Young Adult Book Reviews

Genre:  Realistic fiction

Age Level:  14 and up

# of Pages:  312 p.

RAC Book:  Yes

This story follows three teenage girls as they work in a peach orchard for the spring break and summer before their senior year of high school.  Birdie is the daughter of the orchard owner and the only thing she feels confident in is working the fields.  She feels lonely and abandoned since her mom left and her father’s deepening depression over the divorce and the financial troubles of the orchard do not help.  Leeda is Birdie’s cousin, but comes from a wealthy family in which everything revolves around her older sister.  The more Leeda tries to fit into her own family, the more obvious it is that she was the unwanted second child.  Finally, Murphy was sentenced to work at the orchard for various pranks she has pulled.  Her mother dates a lot of men, which people judge her for and it makes Murphy uncomfortable.

The orchard itself is the center of this story as they try to work and save the peaches from frost, insects, and foreclosure.  Murphy and Leeda are both there against their will, however, and do not become helpful for a long time in the story.  The girls do eventually come together and become good friends, but they are also quick to turn on each other when the opportunity arises.  The end seemed rushed as all the loose ends were tied up neatly, but it would have dragged if it had gone on too much longer.  Fans of the Traveling Pants series will enjoy this book, but it doesn’t have the plot or character development of those books.  Mild recommendation.