fresh fruits such as blueberries and raspberries that make readers' mouths water. I loved that juxtaposition of sweet and sour in the book.
Profile Image for Trish.
47 reviews1 follower
April 10, 2012
This is the first middle grade book I've read that discusses the marriage of two women and the discrimination and prejudice they face. The story is told by June, a 12 year-old, who lives with her mother and her mother's fiance in Vermont. June is not sure how she feels about her mother marrying Eva, and she isn't sure what to think about all of the flyers being stapled around town by those who are against same sex civil unions. June is also an accomplished pie baker who desires to enter (and win!) the berry pie contest at the local fair.

This book seems very honest and presents the issues at hand in a straight-forward way. There are some pretty mean things written on the signs and mean things are said to June - "Queers aren't supposed to have kids anyway" (p. 64).

There is definitely an audience for this book. I'm sure it will spark a great deal of discussions about "family" and what it means to be one.
Profile Image for Fiona f.
21 reviews2 followers
April 7, 2023
yes I read this as an adult and yes it's for middle schoolers and yes it's still an amazing book
Profile Image for CaseyTheCanadianLesbrarian.
1,204 reviews1,643 followers
April 11, 2017
This is a sweet book about a 12-year-old girl whose mom is a lesbian and is soon to be married to her partner. It takes place in Vermont when same-sex civil unions had just been legalized and there was a significant amount of backlash with this "take back Vermont" campaign where people were convinced queer people were going to take over their state (Vermont being [one of] the first states to allow same-sex couples to get married). I wonder if this specific context might be lost on a lot of middle readers, which would make the context for this book confusing. If you really didn't know what the situation was, it would make a lot of the book confusing, which is definitely a flaw here. The book should stand without having to know that context.

I did appreciate the way this book evoked the easy feeling of summertime in a rural place when you were 12, swimming, exploring the woods, boating, riding your bike, going to the country fair, working at your family's business / helping with your family's farm. I also liked that the main character June was allowed to feel conflicted about her mom's sexuality and her getting married; it felt very realistic that a kid would emit some of the homophobia around her and have trouble standing up to homophobic kids and adults, although I wondered at the author's choice of making June's mom always having been out as a lesbian (having had a kid on her own using a donor). To me, it felt strange that all this gay stuff only became a problem for June when she was 12--I would assume a kid growing up with a lesbian mom would have already dealt with a lot of the feelings that June is struggling with at 12; wouldn't the prejudice against her mom have always been there? But hey, I don't know any queer parents with 12-year-olds, so. But it did feel like the story would have made more sense if June's mom had recently come out as a lesbian.

The recurring metaphors and similes related to pies and to the lake were mostly nice and effective ("my insides congealed a little, like a pie left out overnight"; June's feelings of anxiety mirrored by a rough windy day on the lake) although they felt a bit overused by the end of the book.

I think this is a 3 star rather than 4 star read for me because I did feel like I could always see, even if just in the corner of my mind, an adult presiding over this story. What I want from kids lit is an immersion in the child's perspective, and this didn't quite do it. Also, it's implied that June figures out that she's straight ("and suddenly I knew") by the end of the book because she realizes she has a crush on her friend who's a boy (she worries a bit in the book if she's going to "turn out like her mom." This is nitpicky, but I wish this queer book hadn't implied that bisexuality isn't an option.

Also, there is a rad librarian character in here who is a great support to June and stands up to the homophobes (yay radical librarians!). There's a really cute scene where the librarian comes into June's mom's store, and June's like "ah! what are you doing here?" and the librarian replies "well I don't live in the library June."
Profile Image for Emily.
673 reviews
December 24, 2011
It's difficult to find good LGBTQ themed books for middle school students, so I was excited when a bookseller gave me an advanced copy of this at NCTE last month (publication date 2012). The story: All twelve-year-old June wants is to enter her first pie in the regional summer fair. Her efforts are complicated, however, when a local group begins to protest Vermont's new law permitting civil unions. At first June tries to ignore what's happening, but when the group's actions start affecting her family -- her mother's business and her mother's plans to wed her girlfriend, Eva -- as well as her friendships, she has to figure out where she stands. As the summer passes, June is forced to ask herself a number of difficult questions: Will she enter the contest even though her mother has asked her not to? Will she accept Eva into her family? Can she still be friends with people whose parents condemn her mom? The content here is substantive, but Gennari keeps the book light and June is genuinely likeable. And even though the book has its occasional "teaching moments" (here's a primer on Vermont's law...), it's a surprisingly affecting read. I'd absolutely make this available to all middle school readers.
Profile Image for Danielle.
Author 2 books253 followers
August 6, 2012
June, the main character was believable and I really enjoyed her development and being inside her head.

Loved this line and how it relates to the novel's subject matter and all the characters:

"It was weird the way people could be good and bad."



Profile Image for Ann.
Author 7 books238 followers
September 1, 2013
A wonderful middle-grade fiction about a twelve year girl whose mother just happens to be marrying another woman during an eventful Vermont summer.
Profile Image for Dayala.
35 reviews
June 2, 2020
June and Luke had a code system using a flashlight: Green- I can play, Yellow- I can't, and Red- trouble. Every morning one of them will look out their bedroom window and flash a color informing the other so they could plan their day. June helped her mother at her shop, Stillwater Marina. Luke helped his father in his sculpting shop.
Vermont was just allowed gay marriages. MJ, Junes mother, was going to marry Eva, her fiance. The prejudices of those around June started to caused problems. June was losing her friends, MJ shop was struggling. June was having a difficult time accepting Eva. June does a brave act and is a hero, and she goes against her mother to prove herself.

Middle School
Bullying, LGBTQ, friendship, bravery
Found in LGBTQIA-Positive Children's Books
Profile Image for Nina.
316 reviews126 followers
May 17, 2016
June, aged 12, her mom MJ and fiancée Eva live near Vermont. It is summer holiday time, and June’s plans are to win the local pie baking competition and spend time with her best friend Luke. However, almost from the beginning the signs are there that problems are not far away. At first it is a short note, then June is bullied due to MJ and Eva being lesbians. The hostile behaviour of some intensifies quickly, and June’s unease increases as much as that of Eva and MJ. Seemingly good friends of the family suddenly take part in a movement directed against the law that allows civil unions. The situation is wearing down MJ, Eva, and June, who sometimes wishes she had a father, instead of Eva. June worries about her family and is subjected to a lot of hurtful bias, from adults and teenagers alike. However, due to the support she receives from friends she does not give up. Instead, she tackles the problems her way …

In an easy to understand way the book shows what it means to be the victim of homophobia. The prejudices, the bullying, the sometimes concealed, sometimes open hatred is depicted in a clear language showing the irrational hate behind it as a twelve year old girl experiences them.
I liked how the mood in the plot was created and became more intense. There are the passages when you can see how close June and her mom are, and even though there are a few typical mom-daughter conflicts, all in all they are a caring and rather harmonious lot.
The unease that June feels early in the story when someone anonymously puts a flyer with anti-gay messages onto her mom’s shop noticeboard becomes worse for her, once the campaign of the anti lgbtq group turns into more uninformed ugliness. The situation deteriorates for June and hers, and Jennifer Gennari manages to write this without becoming too intense for the intended age group. I enjoyed that June and her family are positive and friendly characters who do not want more than living a peaceful life. For MJ and Eva that includes the fundamental right that everybody has, marrying the one you love.
Together with her friend Luke, June finds a way to fight back in a positive way. And this is part of what makes this book worth reading. Everything is created as June’s personal experience. She is too young to grasp all of the reasons behind this hatred, but she is old enough to understand that it is there and it hurts her and her family. In addition to that, I found June a rather multifaceted character for her age, and it is not like this book shows her as the model girl of twelve. She has her problems with Eva for more than half of the book, but these problems are created in a way that makes her as a character more believable. Her wants and needs are those of most twelve year old girls too, which makes it pretty easy to identify with June.

The book seems to be written for middle school children, and I’d think that children between nine and twelve would like it best. It deals with marriage equality and homophobia in an easy to understand way.

I can definitely recommend it for middle school children. 5 out of 5 stars.
Profile Image for Jenna (Falling Letters).
705 reviews64 followers
July 15, 2019
This slim middle grade novel (119 pages) takes place in the summer of 2000, following Vermont's passing of a law allowing same-sex unions. June's mother hasn't been in a serious relationship before, so June's uncomfortable with her mom's partner Eva becoming a stronger presence in her life - just as any kid might be when their parent plans to remarry. June also struggles with subtle and not-so-subtle expressions of homophobia directed at her and her family by their community. Initially, she wishes her mom and Eva would keep quiet and not draw attention to themselves, because most of that attention is negative. This public attention impacts June's decision to participate in the very public pie contest at the local fair. The story explores how June learns to deal with her own feelings (including some internalized homophobia) and be a better ally.

I love that this story is told in a manner accessible to younger readers, and I love how June works her way through her confused feelings. There are a couple things I would have liked to see included, however. Exactly halfway through the story, June explodes at Eva and repeats a homophobic comment she overheard elsewhere that devastates Eva ("Queers aren't supposed to have kids anyway!"). I hoped that, after they reconciled, Eva and June would have a conversation about why that comment is hurtful and how 'queer' can have different connotations depending on the context. The comment isn't explicitly referred to again. Although readers can understand that June at the end of the story would never have said something like that, I think such a conversation could have been helpful without being too didactic. An author's note may also have been useful. Technically, this story is historical fiction. Kids I would recommend this book to were born maybe eight or nine years after it takes place. Such a note could have helped to better situate the story within the historical context, and perhaps address how things have or haven't changed since 2000. (This book was published in 2012).
Profile Image for Kellee Moye.
2,682 reviews281 followers
December 3, 2019
June Farrell is 12 years old wants this summer to be perfect. She is going to spend her time with her best friend Luke, swimming and boating, and entering her delicious pies into the Champlain Valley Fair pie competition. But this summer was more than she bargained for. Everything changes for June when her mother's girlfriend Eva moves in with them and they decide to get married as Vermont has just passed civil unions.

My Mixed-Up Berry Blue Summer is a fresh early middle grade novel which deals tactfully with a relevant present topic that many children are dealing with but struggle with finding themselves in books. June will be a great addition to protagonists that they can connect with. I also find that although the book is pro-civil union, it never is preachy, it just shows how normal June's family is and the book is about June herself getting used to a change just as any child would when their mother is getting married and they will have a step-parent.

I also loved how food and the ocean were described throughout. June is a master pie maker and the way that pies and berries are talked about in the book are so full of gustatory imagery- YUM! June also lives on Lake Champlain and would rather live in her bathing suit on a boat or in the water than do anything else and the way the lake is described makes me want to join her.

Snatch of Text: "Unlike some people, Lake Champlain was a friend I could count on. I knew her every mood - sometimes she was flat like a cookie sheet, and other times she was whipped up like meringue on a butterscotch pie." (p. 1)

"Then I smelled sweetness. Or maybe just the sight of the ripe blueberries made my mouth water. They were perfect - a foggy blue that turned purple blue when touched." (p. 96)
Profile Image for Dolores.
3,486 reviews8 followers
November 4, 2012
3 1/2 stars. This book feels like an issue book with a story wrapped around it. However, I do understand that this is an important issue and that we need books like this available. And, for what it's worth, I even enjoyed the story. June puts a face on this issue. She's a normal little girl caught in the middle of an ugly fight where a lot of adults who ought to know better act like bratty, I-will-get-my-own-way children. So here's the problem. Gay rights is the civil rights issue of this generation, but it is such a hot-button topic that books about it are automatically controversial in a conservative community like mine. So, this book landed in the YA collection. That wouldn't necessarily be a horrible thing. June is 12, and plenty of eleven and twelve-year-olds are reading in the YA section. But look at that cover! My son thought it was an I Can Read title! It sure doesn't look like a YA book, and it doesn't much read like one. Well, maybe for VERY young YAs. I'm very much afraid this book will die on the YA shelf. And it doesn't deserve to.
Profile Image for Tasha.
4,117 reviews128 followers
June 14, 2012
June has lived on Lake Champlain with her mother forever. They run the marina with its supplies and café. That’s where June learned to make pies, and she is determined to enter the fair this summer to prove what a great baker she is. But this summer is going to be very different from other summers. First, her mother’s girlfriend has moved in with them. Then there is the pressure from Vermont’s new civil union law that has their small town divided. There are people who won’t shop at the marina anymore because June’s mother is gay. It is a summer unlike any other, one where June will have to figure out how she feels about having two mothers, and then whether she has the courage to speak up.

Read the rest of my review on my blog, Waking Brain Cells.
Profile Image for Jenni Frencham.
1,289 reviews60 followers
February 4, 2014
Gennari, Jennifer. My Mixed-Up Berry Blue Summer. Houghton Mifflin, 2012.

June lives in Vermont with her moms. While Vermonters are fighting the battle over marriage equality, June is trying to win a pie contest and deal with the backlash her family faces over her mothers' upcoming wedding. June resents her mother's fiancee and wishes she would leave so things would be less complicated, but she also wants her mother to be happy.

There are very few LGBT+ books written for tweens and middle-grade students, and I am glad for this story and its focus on a child of a lesbian couple instead of the traditional coming-out story. While this book is a bit young for my patrons, I would recommend it to elementary-aged students and their families.

Recommended for: middle grade
Red Flags: none
Overall Rating: 5/5 stars

Read-alike: Better Nate Than Ever
Profile Image for D.
318 reviews12 followers
January 20, 2015
This is an amazing read. I would recommend it to any middle grader dealing with LGBT issues.

Story below so people know what topics this covers:
Profile Image for Anna.
1,581 reviews8 followers
July 8, 2022
My Mixed-Up Berry Blue Summer is a charming summer story for kids while also being a powerful depiction of homophobia in a small town and its effect on a queer family. June is a likable narrator who kids of a wide range of ages will likely be able to relate to (though I might call this upper MG due to the presence of some homophobic slurs--they're challenged in-text, but might not be suitable for younger readers who don't have the context to handle them). The setting is vividly depicted--there's even a cute map! I was a bit confused as to what year the story was set--was it contemporary when published, or intended as historical fiction?--but I still enjoyed this story quite a bit, and it still feels very relevant.

Read-alike: Second Dad Summer
Profile Image for Wendy.
951 reviews160 followers
July 21, 2012
Hmph. I only read the first line from the jacket flap (see above) when I took this out of the library, and was expecting something about summer adventures and pie-baking, all light-hearted and whatnot, not an Issues book about a girl with two moms. It IS quite issue-driven, with a couple of seriously out-of-step scenes (I really think only the craziest of the crazy think two lesbians can give each other AIDS, not regular people), but better than most books I've read with this theme. It's a pretty good book; it just isn't any fun. Check out the beautiful cover, though. I want to read THAT book.
Profile Image for Jennifer Heise.
1,694 reviews59 followers
June 18, 2014
A cute little problem book, mostly about growing up. It will probably be a period piece in 10 years-- we can hope. June wants to win the pie-baking contest at the fair, but her personal life is full of questions-- because her mom's girlfriend has moved in, and they are talking about getting married under Vermont's Civil Union law, while other people are stirring up trouble against homosexuals because of the law.

Sweet characters, a nice young man, and the best trappings of a growing-up problem novel. the best thing about this is it's absolute normalcy. :)
Profile Image for Kyle Mahaney.
57 reviews
July 15, 2014
This is a simply wonderful book. I entered into it with trepidation and concern as it skated the line so many juvenile "social issues" books crossed of writing a message not a story, and being painfully on the nose... But this navigates it very well, especially if you give it time to set some roots down for its characters. What a beautiful story told from an unusual perspective, and how interesting to see how much has changed since its setting (early 2000s). This is a must read for young and old, and sure to be looked on as a pioneering classic.
Profile Image for Deborah.
547 reviews3 followers
Read
October 24, 2015
I learned about this book in a webinar about the ALA Stonewall Awards. A great representation about how a 12 year old feels about her mother's relationship with another woman ..and about life in general! Very appropriate for the target age group; for adults it may seem to pat. However, I think it shows that many issues are not completely black and white.
(check out this blog posting: http://outsideofadog7.blogspot.com/20...)
Profile Image for Monica.
238 reviews
April 2, 2015
Yea, June!! Such a sweet, sensitive book! I love this character and all of the thoughts that tumble around in her head as she tries to untangle her truth. She learns a lot about herself during this mixed-up summer--this process comes for us all at some point. An affirming read for any middle grader who has to navigate becoming aware of "difference" and "other". Major shout out for Ms. Flynn, the cool librarian!
Profile Image for Becky.
1,597 reviews13 followers
February 23, 2016
A very blunt story about the social and political implications of homosexuality. A very well written book that I read uroosely to start a conversation with my tween abut different family situations. this book does not beat around the bush, I was very impressed with its lessons on bullying, tolerance, trying your best, friendships, and standing up for your beliefs. Lovable characters and valuable lessons, as well as good topics for deeper thinking and debate.
Profile Image for Shannon.
2,135 reviews61 followers
March 9, 2013
It's refreshing to find a book that's exactly the right length. This slim volume follows the main character's struggle with understanding and accepting her mom's pending wedding to another woman. People in the community are kind and awful, by turns, and all the main character wants to do is just bake a tasty pie.
Profile Image for B.
1,845 reviews7 followers
September 19, 2020
Quick book, only about 130 pages, but the plot is big. June and her mom were good, until Eve starting seeing her mom. They all live in Vermont who has just legalized same sex marriage. The people in their small town are divided about gay marriage- so support it, others want to take their state back. Good book that addresses some hate speech, and same sex marriages.
Profile Image for Edward Sullivan.
Author 5 books214 followers
May 24, 2012
Twelve-year-old June's biggest worry is winning the pie competition at the fair until her mom and girlfriend decide to get married under Vermont's new civil union law and become the object of prejudice. A great debut novel deftly tackling a timely subject.
Profile Image for Erika.
639 reviews7 followers
October 16, 2015
June faces cruel words and actions from her neighbours and friends when her mom and girlfriend announce that they are getting married. Maybe a little heavy handed at times but a good story about acceptance, tolerance and what it means to be a family.
367 reviews
October 8, 2013
I was really pleased: Honesty, but tact for the appropriate audience. A straightforward story of intolerance, learning, bravery and friendship in regards to same-sex marriage.
Profile Image for Amy.
1,825 reviews6 followers
January 12, 2018
I bought this upper elementary/lower middle school book to help diversify my library and have books that show different types of families. In this quick read, June spends her summer swimming, picking blueberries and worrying about the impending marriage between her mom and her mom's partner. The state of Vermont is in a fight for marriage equality and June and her family get caught in the middle. Things that I liked was that it shows a child's perspective about how they may feel, there is an awesome librarian, and family is important. The main reason I gave it lower stars is that the issue seemed to overshadow the story (instead of the story being the star) and the resolution was a little too quick and easy. There is an audience for the book and I hope that more kids will pick it up.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 76 reviews

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