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June views the world differently than others. A keen horticulturist, she can name every flower species in the alphabet (J begins with the Jamaica Plum). Yet, when it comes to people and relationships, she's still cultivating an understanding.
After her mother's unexpected death, June must vacate her home. But when the social worker urges her to move into a flat with no garden—clearly, that won't work. With no other options, she embarks on her first solo trip in search of a father she's only seen in a single old photograph.
When June unexpectedly shows up at her father's door, he panics and turns her away, unwilling to jeopardize his idyllic life and new family. On her way out, June spies an unruly backyard and with nowhere else to go, quietly moves into her father's yellow garden shed. Once again, she can spend her days surrounded by her beloved flowers. But when her father's 12-year-old son—her half-brother—discovers June, she must choose between being seen for the first time or running away yet again.
A beautiful and heartwarming portrait of a young woman who looks at the world differently, June in the Garden encourages others to do the same. Because thinking unconventionally is not a flaw, it's often the key to appreciating the wonder and bloom that surrounds us.
"An exquisitely touching, gently humorous tale of love, loss, and renewal. The character of June, with all her vulnerabilities and differences, is so sensitively and lovingly drawn that I felt deeply invested in her mission to find a new place to sink her roots. Both compelling and thought-provoking, June in the Garden is a novel packed with compassion, warmth, and wit. I loved it." —Sarah Haywood, New York Times bestselling author of The Cactus
"One of those books that compels you to turn the page to find out what has happened, what will happen next, and what lies ahead for June. All the while, you're captivated by a winning voice that makes you root for her from the very first line to the very last." —KJ Dell'Antonia, New York Times bestselling author of The Chicken Sisters
"Essential and beautiful. June in the Garden is a primer in empathy and compassion. We all live, perhaps unconsciously, by our own rules. June's rules aren't all that different; they're just clearly stated and at the very forefront of her thinking. Over time they've been her anchor and her scaffold; how she learned to climb through the world. But when life presents her with a new and different kind of landscape, we learn that those around her bear more than just a little responsibility for helping her find the next foothold. June's literal thinking leads us to the heart of all the questions we hope we'll never have to answer: Where will I go? What will I do? Who will love me? There's a little bit of June in each of us, waiting anxiously for the rest of the garden to bloom." —Benjamin Ludwig, author of Ginny Moon
This information about June in the Garden was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Eleanor Wilde is the pen name of an acclaimed YA author. Wilde holds a master's of education and worked for several years in the U.S. public education system. She has a love for books and gardening and spends her weekends up hills or foraging for wildflowers in the woods. June in the Garden is her debut adult novel.
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