What do you think?
Rate this book
Under the Pawpaw Trees
Winner of the 2024 Eric Hoffer Book Award for YA
Sequel to Sitting on Top of the World
June’s new normal: Her brother is gone, her dad is gone, her mother is grieving, and June must find her place in the world. Her beau Jimmy is her only tonic. But when tragedy strikes again, she knows exactly who to blame for all her sorrows: Paul Burnett, the railroad bull who started the chain of devastation when he killed her brother. June sets out on a dangerous journey to make him pay, hopping freight trains to get where she needs to go, and accidents, floods, and attacks plague her route to revenge. Then when she gets to the Burnett farm in Lafayette, Virginia, she learns the truth about what happened to her brother out on the rails, and she’s drawn right back into the things that made her fall in love with this place a year ago – including Paul. Now she must decide where she belongs – with Paul and his family, or back home with Jimmy in Maynardville, where everything she holds dear is there under the pawpaw trees.
Sequel to Sitting on Top of the World
June’s new normal: Her brother is gone, her dad is gone, her mother is grieving, and June must find her place in the world. Her beau Jimmy is her only tonic. But when tragedy strikes again, she knows exactly who to blame for all her sorrows: Paul Burnett, the railroad bull who started the chain of devastation when he killed her brother. June sets out on a dangerous journey to make him pay, hopping freight trains to get where she needs to go, and accidents, floods, and attacks plague her route to revenge. Then when she gets to the Burnett farm in Lafayette, Virginia, she learns the truth about what happened to her brother out on the rails, and she’s drawn right back into the things that made her fall in love with this place a year ago – including Paul. Now she must decide where she belongs – with Paul and his family, or back home with Jimmy in Maynardville, where everything she holds dear is there under the pawpaw trees.
208 pages, Paperback
First published July 25, 2023
1 person is currently reading
81 people want to read
About the author
Cheryl King
2 books87 followersCheryl King is the author of Sitting on Top of the World, which is a 2022 Eric Hoffer Book Awards First Horizon Winner, Young Adult Winner, and Grand Prize Finalist.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
June 14, 2023
Some books you can skim. Others you taste slowly. Savor each word and every drop. Cheryl King’s Under the Pawpaw Trees is a “savor slowly” kind of book. A teen historical fiction book that’s refreshingly clean and wholesome, Under the Pawpaw Trees is a masterful feat of storytelling that will resonate long after the final page is turned.
Set mostly in Tennessee and Virginia during the Great Depression era, Under the Pawpaw* Trees is the much-anticipated sequel to King’s award-wining debut novel, Sitting on Top of the World.
I absolutely loved King’s first book, Sitting on Top of the Word. (If you missed that, you missed a good one. I’d grab a copy now ‘fize you.) I was eager to read the sequel, Under the Pawpaw Trees. And while sequels are sometimes disappointing, Under the Pawpaw Trees isn’t one of them. It delivers. In spades. In fact, there’s so much to love about Under the Pawpaw Trees, it’s hard to know where to start! But I’ll try. Like this:
The plucky protagonist is June Baker. She’s newly sixteen. She’s tough and strong. A rebel. June speaks her mind and will “rip the head off” anyone who wrongs her or one of her kin. She’s also soft, kind, and quiet. She’s a little Scout Finch. A little Kya the Marsh Girl. A bit Francie Nolan. All heart. At the end of the day, notes her long-time best friend Jimmy Mack, June is “label-less. Undefinable.” And “perfect.”
That pretty much describes this novel. It’s powerful. Compelling. And “label-less.”
When the story opens, June is bent on revenge. She’s planning to kill railroad bull Paul Burnett. She thinks Paul is responsible for the death of her older brother, Joseph “Josy,” and that Paul beat Josy to death when Josy was riding the rails looking for work. Following Josy’s death, June’s father commits suicide. Shortly thereafter, June’s mother also dies.
June has lost everything. She blames Paul for every tragedy. And she’s out for revenge.
What unfolds next is a remarkable, tightly written tale about courage, compassion, family, friendship, loyalty, love, and forgiveness. It’s both heartbreaking and hopeful. Also much more, including will June ever get her sparkle back? And a choice between two great loves and questions of “belonging.” As in: Where does June belong? In a new life with a new family, or with the love of her life in the only home she’s ever known, under the pawpaw trees? Also several “I-did-not-see-that-coming” plot twists that will keep you on the edge of your seat, turning pages until the very end.
This historical fiction novel is a little Where the Crawdads Sing. A bit To Kill a Mockingbird. A touch of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. And still all heart.
The writing is outstanding. Stunning. King has a way of making scenes, settings, and characters practically stand up and walk. And jump off the page. Right into your heart. For example, June’s excitement at getting electricity and a phone at her rural farm is palpable. Without giving too much away about the scenes set in and around Christmas, let’s just say they could wring tears from a turnip. The Fourth of July picnic scene will have you batting away pesky bees. Hearing the ring of horse shoes. Tasting watermelon in the heat of a July afternoon. The descriptions of June’s adventures riding the rails and staying in hobo camps are superb. You can almost smell the campfire smoke.
And that’s what King does in this gently faith-flavored coming-of-age tale about unbearable loss and grief, hope and resilience. Finely crafted and expertly written, this novel conveys the idea that even amid unbearable amounts of loss and grief, opportunity knocks. And hope whispers. It’s simply mesmerizing.
Indeed, Under the Pawpaw Trees is richly textured and beautifully written. The main characters of June and her dear friend Jimmy Mack practically stand up and walk. So do the characters of Pate, Charlie, Paul, Mama, Mama Helen, Mrs. Randolph, and even Molly the mule. They’re believable and multi-faceted, with big personalities and credible backgrounds. They feel like people you might run into on any street corner.
Under the Pawpaw Trees is the second book in Cheryl King’s historical fiction duology. It’s designated as a young adult book. But older readers will enjoy it, too. In fact, I didn’t want it to end! You won’t, either. It’s “good to the last drop.” And then some.
*For those unfamiliar, a “pawpaw tree” is the largest edible fruit tree native to North America, specifically in the Southeast United States. I had to look it up.
Set mostly in Tennessee and Virginia during the Great Depression era, Under the Pawpaw* Trees is the much-anticipated sequel to King’s award-wining debut novel, Sitting on Top of the World.
I absolutely loved King’s first book, Sitting on Top of the Word. (If you missed that, you missed a good one. I’d grab a copy now ‘fize you.) I was eager to read the sequel, Under the Pawpaw Trees. And while sequels are sometimes disappointing, Under the Pawpaw Trees isn’t one of them. It delivers. In spades. In fact, there’s so much to love about Under the Pawpaw Trees, it’s hard to know where to start! But I’ll try. Like this:
The plucky protagonist is June Baker. She’s newly sixteen. She’s tough and strong. A rebel. June speaks her mind and will “rip the head off” anyone who wrongs her or one of her kin. She’s also soft, kind, and quiet. She’s a little Scout Finch. A little Kya the Marsh Girl. A bit Francie Nolan. All heart. At the end of the day, notes her long-time best friend Jimmy Mack, June is “label-less. Undefinable.” And “perfect.”
That pretty much describes this novel. It’s powerful. Compelling. And “label-less.”
When the story opens, June is bent on revenge. She’s planning to kill railroad bull Paul Burnett. She thinks Paul is responsible for the death of her older brother, Joseph “Josy,” and that Paul beat Josy to death when Josy was riding the rails looking for work. Following Josy’s death, June’s father commits suicide. Shortly thereafter, June’s mother also dies.
June has lost everything. She blames Paul for every tragedy. And she’s out for revenge.
What unfolds next is a remarkable, tightly written tale about courage, compassion, family, friendship, loyalty, love, and forgiveness. It’s both heartbreaking and hopeful. Also much more, including will June ever get her sparkle back? And a choice between two great loves and questions of “belonging.” As in: Where does June belong? In a new life with a new family, or with the love of her life in the only home she’s ever known, under the pawpaw trees? Also several “I-did-not-see-that-coming” plot twists that will keep you on the edge of your seat, turning pages until the very end.
This historical fiction novel is a little Where the Crawdads Sing. A bit To Kill a Mockingbird. A touch of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. And still all heart.
The writing is outstanding. Stunning. King has a way of making scenes, settings, and characters practically stand up and walk. And jump off the page. Right into your heart. For example, June’s excitement at getting electricity and a phone at her rural farm is palpable. Without giving too much away about the scenes set in and around Christmas, let’s just say they could wring tears from a turnip. The Fourth of July picnic scene will have you batting away pesky bees. Hearing the ring of horse shoes. Tasting watermelon in the heat of a July afternoon. The descriptions of June’s adventures riding the rails and staying in hobo camps are superb. You can almost smell the campfire smoke.
And that’s what King does in this gently faith-flavored coming-of-age tale about unbearable loss and grief, hope and resilience. Finely crafted and expertly written, this novel conveys the idea that even amid unbearable amounts of loss and grief, opportunity knocks. And hope whispers. It’s simply mesmerizing.
Indeed, Under the Pawpaw Trees is richly textured and beautifully written. The main characters of June and her dear friend Jimmy Mack practically stand up and walk. So do the characters of Pate, Charlie, Paul, Mama, Mama Helen, Mrs. Randolph, and even Molly the mule. They’re believable and multi-faceted, with big personalities and credible backgrounds. They feel like people you might run into on any street corner.
Under the Pawpaw Trees is the second book in Cheryl King’s historical fiction duology. It’s designated as a young adult book. But older readers will enjoy it, too. In fact, I didn’t want it to end! You won’t, either. It’s “good to the last drop.” And then some.
*For those unfamiliar, a “pawpaw tree” is the largest edible fruit tree native to North America, specifically in the Southeast United States. I had to look it up.
August 31, 2023
When I left a review for Sitting On Top Of The World, the first book in this series, I mentioned how well this talented author brought to life a major historical event in a relatable way for kids to understand and love. Well, Cheryl King does it again with this excellent sequel -- but we get more than just a story about The Great Depression. This story also handles the complicated emotions of grief in a way that kids can understand.
Last book left a massive hole in the heart of our protagonist. It only expands in Book 2. There's only one way ahead that young June sees to fill that hole -- revenge. After procuring a gun, June travels off to confront the man who killed her brother. After all, nearly every following tragedy can be traced back to that calloused action.
But does June have what it takes to bring about this vengeance? Does she even have the right to take such a claim into her own hands?
Last book left a massive hole in the heart of our protagonist. It only expands in Book 2. There's only one way ahead that young June sees to fill that hole -- revenge. After procuring a gun, June travels off to confront the man who killed her brother. After all, nearly every following tragedy can be traced back to that calloused action.
But does June have what it takes to bring about this vengeance? Does she even have the right to take such a claim into her own hands?
July 30, 2023
I loved Sitting on Top of the World. This book, Under the Pawpaw Trees is satisfying and heartwarming conclusion to the series. I highly recommend both books. They would make good bookclub selections, which could be read in succession, though they are not long and could be read as one book. If you need a story with plenty of angst that eventually leads to an ending that restores your faith in humanity, these are the books for you.
July 31, 2023
Under the Paw Paw Trees is an emotional follow up to Sitting on Top of the World. June’s journey, set in depression era America, continues in equal parts tragedy and hope, as she grapples with feeling of love, heartache, and a need for revenge that has life changing consequences. The rich history and wonderful character development make this a must read for teens and adults alike!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews