My Jasper June Blog Tour and Giveaway!

I was very lucky to have been referred by one of my fellow Lit Review Crew members for this blog tour that Walden Pond Press has organized. I am glad you have stopped by to read more about Laurel Snyder’s new book, My Jasper June, and don’t forget to subscribe to my newsletter and complete the form at the end to win your own copy of the book.

My Jasper June

Laurel Snyder, author of Orphan Island, returns with another unforgettable story of the moments in which we find out who we are, and the life-altering friendships that show us what we can be.

The school year is over, and it is summer in Atlanta. The sky is blue, the sun is blazing, and the days brim with possibility. But Leah feels. . . lost. She has been this way since one terrible afternoon a year ago, when everything changed. Since that day, her parents have become distant, her friends have fallen away, and Leah’s been adrift and alone.

Then she meets Jasper, a girl unlike anyone she has ever known. There’s something mysterious about Jasper, almost magical. And Jasper, Leah discovers, is also lost.

Together, the two girls carve out a place for themselves, a hideaway in the overgrown spaces of Atlanta, away from their parents and their hardships, somewhere only they can find.

But as the days of this magical June start to draw to a close, and the darker realities of their lives intrude once more, Leah and Jasper have to decide how real their friendship is, and whether it can be enough to save them both.

R.J. Palacio, author of Wonder, had this to say: “This book is a treasure — a touching story of friendship, loss, and finding beauty in the everyday, with characters who stay with you long after you’ve turned the final page. I absolutely loved it.” 

Walden Pond Press

About the Author

Laurel Snyder is the author of picture books and novels for children, including National Book Award nominee Orphan Island and the Theodor Seuss Geisel Award winner Charlie & Mouse. A graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, she currently teaches in Hamline University’s MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults program. She lives in Atlanta with her family and can be found online at www.laurelsnyder.com.

Walden Pond Press

My Thoughts

I was immediately drawn to the cover and the title of this book. I love books on friendship during the tween years because it is such a trying time in a young child’s life. Friendships change during this time because people are changing. The cover shows two friends on a hilltop holding something that is glowing while more of these glowing items are floating above them. It is a breathtaking cover.

As I began reading, I found myself deep into Snyder’s world. There was a really sad feel to the book right at the beginning and I could feel Leah’s grief, yet it was a mystery as to what that grief was from. So, my curiosity won and I kept reading. I could not put this book down and would go from laughing and giggling and feeling such love at these two girls finding a friendship to grasping my chest and wiping tears from my eyes while rapidly turning the pages until happiness would return. My emotions were a roller coaster ride!

As you know, I like to journal as I read and here is my page for My Jasper June. I also did a word cloud of key words and themes.

I know that my middle schoolers will be drawn to this book, both from the cover and from the synopsis. However, adults would find great comfort in reading this book. It deals with so many important topics and can be read and enjoyed by all.

If you would like to enter to win your own copy of My Jasper June, courtesy of Walden Pond Press, please subscribe to my newsletter to the right of this post or at the end of the page and complete this google form. Thank you for reading and supporting Laurel Snyder and her new book.

Check out the rest of the blogs below that participated in the blog tour!

September 4 Open Book Reviews 

September 5 Teachers Who Read 

September 6 Nerdy Book Club

September 9 Read Wonder 

September 10 About to Mock 

September 11 Novel Novice 

September 12 Create Explore Read 

September 13 Book Monsters 

September 15 MrsBookDragon.com

September 16 Maria’s Melange 

September 17 Writer’s Rumpus 

September 18 Bluestocking Thinking 

September 19 Storymamas 

September 20 Amber Kuehler