Junonia [Hardcover]

Kevin Henkes (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Release date: May 24, 2011 | Age Range: 8 and up | Lexile Measure: 710L (What's this?)

Returning to the beach cottage—a cottage named Scallop—where she has always celebrated her birthday is a special occasion for Alice Rice.

Who will see the first dolphin this time? The first pelican? What will have changed? Stayed the same? And will this be the year she finally finds a junonia shell?

Alice's friends are all returning, too. And she's certain her parents have the best party planned for her. Alice can't wait. If Alice is lucky, everything will be absolutely perfect. Will Alice be lucky?

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Henkes knows that Alice, like many girls her age, carries plenty of things in her mind—and her heart—that she seldom speaks of. She mulls them over privately, and in Henkes’s hands, eloquently.” (New York Times)

“Very few writers have such a keen understanding of the emotional lives of children; here Henkes is at the top of his game.” (Kirkus Reviews (starred review))

“In this introspective story about a child’s search for a rare shell, Henkes again displays his ability to find profound meaning in ordinary events. . . . Readers will empathize with Alice’s frustrations and relish her moments of joy.” (Publishers Weekly (starred review))

“With tender observations and sensory details, Henkes creates a memorable young individual whose arcadian growing up is authentic and pitch-perfect.” (Booklist (starred review))

“Alice balances between familiarity and novelty, coziness and independence, self-centeredness and altruism—the balance beam of turning ten. . . . A fully realized, respectful portrait of a childhood milestone.” (The Horn Book)

About the Author

Kevin Henkes is an award-winning author and illustrator of many books for children of all ages. He lives with his family in Madison, Wisconsin.

Product Details

• Age Range: 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Greenwillow Books; First Edition edition (May 24, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061964174
• ISBN-13: 978-0061964176
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 6.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #535,985 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Kevin Henkes is the creator of many distinguished books for children, including Kitten's First Full Moon (winner of the Caldecott Medal), Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse, and Chrysanthemum. His novels for young people include Olive's Ocean (a Newbery Honor Book) and Bird Lake Moon.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Languid and peaceful, full of moments to save and savor June 8, 2011

By KidsReads

Format:Hardcover

Every year in February, just when the weather is the bleakest up north and the summer seems a lifetime away, Alice Rice and her family pack up the car and head south to the Florida coast. Their destination is a beach cottage named Scallop that seems to Alice like "an enchanted house from a fairy tale --- the interior of a tree or an enormous worn-out shoe or a giant nutshell," and they join the adopted "family" of other vacationers who also arrive each year at the same time.

Like all good vacation spots, their resort is both utterly unlike their regular life and almost completely predictable, a comforting source of warmth and genuine joy for Alice. But on this trip, something is different --- Alice will be turning 10, her first double-digit birthday. Will she still feel the same afterwards? And what about her family's beloved companions? One set of playmates fail to show up (they're getting too old to miss schoolwork for a family vacation), one older woman is trapped in a New York City blizzard, and Alice's beloved "Aunt Kate" (actually her mom's oldest friend) will be bringing along her new boyfriend and his young daughter Mallory. Alice can barely contain her disappointment. If so much else has changed, can her birthday possibly fulfill its magical promise?

Alice is annoyed with Mallory's demands and her immaturity; she resents that old Mr. Barden finds Mallory beautiful, but his only remark on Alice's appearance is to point out the mole on her face. Can Alice find the perfect junonia seashell she longs for? Can she capture the perfect birthday she's imagined? Can she find happiness even in the midst of change?

JUNONIA is an almost achingly lovely novel. Its short chapters provide exquisitely crafted glimpses into Alice's life and mind; each one, suffused with the affection of Alice's friends and family, would be a wonderful way for parents and children to cap off days together. Kids will recognize Alice's serious attitude toward her advancing age, while adults will be moved by her surprisingly wise reflections on time, language and love. "Suddenly she felt as if she were the center of everything, like the sun. She was thinking: Here I am. I have my parents. We're alone together. I will never be old. I will never die. It's right now. I'm ten."

This latest book from prolific author Kevin Henkes is languid and peaceful, full of moments to save and savor --- much like the perfect vacation.

--- Reviewed by Norah Piehl

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Henkes is spot on in how a ten-year-old thinks! May 28, 2011

By Lori Katz

Format:Hardcover

Each year Alice and her parents vacation in Florida and celebrate Alice's birthday there. Alice considers the guests in the other cottages and her mom's best friend (who stays in their cottage) her extended family as she really has no other relatives. She's hunting for junonia, a rare seashell and spends lots of time searching for it on the beach. This year not only does the junonia continue to evade her but some of the regulars do not come to Florida. Additionally Kate is joined by her boyfriend and his six-year-old daughter Mallory. Alice is worried that her tenth birthday will not be the best birthday ever.
Alice is a child on the cusp of pre-teen. Supported by attentive and very loving parents, they help her navigate and deal with a trying situation. It's very obvious that the other guests adore Alice but have little patience for Mallory. Henkes is spot on in how a ten-year-old thinks. From her jealous feelings and anger towards Mallory to the joy of her birthday gifts, from walks on the beach to the pitter patter of rain this is a delightful book and young girls in grades 3-6 will enjoy it.
Read as an ebook arc courtesy of Harper Collins via Netgalley (without the illustrations).

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Kevin Henkes did a great job! December 19, 2011

A Kid's Review

Format:Hardcover

I think Kevin Henkes did a great job in writing this book. I have been collecting some of the best descriptive sentences I could find and
even added it to my own writing. I like the fact that Alice almost has the same personality as me so I am kind of on her side.
I also think Kevin Henkes does a fantastic job on convincing the reader to be determined to find the Junonia as much as Alice.
Next time I go on a vacation, I want to find a Junonia. At least when I am ten...