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Letters to Juniper
Sarah Smith doesn’t remember much about her early years. She knows her mother died when she was six, and her father moved her and her younger brother to Northern Idaho. Once there, her life changed drastically. The only vivid memory she has of her early childhood is time spent with her best friend Juniper Holland. In her letters to Juniper, Sarah reveals her innermost thoughts and feelings about her reclusive life with three younger brothers in under the rigid oppression of her father and stepmother, who call themselves Separatists. Their lives are turned upside down by an FBI investigation of her father’s association with members of the Aryan Nation. When he refuses to be arrested on an illegal weapons charge, a standoff occurs. As the tension and violence escalate, Sarah faces life and death decisions in order to survive.
220 pages, Paperback
First published April 4, 2011
6 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
April 8, 2011
A gripping story about life inside a Separatist compound during an FBI standoff, from 12-year-old Sarah Smith’s perspective.
October 3, 2011
WHAT I THOUGHT
I didn’t see that coming is what I thought!
“Letters to Juniper” is Sarah Smith’s story as told via her letters to a long ago best friend named Juniper. Poor Sarah has to endure life as a recluse because this is what her father has decided. I cannot imagine being away from everyone in what seems to be the middle of nowhere where your father and stepmother are the people who tell you how things are and how they are meant to be. Sarah only knows what she sees and what she is told by those who shelter her from the big wide world. She doesn’t know that her father and stepmother are mad and delusional, she doesn’t know the way they behave would be considered wrong and unacceptable by most people who do not live within the compound.
I really felt sorry for the children. Not only for the immediate storyline but thinking beyond that, the repercussions this kind of seclusion can have on children. Of course if they stay in the compound for the rest of their lives they won’t know any different but if a child were to leave the compound I can’t help thinking how he/she would find the world outside. I imagine it would be quite daunting and he/she probably wouldn’t know how to act appropriately around people. It’s a scary thought.
Getting back to Sarah though I felt sadness for her and her lost memories. Sarah’s few memories of her past give her something to cling to and Juniper gives her someone she can confide in. I imagine Sarah might feel she doesn’t have much of a voice around the household hence the decision to start writing to Juniper and free her thoughts and feelings. Sarah doesn’t remember a lot from her past but what she does remember she holds on to - the rest of her life back then before the death of her mother and the move to the compound seems so long ago and so distant it’s hard to believe it occurred. Life is normal as far as Sarah is concerned, although I beg to differ. I think it’s absurd that your daughter has to be locked up in a shed and not allowed to come out while she is menstruating. Who made up that rule?!
These emotions I felt whilst reading, and feeling now as I am typing up this review, show that Peggy Tibbetts is a good writer, one who is able to convey the emotions of a 12-year-old girl and also cause the reader to feel emotions about the deeper issues, i.e. separatism. I believe this could be a good book to read for English in the early years of high school, perhaps even late years of primary school. There are quite a few topics to discuss and I think the discussion would be enriched by having school-aged participants. It would be great to hear different opinions. As an adult I felt mad at the parents. I wonder if children would feel the same way or if their main concern would be something else? Interesting.
All in all, I loved the way this story was presented in the form of letters, it gave it a personal touch. I felt like I was getting to know Sarah on a personal level, that I knew what she was thinking and how she was really feeling. Oh, and I loved the ending!
Many thanks to Peggy Tibbetts for providing me with a copy of ‘Letters to Juniper’ – thanks, Peggy!
I didn’t see that coming is what I thought!
“Letters to Juniper” is Sarah Smith’s story as told via her letters to a long ago best friend named Juniper. Poor Sarah has to endure life as a recluse because this is what her father has decided. I cannot imagine being away from everyone in what seems to be the middle of nowhere where your father and stepmother are the people who tell you how things are and how they are meant to be. Sarah only knows what she sees and what she is told by those who shelter her from the big wide world. She doesn’t know that her father and stepmother are mad and delusional, she doesn’t know the way they behave would be considered wrong and unacceptable by most people who do not live within the compound.
I really felt sorry for the children. Not only for the immediate storyline but thinking beyond that, the repercussions this kind of seclusion can have on children. Of course if they stay in the compound for the rest of their lives they won’t know any different but if a child were to leave the compound I can’t help thinking how he/she would find the world outside. I imagine it would be quite daunting and he/she probably wouldn’t know how to act appropriately around people. It’s a scary thought.
Getting back to Sarah though I felt sadness for her and her lost memories. Sarah’s few memories of her past give her something to cling to and Juniper gives her someone she can confide in. I imagine Sarah might feel she doesn’t have much of a voice around the household hence the decision to start writing to Juniper and free her thoughts and feelings. Sarah doesn’t remember a lot from her past but what she does remember she holds on to - the rest of her life back then before the death of her mother and the move to the compound seems so long ago and so distant it’s hard to believe it occurred. Life is normal as far as Sarah is concerned, although I beg to differ. I think it’s absurd that your daughter has to be locked up in a shed and not allowed to come out while she is menstruating. Who made up that rule?!
These emotions I felt whilst reading, and feeling now as I am typing up this review, show that Peggy Tibbetts is a good writer, one who is able to convey the emotions of a 12-year-old girl and also cause the reader to feel emotions about the deeper issues, i.e. separatism. I believe this could be a good book to read for English in the early years of high school, perhaps even late years of primary school. There are quite a few topics to discuss and I think the discussion would be enriched by having school-aged participants. It would be great to hear different opinions. As an adult I felt mad at the parents. I wonder if children would feel the same way or if their main concern would be something else? Interesting.
All in all, I loved the way this story was presented in the form of letters, it gave it a personal touch. I felt like I was getting to know Sarah on a personal level, that I knew what she was thinking and how she was really feeling. Oh, and I loved the ending!
Many thanks to Peggy Tibbetts for providing me with a copy of ‘Letters to Juniper’ – thanks, Peggy!
June 18, 2011
It’s been six years since 12 year-old Sarah Smith moved away from her Ft. Meyers, Florida home after the sudden death of her mother in an automobile accident. She and brother Abraham moved around with their dad from Georgia to Missouri and finally settled on a mountaintop in Bonner’s Ferry, Idaho.
Life isn’t easy for Sarah. Dalton, her dad, is a Separatist. He believes in a strict interpretation of the Bible. Since Sarah’s isolated home doesn’t have a TV, telephone, indoor plumbing, or a nearby school, she passes her free time writing letters to her friend, Juniper, who she hasn’t seen since she was in kindergarten.
Peggy Tibbetts writes a heart-rendering story from Sarah’s perspective about life with a dad still living in the 19th Century; and his close alliance to the members of the Order, a group aligned with the neo-Nazi group, the Aryan Nation. Dalton Smith is a gunsmith preparing for the upcoming revolution against the U.S. government. His wife, Shelly, is a wicked step-mom treating Sarah more like Cinderella than a beloved daughter.
Through the literary use of a journal of letters, Sarah reveals a life most pre-teens would cringe at—chores from sunup to sundown, friends living miles away, and little contact with a friendly face. From first page to last readers will be engrossed in Sarah’s plight until the mind-numbing climax.
(Warning: Read Letters to Juniper with a box of Kleenex by your side.)
Life isn’t easy for Sarah. Dalton, her dad, is a Separatist. He believes in a strict interpretation of the Bible. Since Sarah’s isolated home doesn’t have a TV, telephone, indoor plumbing, or a nearby school, she passes her free time writing letters to her friend, Juniper, who she hasn’t seen since she was in kindergarten.
Peggy Tibbetts writes a heart-rendering story from Sarah’s perspective about life with a dad still living in the 19th Century; and his close alliance to the members of the Order, a group aligned with the neo-Nazi group, the Aryan Nation. Dalton Smith is a gunsmith preparing for the upcoming revolution against the U.S. government. His wife, Shelly, is a wicked step-mom treating Sarah more like Cinderella than a beloved daughter.
Through the literary use of a journal of letters, Sarah reveals a life most pre-teens would cringe at—chores from sunup to sundown, friends living miles away, and little contact with a friendly face. From first page to last readers will be engrossed in Sarah’s plight until the mind-numbing climax.
(Warning: Read Letters to Juniper with a box of Kleenex by your side.)
July 15, 2012
BEC'S REVIEW
This book is classed as young adult or middle school fiction since the main character and the language is that of a 12 year old; however I found myself really enjoying it, especially the twist at the end. The letter format made it an easy and quick read, with each letter giving the right amount of information to feel involved in Sarah’s life, and to begin to feel for her for being forced to live such a life.
Sarah is a very vocal main character, which you’d expect since you, the reader, are reading her letters to a childhood friend. As such you really get a feel for not only her, but the others who live secluded with her, and the trials she is going through due to the situation her family is in. And while most of those trials are suitable for 12 year olds (the same age as Sarah), there are some bits towards the end which make this book one the parents should read first before handing it over. Though trust me, parents, you’ll probably enjoy this book as well.
If letter format books are not for you, or you don’t particularly want to read a book from the point of view from a 12 year old then give this one a miss. Otherwise I would recommend you pick it up, whether you are around Sarah’s age, or closer to the age of her parents. While the language is that of a 12 year old, Sarah’s story is one that would speak to many of us, and us older readers are more likely to correctly guess the final twist that I mentioned.
This book is classed as young adult or middle school fiction since the main character and the language is that of a 12 year old; however I found myself really enjoying it, especially the twist at the end. The letter format made it an easy and quick read, with each letter giving the right amount of information to feel involved in Sarah’s life, and to begin to feel for her for being forced to live such a life.
Sarah is a very vocal main character, which you’d expect since you, the reader, are reading her letters to a childhood friend. As such you really get a feel for not only her, but the others who live secluded with her, and the trials she is going through due to the situation her family is in. And while most of those trials are suitable for 12 year olds (the same age as Sarah), there are some bits towards the end which make this book one the parents should read first before handing it over. Though trust me, parents, you’ll probably enjoy this book as well.
If letter format books are not for you, or you don’t particularly want to read a book from the point of view from a 12 year old then give this one a miss. Otherwise I would recommend you pick it up, whether you are around Sarah’s age, or closer to the age of her parents. While the language is that of a 12 year old, Sarah’s story is one that would speak to many of us, and us older readers are more likely to correctly guess the final twist that I mentioned.
April 18, 2012
Letters to Juniper is a coming of age story told through letters from oppressed 12 year Sarah who is stuck in the middle of nowhere in an increasingly dangerous situation. It's about finding one’s voice and believing in yourself while having to live under the extreme conditions which her parents have chosen. Of course there is more to it than that but this is one story that I will not divulge more. Peggy chose to write a difficult story to tell and in a challenging format. Sarah nudges the reader along through her letters to Juniper until the reader is so engulfed in the tension the reader wants to read the next letter. The ending twist surprised me. It will surprise you too.
August 13, 2012
This book was interesting but, to me the dialogue did not sound like the voice of a 12 year old. Her choice of words and phrasing didn't ring true. I also generally don't care for a book the is entirely letters. I did like the Potato Peel Pie book as that was historically interesting and the letters were to and from so many different people.
October 20, 2012
Good fast read about separatists.
March 9, 2013
Finalist in the Colorado Book Awards, this middle grade novel made me cry. I don't cry easily. Excellent book. Should be read by all.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews