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Miracle Season
In a magical story that blurs the lines between reality and the fantastic, Persephone Clark has a talent for making things grow, but in the wake of her brother's accident, the only things growing are the lies and secrets she's been keeping.
Thirteen-year-old Persephone Pearl Clark has never met a plant that wouldn’t bud or bloom for her. But lately, between the accident that left her older brother, Levi, with an irreversible brain injury, a messy fight with her once-best friend Mya, and a pile of lies growing faster than the stack of medical bills she collects from the post office every day, Persephone is stuck. She would give anything to change things for her family, but unfortunately, money doesn’t grow on trees.
So, when she stumbles upon Levi's unfinished application submitting their hometown of Coulter, Wisconsin, to Small Town Revival—the famous makeover show with a large financial prize attached—Persephone forges her older brother's signature and sends it in. She is certain she’s carrying out a dream Levi never got the chance to see to fruition. But as small-town gossip takes root and Persephone’s lies grow like weeds, the things that once bloomed for her are wilting instead.
With the help of unexpected allies including a wonderful but peculiar old woman and her possibly magical cat, Persephone learns that while planting the seeds of truth is never easy, everything blooms when it’s ready.
* "A compassionate, thought-provoking take on family, friendship, grief, and renewal." –Kirkus
Thirteen-year-old Persephone Pearl Clark has never met a plant that wouldn’t bud or bloom for her. But lately, between the accident that left her older brother, Levi, with an irreversible brain injury, a messy fight with her once-best friend Mya, and a pile of lies growing faster than the stack of medical bills she collects from the post office every day, Persephone is stuck. She would give anything to change things for her family, but unfortunately, money doesn’t grow on trees.
So, when she stumbles upon Levi's unfinished application submitting their hometown of Coulter, Wisconsin, to Small Town Revival—the famous makeover show with a large financial prize attached—Persephone forges her older brother's signature and sends it in. She is certain she’s carrying out a dream Levi never got the chance to see to fruition. But as small-town gossip takes root and Persephone’s lies grow like weeds, the things that once bloomed for her are wilting instead.
With the help of unexpected allies including a wonderful but peculiar old woman and her possibly magical cat, Persephone learns that while planting the seeds of truth is never easy, everything blooms when it’s ready.
* "A compassionate, thought-provoking take on family, friendship, grief, and renewal." –Kirkus
320 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 23, 2022
5 people are currently reading
273 people want to read
About the author
Beth Hautala
3 books53 followersBeth Hautala lives with her family in northern Minnesota, where she strives to write stories that tie heart and imagination together.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
December 3, 2022
Such a sweet story! Made me both smile and cry. Good for middle schoolers but high schoolers will enjoy it too.
August 31, 2023
🌱☘️🏵️𝑀𝐼𝑅𝒜𝒞𝐿𝐸 𝒮𝐸𝒜𝒮𝒪𝒩🏵️☘️🌱
Persephone has always had a way with plants; they simply grow better around her. Ever since the terrible accident that led to her brother being in a coma, she and her best friend Mya have not been on good terms. Persephone only knows a fraction of the whole story but isn't ready to confront what really happened that night and caused Levi's irreversible brain injury. When she finds Levi's unsent application to Small Town Revival, she hopes that Coulter can make it on the show. Persephone also saves a magical cat named Blue and an eccentric woman called Mrs. McCullacutty, who lives in a house that is equally mysterious. With the help of a new friend named Malachi, Persephone works on giving the garden beauty and life, but she finds that along the way she must confront the people and truths she's been running away from.
╱|、
(˚ˎ 。7
|、˜〵
じしˍ,)ノ This is my tribute to Blue in the review =D
Miracle Season by Beth Hautala was an excellent read that captured one girl's mission to pick up all the broken pieces of her life and find peace in the magical community garden. This was such a beautiful story and a meaningful read. I found myself hoping to read it for as long as I could before I had to put it down to do other things. The way emotions are integrated into the story and expressed is done in scenes that exceeded my expectations. Beth Hautala is incredibly talented; she wastes no time in the scenes and dialogue she writes, which allows interactions between characters to reach their full potential.
I loved the tension that builds between the characters and reaches a point in which feelings come to light. Specific scenes that I found particularly memorable were the ones between Penelope and her mother, Joseph, and the scenes where she reminisces about her memories with Levi. I found myself really immersed in the loss Penelope feels. It is a consistent part of the story, and with each memory and imaginary conversation, I find that, as the reader, I am able to really see the strength of their relationship and the impact that his state has on her. There is a lot of detail in each relationship. Nothing is surface-level in this story; in fact, Beth Hautala writes Penelope's journey to be more profound and introspective than most middle grade.
There are reasons why Penelope acts the way she does that reflect both her situation and what another person might have done. Her relationships with Mya and Malachi were both unique and complex. Mrs. McCullacutty's story was also excellent. I loved how this book touched upon subjects such as segregation and racism and how this impacted many people back then and still does today. (This happens later on in the story, where the characters learn certain things.) Mrs. McCullacutty was no doubt eccentric, but she was also very kind. A very misunderstood woman who forms an unexpected friendship with Persephone that helps both of them sort out parts of their lives.
The story never specifies if any of the magical things in the house are truly magical or acting as a metaphor for the story. Still, Blue, the garden, and the house are certainly no ordinary things! This is a very beautiful story that I recommend to all middle grade lovers and readers. As I mentioned at the beginning, there are many broken pieces in Persephone's life: things she can't control and things she didn't expect to happen. But Persephone isn't broken. No, this is the journey of one strong and courageous girl that is both honest and healing.
*Readers of this will love:
𓇼 The Vanderbeekers and the Hidden Garden
*And why:
-Gardening and gardens that feel so magical!
-Focus on family and friends
-Grief and coping with the absence of a loved one
-Heartfelt, touching, and impactful
✅PLOT
✅CHARACTERS
Persephone has always had a way with plants; they simply grow better around her. Ever since the terrible accident that led to her brother being in a coma, she and her best friend Mya have not been on good terms. Persephone only knows a fraction of the whole story but isn't ready to confront what really happened that night and caused Levi's irreversible brain injury. When she finds Levi's unsent application to Small Town Revival, she hopes that Coulter can make it on the show. Persephone also saves a magical cat named Blue and an eccentric woman called Mrs. McCullacutty, who lives in a house that is equally mysterious. With the help of a new friend named Malachi, Persephone works on giving the garden beauty and life, but she finds that along the way she must confront the people and truths she's been running away from.
╱|、
(˚ˎ 。7
|、˜〵
じしˍ,)ノ This is my tribute to Blue in the review =D
Miracle Season by Beth Hautala was an excellent read that captured one girl's mission to pick up all the broken pieces of her life and find peace in the magical community garden. This was such a beautiful story and a meaningful read. I found myself hoping to read it for as long as I could before I had to put it down to do other things. The way emotions are integrated into the story and expressed is done in scenes that exceeded my expectations. Beth Hautala is incredibly talented; she wastes no time in the scenes and dialogue she writes, which allows interactions between characters to reach their full potential.
I loved the tension that builds between the characters and reaches a point in which feelings come to light. Specific scenes that I found particularly memorable were the ones between Penelope and her mother, Joseph, and the scenes where she reminisces about her memories with Levi. I found myself really immersed in the loss Penelope feels. It is a consistent part of the story, and with each memory and imaginary conversation, I find that, as the reader, I am able to really see the strength of their relationship and the impact that his state has on her. There is a lot of detail in each relationship. Nothing is surface-level in this story; in fact, Beth Hautala writes Penelope's journey to be more profound and introspective than most middle grade.
There are reasons why Penelope acts the way she does that reflect both her situation and what another person might have done. Her relationships with Mya and Malachi were both unique and complex. Mrs. McCullacutty's story was also excellent. I loved how this book touched upon subjects such as segregation and racism and how this impacted many people back then and still does today. (This happens later on in the story, where the characters learn certain things.) Mrs. McCullacutty was no doubt eccentric, but she was also very kind. A very misunderstood woman who forms an unexpected friendship with Persephone that helps both of them sort out parts of their lives.
The story never specifies if any of the magical things in the house are truly magical or acting as a metaphor for the story. Still, Blue, the garden, and the house are certainly no ordinary things! This is a very beautiful story that I recommend to all middle grade lovers and readers. As I mentioned at the beginning, there are many broken pieces in Persephone's life: things she can't control and things she didn't expect to happen. But Persephone isn't broken. No, this is the journey of one strong and courageous girl that is both honest and healing.
*Readers of this will love:
𓇼 The Vanderbeekers and the Hidden Garden
*And why:
-Gardening and gardens that feel so magical!
-Focus on family and friends
-Grief and coping with the absence of a loved one
-Heartfelt, touching, and impactful
✅PLOT
✅CHARACTERS
July 5, 2022
Persephone hasn't had an easy year, still dealing with the fallout from her older brother's tragic accident last summer. After rescuing a rather intuitive cat, she follows it to the home of Mrs. McCullacutty, the town's most eccentric lady-- who happens to have an overgrown garden in need of some love and care. Miracle Season is a bittersweet and inspiring novel of grief, growth, and the power of community; a modern-day Secret Garden.
October 27, 2022
This book was emotional for me at times and will be appreciated by a reader looking for that. Besides some classics, there aren’t a lot of middle grade books with MC that love gardening. I was uncomfortable with the tagging because it felt like stereotyping. Yes it is an art. But it is not recognized as that in the beginning of this book. This is something to consider.
October 17, 2022
A girl, her ex-best friend, an old woman, a cat, and a cute boy tell a story of forgiveness and growth, lies and truth. This is a page turner. I enjoyed this magical story of life lessons learned the hard way and relationships with ups and downs. Keep writing, Beth. This is good.
January 31, 2023
An incredibly underrated book. It's a lovely story and I look forward to seeing what comes next.
January 27, 2023
After her brother suffers a severe brain injury, Persephone concocts a scheme to help her struggling family, but her good intentions go awry.
November 11, 2022
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Persephone lives in the small town of Coulter, Wisconsin, and is suffering now that summer vacation has arrived. About a year ago, her older brother Levi graduated from high school but was then involved in a boating accident that has left him in a persistent coma. Persephone blames Levi's best friend, Joseph, for the accident, as well his sister Mya, Persephone's best friend. Her parents are stressed about medical bills, and well meaning townspeople ask too many questions. When Persephone rescues a cat from the town water tower, she runs into classmate Malachi Rathmason, and the two get involved in figuring out where the cat belongs. It turns out that Blue lives with Mrs. McCullacutty, who lives in an enormous house with overgrown gardens. At first she is very mean to the kids, but Persephone, who loves to garden and is good at making plants grow, sees helping the fractious old woman as something she can do to work towards her brother's vision of fixing up Coulter. He had even thought about applying to a television reality show they loved to watch, Small Town Revival, to see if they could win a grant to fix up their town and be on the show. When Persephone finds the application on his computer, she sends it in, but hides this from her parents, since entrants have to be over 18. She and Mal get to know Mrs. McCullacutty more as they work on her garden, and discover that she and Mal's grandfather, Dr. Rathmason, knew each other years ago.
Strengths: Coulter is a fascinating town with lots of interesting people, and I love that Persephone and Malachi connect and then take advantage of this setting to interact with people. The inclusion of Small Town Revival is very realistically handled. Mrs. McCullacutty seemed like a washed up Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle is some respects, but had a lot of fun twists to her story. It was also realistic that her parents didn't want Persephone to talk to her, but she did anyway, but then went out of her way to bring the older woman to her home to meet her parents so they would allow her to work on the garden. The inclusion of Blue's almost mystical help hit just the right note. Levi's condition is heartbreaking, but I've not seen a depiction of a critically injured sibling quite like this. Persephone's life goes on, but there are a lot of ramifications of the accident that need to be addressed. Interesting topics portrayed in a realistic and multifaceted way.
Weaknesses: While I liked the fact that the ending does not wrap things up neatly, my students might be bothered by that. It's great that there is a message that some times bad things happen, but they can have ripple effects that cause good, but I personally believe that bad things happen all the time for no good reason whatsoever; in fact, I wake up every morning expecting nonsensical tragedy. Eleven year olds are not this jaded. Give them a few years.
What I really think: This will be popular with readers who love old houses, family problems, and a little bit of magic (although Blue's "messages" are always couched in "the cat seemed to say", so isn't really magical). It's got a nice, small town vibe and can be suggested to readers of Baldwin's Beginner's Welcome, Urban's Almost There and Almost Not, and the Morrises' Willa and the Whale.
Persephone lives in the small town of Coulter, Wisconsin, and is suffering now that summer vacation has arrived. About a year ago, her older brother Levi graduated from high school but was then involved in a boating accident that has left him in a persistent coma. Persephone blames Levi's best friend, Joseph, for the accident, as well his sister Mya, Persephone's best friend. Her parents are stressed about medical bills, and well meaning townspeople ask too many questions. When Persephone rescues a cat from the town water tower, she runs into classmate Malachi Rathmason, and the two get involved in figuring out where the cat belongs. It turns out that Blue lives with Mrs. McCullacutty, who lives in an enormous house with overgrown gardens. At first she is very mean to the kids, but Persephone, who loves to garden and is good at making plants grow, sees helping the fractious old woman as something she can do to work towards her brother's vision of fixing up Coulter. He had even thought about applying to a television reality show they loved to watch, Small Town Revival, to see if they could win a grant to fix up their town and be on the show. When Persephone finds the application on his computer, she sends it in, but hides this from her parents, since entrants have to be over 18. She and Mal get to know Mrs. McCullacutty more as they work on her garden, and discover that she and Mal's grandfather, Dr. Rathmason, knew each other years ago.
Strengths: Coulter is a fascinating town with lots of interesting people, and I love that Persephone and Malachi connect and then take advantage of this setting to interact with people. The inclusion of Small Town Revival is very realistically handled. Mrs. McCullacutty seemed like a washed up Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle is some respects, but had a lot of fun twists to her story. It was also realistic that her parents didn't want Persephone to talk to her, but she did anyway, but then went out of her way to bring the older woman to her home to meet her parents so they would allow her to work on the garden. The inclusion of Blue's almost mystical help hit just the right note. Levi's condition is heartbreaking, but I've not seen a depiction of a critically injured sibling quite like this. Persephone's life goes on, but there are a lot of ramifications of the accident that need to be addressed. Interesting topics portrayed in a realistic and multifaceted way.
Weaknesses: While I liked the fact that the ending does not wrap things up neatly, my students might be bothered by that. It's great that there is a message that some times bad things happen, but they can have ripple effects that cause good, but I personally believe that bad things happen all the time for no good reason whatsoever; in fact, I wake up every morning expecting nonsensical tragedy. Eleven year olds are not this jaded. Give them a few years.
What I really think: This will be popular with readers who love old houses, family problems, and a little bit of magic (although Blue's "messages" are always couched in "the cat seemed to say", so isn't really magical). It's got a nice, small town vibe and can be suggested to readers of Baldwin's Beginner's Welcome, Urban's Almost There and Almost Not, and the Morrises' Willa and the Whale.
September 16, 2022
First sentence: Persephone Pearl Clark sat on her porch step one morning in June, the spring sun warm against her back, watching the tendrils of a small vine slowly twist around her finger.
Premise/plot: If you like a little magic realism with your coming of age drama, Miracle Season might be a great fit for you. Our protagonist, Persephone, is struggling with grief (and anger) in the aftermath of her older brother's horrible accident. Things haven't been the same since that tragic day, but when she stumbles across an unsent application to a reality television show--a show that spotlights small towns and home improvements--she follows her impulse and forges his name. One little lie becomes a dozen or so. As the summer unfolds, she finds friendship and hope in unexpected places, but will her new friends be there for her when the truth comes out?
My thoughts: This one has a healthy--though light--dose of magical realism. I enjoyed getting to know the characters of this town. The story is definitely bittersweet. No amount of hope and love and reconciliation and determination can wipe away the tragedy of that one day. But life does go on, and she has a lot of growing up to do. My heart ached for her. (I take this as a good sign that I was invested in the characters.) There is a CAT.
Premise/plot: If you like a little magic realism with your coming of age drama, Miracle Season might be a great fit for you. Our protagonist, Persephone, is struggling with grief (and anger) in the aftermath of her older brother's horrible accident. Things haven't been the same since that tragic day, but when she stumbles across an unsent application to a reality television show--a show that spotlights small towns and home improvements--she follows her impulse and forges his name. One little lie becomes a dozen or so. As the summer unfolds, she finds friendship and hope in unexpected places, but will her new friends be there for her when the truth comes out?
My thoughts: This one has a healthy--though light--dose of magical realism. I enjoyed getting to know the characters of this town. The story is definitely bittersweet. No amount of hope and love and reconciliation and determination can wipe away the tragedy of that one day. But life does go on, and she has a lot of growing up to do. My heart ached for her. (I take this as a good sign that I was invested in the characters.) There is a CAT.
September 23, 2022
Disclaimer: this review was written by my 12 year old son, who was the one to read the book
I think Miracle Season is a great book. I love the character development a lot because the main character has many good traits. She is loving, courageous, and happy. There are also things in the book that make it different from other books. The character’s names are very unique and have meaning. For example, Persephone is very unique because she is good at growing things, and yet her name means bringer of death, according to Greek mythology. She has a flair to her name that most names don’t really have. One part in this book made me laugh because there was a cat stuck on a water tower which seems a little bit odd. Some parts actually made me cry. Especially when someone paid for Persephone’s brother’s medical bills because of his brain injury. When I was younger I had something similar happen to me. I think Beth Hautala did an excellent job making Miracle Season and I would give 5/5 stars to this book if I could. Thanks for the autograph, Beth!
-Wyatt, age 12
I think Miracle Season is a great book. I love the character development a lot because the main character has many good traits. She is loving, courageous, and happy. There are also things in the book that make it different from other books. The character’s names are very unique and have meaning. For example, Persephone is very unique because she is good at growing things, and yet her name means bringer of death, according to Greek mythology. She has a flair to her name that most names don’t really have. One part in this book made me laugh because there was a cat stuck on a water tower which seems a little bit odd. Some parts actually made me cry. Especially when someone paid for Persephone’s brother’s medical bills because of his brain injury. When I was younger I had something similar happen to me. I think Beth Hautala did an excellent job making Miracle Season and I would give 5/5 stars to this book if I could. Thanks for the autograph, Beth!
-Wyatt, age 12
March 20, 2024
This was a really interesting read in that everything went seemingly wrong for the protagonist and nothing turned out how she hoped it would.. but she made peace and found a way forward, and new blessings came to fruition. Aside from the fact that it was rather magical, the story felt true to life for that reason! I was recently complaining about how plans in novels are always so well-orchestrated and go so well and how unrealistic that is, so I found this plot refreshing for that reason. This was a fun read!
August 10, 2023
Covers some tough topics for kids from an approachable, distant perspective--grief after family member has accident and lands in coma, sadness/depression, stress on family due to financial burden.
September 25, 2023
Read aloud with Allison. Good message, interesting characters. 3.5
September 28, 2025
This is the 3rd book by this local author I have read. I greatly enjoy these young adult books. They have so much more to say!
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews