The Blossoming Summer - by Anna Rose Johnson (Hardcover)

About the Book

When thirteen-year-old Rosemary is evacuated from WWII London to her grandmother's home in America, she uncovers a hidden family truth--that they are Anishinaabe--leading her to embrace her heritage, forge new bonds, and find beauty in unexpected places.

Book Synopsis

When English thirteen-year-old Rosemary is evacuated to her grandmother in America at the start of World War II, she uncovers the family secret--they are Anishinaabe and passing as white.

Life in England is all Rosemary has ever known. . . but as WWII changes the world, no one's life is left unscathed. Suddenly, she's sent away to escape the devastation of London. Her grandmother's house on Lake Superior is safe, but unfamiliar, especially as she discovers her parents have kept a tremendous secret.

Rosemary and her family are Anishinaabe--and no one is supposed to know.

Far from home but newly connected to a once-hidden part of her family, Rosemary develops a warm, close relationship with her grandmother... and a local boy whose love of gardening helps her to see the beauty in her unexpected circumstances. As Rosemary grows into her new life like a flower in bloom, she realizes that maybe she's not as far from home as she thought.

Tender, sophisticated, and sweet, this is a beautiful story about memory, family, and identity. Rising Ojibwe author Anna Rose Johnson addresses the trauma of World War II and the legacies of hidden indigeneity alongside coming-of-age milestones like first crushes, new schools, and beginning to imagine the life you want. Hand The Blossoming Summer to fans of Christine Day, L.M. Montgomery, and Kimberly Brubaker Bradley!

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

Review Quotes

Rosemary's contending with worries regardingrelocation, familial tensions, and war add tenderness to this gentle historical read.
--Publishers Weekly

Johnson's novel sensitively unpacks the generational trauma of injustices and discrimination against Native peoples both in the U.S. and abroad. . . .An uplifting and heartwarming novel that celebrates family and heritage.
--Kirkus Reviews

A sweet story of unity with a World War II backdrop. . . . The inclusion of Anishinaabemowin words brings authenticity to the story, and Rosemary's urge to learn more about her background rings true. . . .This is well suited for fans of cozy historical fiction, such as Anne of Green Gables.
--School Library Journal

This story, with its plucky, do-gooder protagonist who learns lessons about looking for the good in others, will please readers who have already torn through the American Girl series.
--Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

Johnson's atmospheric writing captures both the beauty and tumult of the time. Rosemary's quiet voice and steadfast perseverance are a strong companion to themes of weighty parental expectations and the difficulty of healing from identity-related trauma. Rosemary's bicultural perspective offers a fresh, new take in the historical fiction realm.
--Booklist

Johnson (The Luminous Life of Lucy Landry), who is a member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, maintains a strong connection to her heritage in her writing, a straightforward style reminiscent of Natalie Babbitt's Tuck Everlasting and Jeanne Birdsall's Penderwicks series. Timeless themes of prejudice, identity, honesty, and letting go of control make this quiet, tender novel easy to relate to in any decade.
--Shelf Awareness

About the Author

Anna Rose Johnson is a journalist, blogger, and seasoned correspondent for Inside Gymnastics. Anna is passionate about historical fiction, the Native experience, and writing for children. She is a member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians; her debut, The Star That Always Stays (an NPR Best Book of the Year), is directly based on her great-grandmother. Find her at annarosejohnson.com.