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True Blue: Book One of the True Blue Trilogy
It's 1972 in Chickasaw, Alabama-a time when kids ride their bikes all over town, spend lazy summer days finding shapes in the clouds, squirt each other with the water hose, catch lightning bugs in a jar, and play outside until the streetlights come on. Best friends Jeana, Wade, and Billy Joe have lived on the same street all their lives, but things start to change the summer after the fourth grade. The boys begin to look at Jeana and each other differently, and puberty is getting close to rearing its ugly head. Can the three of them stay friends, or will someone's heart get broken? And who is that new boy in Chickasaw with the royal blue eyes? Fans of Stand By Me and Bridge to Terabithia will love the friendship bond between the characters and how it's affected by the sweet adolescent love story reminiscent of The Wonder Years.
178 pages, Paperback
First published August 29, 2016
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25 people want to read
About the author
Joyce Sterling Scarbrough
21 books44 followersJoyce is an intelligent Southern woman weary of seeing herself and her peers portrayed in books and movies as either post-antebellum debutantes or barefoot hillbillies á la Daisy Duke, so all her heroines are smart, unpretentious women who refuse to be anyone but themselves. In addition to her novels, she has short stories featured in several anthologies.
Joyce has lived all her life in southern Alabama, she's the mother of three gifted children, and she's been married for over 30 years to her husband Tony—a public school teacher, coach extraordinaire, and the love of her life.
Joyce has lived all her life in southern Alabama, she's the mother of three gifted children, and she's been married for over 30 years to her husband Tony—a public school teacher, coach extraordinaire, and the love of her life.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
December 8, 2016
Want to see more bookish things from me? Check out my YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfer...
*I received this book as part of a Vlog tour in exchange for my honest review*
2.5 Stars
Jeana, Wade and Billy Joe have lived on the same street and been best friends since they were born. They swear that they will be best friends forever, until the summer after fourth grade when everything starts to change. The boys begin to see Jeana in a new light, a new boy Mickey Royal comes to town and and this may cause their friendship to fall apart.
This was a good coming of age story, although I found that there was no action at all. The pacing was very slow and I found that there wasn't much plot development. I didn't like Billy Joe as a character, I found him extremely whiney and annoying. I did like the friendship between Wade, Jeana and Billy Joe in the beginning. I liked Wade and Jeana, I thought that they were cuties. I definitely liked Mickey the best and I loved his family too. I found the writing style to be a bit too simplistic for my taste and I found myself rolling my eyes at some of the things that occurred.
*I received this book as part of a Vlog tour in exchange for my honest review*
2.5 Stars
Jeana, Wade and Billy Joe have lived on the same street and been best friends since they were born. They swear that they will be best friends forever, until the summer after fourth grade when everything starts to change. The boys begin to see Jeana in a new light, a new boy Mickey Royal comes to town and and this may cause their friendship to fall apart.
This was a good coming of age story, although I found that there was no action at all. The pacing was very slow and I found that there wasn't much plot development. I didn't like Billy Joe as a character, I found him extremely whiney and annoying. I did like the friendship between Wade, Jeana and Billy Joe in the beginning. I liked Wade and Jeana, I thought that they were cuties. I definitely liked Mickey the best and I loved his family too. I found the writing style to be a bit too simplistic for my taste and I found myself rolling my eyes at some of the things that occurred.
September 9, 2016
This book took me by the heart strings and wouldn’t let go. I loved all the characters as I usually do with Joyce’s books. I’ve read them over and over again. Her characters are not just characters, but people who you will grow to love and cherish. Watching them grow up was wonderful. Finding out what they had gone through, all about Wade's childhood, touched me deeply. This story will enchant you and leave you thirsty for more. Once I started reading this, I didn’t want to put it down. However, I did, only because I wanted it to last. The coming of age story, not only shows the kids growing up, but shows how some bonds are meant to last a lifetime, through life and death. I can’t recommend this book enough. If I could give is more than five stars I would.
December 14, 2016
**I received this book for free as part of a Vlog Tour in exchange for an honest review**
Here is the link to my spoiler free review of the entire trilogy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUIHk...
Here is the link to my spoiler free review of the entire trilogy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUIHk...
March 22, 2017
This was a sweet, if a little naïve, book. I was surprised to read that this was the first of a trilogy, given that the story doesn't have a huge amount of depth and there really is only a couple of directions it can go in.
True Blue is a coming-of-age tale from indie author, Joyce Scarbrough. Set in Chickasaw, Alabama, where the author was born, our book opens in 1972. It's an innocent time, when kids found their fun in treehouses and local pools, playing outside in the summer sun until the streetlights come on. The story follows the friendship of three ten-year-old friends, Jeana, Wade, and Billy Joe, who have lived on the same street all their lives. Puberty has started to kick in which means that these three are starting to look at each other in different ways, ways that I felt weren't wholly convincing of young children their age. Some of their thoughts, for example, were really advanced, I felt; a little too self-reflective and complex. Or was I just a really innocent ten-year-old?!
This book is quite slow-moving. There is no action really at all, and very little plot development. It is very sentimental and, because of this, quite predictable. We've read this story before: two boys, one girl. Boys love girl, girl loves one of the boys. Said boy upsets girl, girl seeks comfort from other boy. You get the rest.
If you like sentimental and somewhat cheesy tales of childhood friendships and simpler times before computer games and social media, this is the book for you. If you liked watching The Wonder Years on TV or enjoyed the movie Now & Then, this could be a read you will very much enjoy. The friendship dynamic and the description of our young female protagonist reminded me a little of the relationship between Hermione, Harry and Ron from the Harry Potter series (like I need to even associate a book with their names!), but much less developed and engaging.
As an adult, I wouldn't by any means say that this is a riveting read, but for younger readers it may just be appealing. It is a sweet story of adolescent love, of first feelings and kisses, and finding out who your true friends are. There are minor discussions of family life, sporting and school pressures referred to here, but nothing at all that deters from the core of the story, which is just plain early-teenage infatuation. An easy, simple read for younger eyes but not for me, unfortunately.
True Blue is a coming-of-age tale from indie author, Joyce Scarbrough. Set in Chickasaw, Alabama, where the author was born, our book opens in 1972. It's an innocent time, when kids found their fun in treehouses and local pools, playing outside in the summer sun until the streetlights come on. The story follows the friendship of three ten-year-old friends, Jeana, Wade, and Billy Joe, who have lived on the same street all their lives. Puberty has started to kick in which means that these three are starting to look at each other in different ways, ways that I felt weren't wholly convincing of young children their age. Some of their thoughts, for example, were really advanced, I felt; a little too self-reflective and complex. Or was I just a really innocent ten-year-old?!
This book is quite slow-moving. There is no action really at all, and very little plot development. It is very sentimental and, because of this, quite predictable. We've read this story before: two boys, one girl. Boys love girl, girl loves one of the boys. Said boy upsets girl, girl seeks comfort from other boy. You get the rest.
If you like sentimental and somewhat cheesy tales of childhood friendships and simpler times before computer games and social media, this is the book for you. If you liked watching The Wonder Years on TV or enjoyed the movie Now & Then, this could be a read you will very much enjoy. The friendship dynamic and the description of our young female protagonist reminded me a little of the relationship between Hermione, Harry and Ron from the Harry Potter series (like I need to even associate a book with their names!), but much less developed and engaging.
As an adult, I wouldn't by any means say that this is a riveting read, but for younger readers it may just be appealing. It is a sweet story of adolescent love, of first feelings and kisses, and finding out who your true friends are. There are minor discussions of family life, sporting and school pressures referred to here, but nothing at all that deters from the core of the story, which is just plain early-teenage infatuation. An easy, simple read for younger eyes but not for me, unfortunately.
September 4, 2021
Really 4.5 and that’s only because I’m not the targeted age group for this. But I still had a good time reading it, and I think it’s a really good “coming of age” story for kids going from that awkward elementary school into middle school period.
The family dynamics of each of these kids are really well thought and and soooo true for the time that this is set in and the setting. Two of the families are breaking my heart because the pressure they put on their kids is way too real with what kids go through.
I’m glad I got a physical copy because this is a book, I would definitely pass it down when I have kids one day and they get to this age!
The family dynamics of each of these kids are really well thought and and soooo true for the time that this is set in and the setting. Two of the families are breaking my heart because the pressure they put on their kids is way too real with what kids go through.
I’m glad I got a physical copy because this is a book, I would definitely pass it down when I have kids one day and they get to this age!
December 12, 2016
True Blue centers around three 10-year-old best friends: Jeana, Billie Joe, and Wade. Having been friends since they were babies, things begin to change when both boys begin to develop feelings for Jeana and also when a new boy Mickey moves to town.
This was a cute coming-of-age story and I did enjoy it a lot, however I did have problems with it. First, the writing style was nothing to sneeze at. It was average at best. Second, the characters were not very believable. These are 10 (later 11 or 12) years old taking about love and being in love as if they're adults (or even older teens). 10 years old are far too young to be "in love" as strongly as they are in this book. It just seemed very unbelievable to me and I can't remember the number of times I rolled my eyes at the cheesiness of this young "love."
Overall, this was a 3 star book for me.
I have done a full review on this book on my BookTube channel if you would like to hear more of my thoughts. Link here: https://youtu.be/lL0UOn2Heeo
Disclaimer: I received this book for free as part of a Vlog Tour in exchange for an honest review.
This was a cute coming-of-age story and I did enjoy it a lot, however I did have problems with it. First, the writing style was nothing to sneeze at. It was average at best. Second, the characters were not very believable. These are 10 (later 11 or 12) years old taking about love and being in love as if they're adults (or even older teens). 10 years old are far too young to be "in love" as strongly as they are in this book. It just seemed very unbelievable to me and I can't remember the number of times I rolled my eyes at the cheesiness of this young "love."
Overall, this was a 3 star book for me.
I have done a full review on this book on my BookTube channel if you would like to hear more of my thoughts. Link here: https://youtu.be/lL0UOn2Heeo
Disclaimer: I received this book for free as part of a Vlog Tour in exchange for an honest review.
September 11, 2016
This is the book to read if you're needing a bit of innocent star-gazing, first kisses, and figuring out who you are in your life.
The prequel to TRUE BLUE FOREVER, this story follows best friends Jeana, Wade, and Billy Joe in elementary school and the beginning of middle. Mrs. Scarborough does a superb job with her characterizations, so much that it has completely changed my mind about a character I didn't care for at all in TBF, and couldn't understand how Jeana could be sympathetic toward. Knowing what happens to these best friends in the second book make what happens in this one all the more nostalgic because I know how far they'll grow.
The prequel to TRUE BLUE FOREVER, this story follows best friends Jeana, Wade, and Billy Joe in elementary school and the beginning of middle. Mrs. Scarborough does a superb job with her characterizations, so much that it has completely changed my mind about a character I didn't care for at all in TBF, and couldn't understand how Jeana could be sympathetic toward. Knowing what happens to these best friends in the second book make what happens in this one all the more nostalgic because I know how far they'll grow.
April 13, 2018
This book was a very enjoyable travel read. The characters, time and place are reminiscent of many of my own childhood experiences. I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
September 6, 2016
Great coming-of-age story with characters you'll want to follow.
May 17, 2017
Jeana, Wade and Billy Joe have been best friends their whole life, they live on the same street and everything is all fun and adventures until the summer after fourth grade, when the boys start to notice Jeana in a different light. A new boy, Mickey moves to town and puts a strain on their friendship.
As far as coming-of-age stories go, this wouldn’t even make my top 10. The pace was far too slow, there were huge chunks where it felt like nothing at all was happening, the plot seemed underdeveloped. I kept waiting for something, anything at all to grab my interest. I honestly don’t know how or why it’s a trilogy, it definitely wasn't action packed enough to warrant more than one story.
The characters were fine, their friendship at the beginning was super cute and fun to read them interacting with one another. Then they got a bit whingey and annoying.
The writing style was very simplistic, it’s a cheesy and predictable story about childhood and friendship that has some sweet moments but inevitably comes up short.
I think for readers a lot younger than myself, it might take on a whole new level that they can connect to a lot more than I did. It just didn’t fascinate me.
As far as coming-of-age stories go, this wouldn’t even make my top 10. The pace was far too slow, there were huge chunks where it felt like nothing at all was happening, the plot seemed underdeveloped. I kept waiting for something, anything at all to grab my interest. I honestly don’t know how or why it’s a trilogy, it definitely wasn't action packed enough to warrant more than one story.
The characters were fine, their friendship at the beginning was super cute and fun to read them interacting with one another. Then they got a bit whingey and annoying.
The writing style was very simplistic, it’s a cheesy and predictable story about childhood and friendship that has some sweet moments but inevitably comes up short.
I think for readers a lot younger than myself, it might take on a whole new level that they can connect to a lot more than I did. It just didn’t fascinate me.
July 12, 2018
True Blue by Joyce Scarbrough is a story to treasure in your heart forever. Beginning in fourth grade, Wade Strickland has really wanted to tell Jeana Rusell that he is madly in love with her. So has Billy Joe DuBose. Jeana loves them both as brothers, not as boyfriends.
At the end of fifth grade, a third boy joins the mess. His dad drinks, his family is a mess, and Jeana is a beautiful red-head that came out of the blue and whisked his head and heart into the clouds with a simple poem. Then to make things more complicated for the already confused quartet, Wade and Mickey move away and their whole worlds cave in.
Opinion:
True Blue is a beautiful, well-written story. Joyce Scarbrough's characters compare very well with people in the real world. The experiences of her characters resonate with many children switching from elementary to middle school. I've never read a book with such a wonderful portrayal of true friendship and struggles in daily life. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a good read.
Reviewed by a LitPick Student Book Reviewer, Age 12
At the end of fifth grade, a third boy joins the mess. His dad drinks, his family is a mess, and Jeana is a beautiful red-head that came out of the blue and whisked his head and heart into the clouds with a simple poem. Then to make things more complicated for the already confused quartet, Wade and Mickey move away and their whole worlds cave in.
Opinion:
True Blue is a beautiful, well-written story. Joyce Scarbrough's characters compare very well with people in the real world. The experiences of her characters resonate with many children switching from elementary to middle school. I've never read a book with such a wonderful portrayal of true friendship and struggles in daily life. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a good read.
Reviewed by a LitPick Student Book Reviewer, Age 12
June 21, 2019
Just finished reading the True Blue Trilogy and all three books are amazing!! I was drawn in and hooked by the first book, True Blue. Let’s just say I missed a lot of sleep because I didn’t want to put the next two books, Royal Blue (book 2) and True Blue Forever (book three), down. These are all great reads!! The author makes you feel like you are there with the characters, supporting, rooting for, and believing in them. They are so realistic and definitely bring you back to your childhood.
January 4, 2018
The series is great. The author pulls you into her characters & is great at scene setting.
February 21, 2017
this was a pretty decent short book about that awkward time between 10 and teen. the story is about 3 preteens in Alabama in the 70s, 2 boys and 1 girl, and how their changing minds and bodies cause fractures in their relationship.
the book moves fast. one chapter it is august, the next it is may. that isn't necessarily a bad thing. this book was written for young teens after all.
the kids also "move fast". they are ten and are talking about how they want to date each other and even love each other. sure that is possible but I don't remember "loving" anyone like these kids claim to.
the author does a good job of showing how things change when you get to middle school. while I went to a k to 8 school, there was a definite, noticeable transition that occured when you entered middle school which is portrayed fairly well. friendships can changed, people can change. that is life and sometimes, it hurts.
another character is mickey who was about to make the triangle into a square but he quickly moves away which made him seem like an odd character to have if not for the fact that this book is part of a series so it's obvious he'll be part of everything in later installments.
I'll probably read the sequels at some point but won't be rushing out to find them.
this was a fun book though and I ate it up very qiuckly.
the book moves fast. one chapter it is august, the next it is may. that isn't necessarily a bad thing. this book was written for young teens after all.
the kids also "move fast". they are ten and are talking about how they want to date each other and even love each other. sure that is possible but I don't remember "loving" anyone like these kids claim to.
the author does a good job of showing how things change when you get to middle school. while I went to a k to 8 school, there was a definite, noticeable transition that occured when you entered middle school which is portrayed fairly well. friendships can changed, people can change. that is life and sometimes, it hurts.
another character is mickey who was about to make the triangle into a square but he quickly moves away which made him seem like an odd character to have if not for the fact that this book is part of a series so it's obvious he'll be part of everything in later installments.
I'll probably read the sequels at some point but won't be rushing out to find them.
this was a fun book though and I ate it up very qiuckly.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews