Barn Boot Blues

by Catherine Friend

Meet Taylor McNamara: She’s twelve. She’s a city girl. But her parents have just moved her to a sheep farm in the middle of nowhere. Meet the farm animals: forty chickens, twenty sheep, ten ducks, and four goats, one of which can pee on his own head. Meet the principal and kids in Taylor’s new school: Kids tease her about her ugly barn boots and the chicken poop in her hair, yet they admire her pluck. Taylor struggles to adapt to her new life, but finds it hard to adjust to the farm’s daily surprises, especially those that prove to be embarrassing at school. With the help of her friend Megan, Taylor embarks on a nearly disastrous plan to move her family back to the city. But one lonely night, in the barn, Taylor discovers that farming isn’t all bad.

Genres: Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction, Animals, Juvenile, Childrens, Teen

144 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2011

About the author

Catherine Friend had what she calls a "boring" childhood, but she says that boring was just fine -- because it gave her more time to read. She read so much her parents had to set a "no-reading-at-the dinner-table" rule. She was slightly shy as a child, but enjoyed playing Beauty Parlor with her sister, taking family trips, and watching STAR TREK and TIME TUNNEL.

She studied Economics, but because of her love for books and stories, she eventually found herself drawn to writing. Since then, the author has written six children's books, including THE PERFECT NEST, a hilarious read-aloud illustrated by John Manders; and two books in Candlewick’s Brand New Readers series. She is also the author of the acclaimed adult memoir, HIT BY A FARM: HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE BARN. When it comes to her writing, Catherine Friend likes to try new things and seek new challenges -- but she always likes to write stories that make her laugh.


Catherine Friend lives on a small farm in southeastern Minnesota -- which inspired both THE PERFECT NEST and HIT BY A FARM. There, she raises sheep, goats, and llamas, and has an energetic border collie named Robin.

Reviews

[Ms. B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Farm hijinks. Remember Bless this Mess, a comedy from a few years ago about a couple who move from New York City to rural Nebraska? I only watched a couple episodes, but suspect it was much like this book. Taylor and her parents move from the city to a small farming town so that her parents can live out their dream of farming. Once there, it's long days without family time, one farm mishap after another, embarrassing moments at school and fighting parents. Could the birthing of newborn lambs be what the family needs to reconnect and change their mind about selling and moving back to the city?
If you have tweens looking for books about rural life, other titles include The Beef Princess of Practical County or The Wild Robot Escapes. If it's teens, give Dairy Queen a try.

[Alyssa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Twelve-year-old Taylor McNamara has been uprooted from a city of 400,000 to a small town of 7,000 which means she has a lot to navigate. First there is making new friends, then figuring out what to do with these friends when there is no mall to hang out at, getting used to living in a home miles away from anyone else, and most of all taking care of farm animals. It is her parent’s dream to raise animals on their farm, but to make it work financially her father commutes back to his job in the big city every day, putting strain on the family relationships. Taylor and her friends decide to start a club to raise awareness about the social isolation of rural kids and the hardships to children living on farms; yet in the process of her research, and meeting friends of all ages the rural lifestyle comes to suit Taylor just fine after all.

Barn Boot Blues is a coming of age story filled with the dynamics of family relationships as well as self-discovery and growing up. Appropriate for 10-14 year-olds, this book can be used to spark discussions about empathy for new students who come mid-year or for those who have experienced drastic changes in their living situations. A writing project related to this book can involve students comparing themselves and their experiences to that of Taylor’s life thus far.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bravo; well done! Family stress, new-kid at school, and city-to-country issues, all told with zest and heart. There's even a friendship with an older person, lessons in preparing wool towards clothing, a boy, and a school rule about short skirts. All in 142 breezy and delightful pages.

So sad it's short and over already.... so... Sheepish: Two Women, Fifty Sheep, and Enough Wool to Save the Planet has been on my list for awhile, now it's a priority!

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute, predictable, nothing mind-blowing, but enjoyable. The writing style was fine. Possibly the best part was- no weird, stupid names!! I'm so sick of weird names in j fic. Anyway, I did think about Bonnie the whole time they were doing the lamb birth scenes. Appropriate for a younger audience of stronger readers. She is making poor choices, but ends up turning it around. Like I said- enjoyable, a nice sweet read about a girl learning to coop with what life's handed her.

[Sofia Alessandrini · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was a HUGE let down. The ending was so boring and girl made some mistakes but everyone was just like "whatever". I would never suggest or reread this treacherous thing. Don't waste your time.

[Nischita · Rating 4 out of 5]

i wish goodreads had half-increments cuz i'd give this book 3.5 stars but i'll be nice and round up. the "city-girl has to work on a farm against her will" trope is always fun and this is proof of that, but (there's a high possibility i could be remembering this wrong) i feel like i remember the "one night in the barn she discovers farming isn't all that bad" is referring to the main character witnessing a baby animal being born and that seems cringe/cliche to me. if that is wrong then don't hesitate to call me insane because i could have made that up.

[Sonya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book

[Ally Goodwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

delightfully funny story

[Laurie Jernigan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book

Great book for my 8 yr old daughter. She started reading and finished it with in a few hours. She couldn’t put it down.

[Loren · Rating 5 out of 5]

it was really good

[Daleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to it over audio book, so I can't wait to get a paperback in my hands and read it again. It was great.

[Ruby Kilmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

very funny

[Ida · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just re read this book and finished the book last night. Can you imagine HAVEING TO DELIVER BABY SHEEP

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Summary:
Taylor's mother may have lost her mind. After growing up in the city, her parents just decide to purchase a small farm and move to the country. Taylor's mother wants to be a farmer even though Taylor and her father are not fully on board with the idea. But, now they are in the country, and life must go on. Taylor is expected to help out along the farm, so she begins to learn how to do that. To make matters worse, she has to start at a new school smelling like a farm (poop stench included).

My thoughts:
While this is a cute story, I only kind of liked it. There really wasn't anything that really made this book special to me. It was a quick read. Taylor is a good character. She is developed wonderfully with both good and bad characteristics. She is over the top selfish at the beginning, but she does begin to learn her lesson. Overall, the highlight of this book is the development of the farm. The description and building of the farm is very well described. There are some ups and downs just like starting a small farm would be. The whole family definitely learns together. I'd say this is targeted towards the right age group. I may give it to a third grader that has a good attention span and reading level, whereas seventh grade may be a little old for the book. It definitely fits more with girls than with boys. They will appreciate the "Barn Boot Blues."

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Taylor is new to the farm. Her parents packed up and moved to the country from Minneapolis and Taylor is not having fun. Her dad still commutes over an hour and is never home. Her mom is trying to learn how to run the farm and is always busy. And Taylor has had one misadventure/embarrassing incident after another: she wore barn boots to the first day of school, showed up to school with chicken poop in her hair, wore a skirt that didn't fit into the school dresscode. Taylor has had enough with farm life even if she does like some of the animals. She hatches a plot to get her parents off the farm and back in the city, but will she really want to leave?

This was a fun, light read. Taylor is a wonderful character and seems very true to life. I loved all the animal antics and embarrassing moments. And some of the kids at school remind me of ones I went to school with. I think young readers will laugh or cringe at Taylor's mishaps, but cheer with her during the triumphs.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Barn Boot Blues by Catherine Friend follows Taylor McNamera a girl whose parents pick up and move to a farm from the city. Taylor not only has to adjust to a new school and community but she also has a new burden of farm chores. Can she convince her parents that they need to move her away from the farm?

This is a great book that tweens will really love. Taylor has a personality and a basic set of problems that kids will be able to relate to. I sped through this book, unable to put it down.

Appropriateness: There is no adult content in this book. I would recommend it for readers 10-14

[JennLynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun story about a girl whose parents have moved to a farm. The transition is difficult for everybody. But Taylor has it hardest, going to school after a variety of traumatic experiences - being attacked by a duck, being pooped on by chickens, and smelling like the goat she had to wrestle into a truck. So she comes up with a plan to convince her parents to move back to the city. Will a newfound skill at spinning wool and the imminent arrival of baby lambs be enough to change her mind? A fun read and light-hearted look at the messier side of farming. B-

[Colette · Rating 3 out of 5]

Barn Boot Blues is a cute, easy Middle-Grade novel. It is relatable to young teens in the categories of starting at a new school and fitting in. The main character is just beginning the farm lifestyle, and Friend describes that scene wonderfully and accurately. Farm life isn't glamourous, but it has its perks, and that comes across in Friend's writing. Being that this is a Middle-Grade novel it would have been nice if it was longer; 141 pages doesn't give one enough time with the story to really connect with the characters. This fact brought down my overall enjoyment of the book.

[kids · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the book you wrote!!!

I loved the book you wrote!!!

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[Mrs. Hassig · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the cover of this book and everyone knows that covers are really important to my choice of books! 12 year old Taylor used to live in the city, but her mother always wanted to live on a farm and raise chickens and goats and food for her family so now Taylor lives on a farm with all of the above creatures and some sheep as well! Is she ready for this monumental change? Read Barn Boot Blues and find out! If you have had everything go wrong in middle school you will relate to Taylor and all of her misadventures!

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

DNF. Barn Boot Blues didn't really hold my attention. Taylor felt a bit underdeveloped as a MC and the whole story seemed rather contrived much of the time. I stuck around for a touching birth-of-lambs scene, but even that felt oddly done--the author didn't shy away from bloody details, but described it all in juvenile-feeling words. I think if readers are mature enough to handle the concept of a farmer having to reach into the ewe's vagina to help with the birth, they're mature enough to handle the word "vagina" (or whatever the correct anatomical term would be).

[Gabri Alessandrini · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book a while ago. I don't totally remember it. But I don't remember hating it but I don't remember totally falling in love with it. It was kinda like a backwards life of Girl Meets Worlds Lucas Friar. Because the girl leaves to city and goes to a farm and then she has to deliver a... Horse? Well I forget what animal it was that the girl had to deliver but it's like Lucas' life backwards. lol

[Hoover Public Library Kids and Teens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Only grabbed this one because the author also wrote one of my favorite picture books of all time--The Perfect Nest. And Catherine Friend did not let me down with her children's novel debut. Lots of funny farm shenanigans, including chicken poop in your hair and reeking of goat at your new school. And don't be fooled by the cover. It is NOT a book just for girls.

[Elissa Schaeffer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story about a girl learning her way around a small town and a farm when her parents move the family to the country farm they bought. Taylor is a likeable character, even when she's a little misguided. But her heart is in the right place since she just wants her family to be together and happy like they were before the move and the farm.

[James J Webb III · Rating 5 out of 5]

Barn Boot Blues

In my opinion I loved this book a lot. This is one of my favorite books I have ever read in my life before. I loved this book because it was interesting and very amusing to me. But what I especially liked about this book was that it wasn't boring or discombobulated.

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

My "farm town" students enjoyed this as a read-aloud during summer school. I enjoyed hearing their humorous text-to-self connections. I wish there was more of a twist throughout the book; the plot was very predictable.

[Ann Haefele · Rating 3 out of 5]

An appealing story about a 12 year old girl trying to fit in on a farm which her family just bought, and trying to fit in at a new school. It is a predictable story that girls will like, and is one that I would have enjoyed as a 10-13 year old.

[Sydney · Rating 4 out of 5]

love the surprise in the end! This was such a great book I would recommend it to anyone!
I get the cover, it makes so much sense now!
I personally thought that it was hilarious! I hope that when you read it you will like it as much as I did.

[Kendall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mark Twain 2013-4. Cute look at city-girl meets rural lifestyle...with an ambiguous ending. I like that younger readers are exposed to a not-so-perfect ending--they need to learn more about loose ends and this is a good way to do it.

[Thomas Balsbaugh]

This book is packed with VERY unexpected turns I have now read the book 2 times and still was surprised when she got chomped on by lost and founds mother.
I still loved the book in every way. But my favorite part was the ending because ruby had three baby lambs.