The Blossoming Summer

By Anna Rose Johnson
Level 7
Review:

I cannot recommend this book highly enough! The plot is gentle yet extremely engaging, the writing is deep and heartfelt, and messages of faith, love, hope, and hard work are woven in seamlessly. Rosemary is a 13-year-old girl living in London near the beginning of WWII. Her family has been separated for years as her parents struggle financially, but Rosemary dreams of a paradise where they can all be together again. That dream suddenly begins to come true when her father decides to move the whole family to his mother’s large estate in Wisconsin. But when it’s not the perfect paradise Rosemary has always dreamed of, she wonders if she will ever find a way to bring her family together. During one difficult but beautiful summer, Rosemary and her family learn to embrace their Native American roots, let go of past grudges, see God in everything, and hold tight to what matters most. This is one of my favorite books I have read in a long time!

Note: This book is set during WWII and does include some information about it, but it is not focused on the war enough to make it a good read-aloud for a unit on WWII.

(Reviewed by Kate Phillips)

Region Wisconsin
Period WWII
Genre Historical Fiction
Digital Format Audiobook, E-book
  • Audiobook
  • E-Book
  • 4.5 Entertainment Value
  • 5 Moral Value
  • 4 Educational Value
  • 5 Literary Value
Rating System