Praise for The Blossoming Summer
A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
A Shelf Awareness Selection
“Warm and inviting, a pleasure to read … The Blossoming Summer is Anna Rose Johnson’s best book yet.” —Caroline Starr Rose, award-winning author of The Burning Season and May B.
“Welcoming warmth and vibrancy … [a] gentle historical read.” —Publishers Weekly
“Johnson’s novel sensitively unpacks the generational trauma of injustices and discrimination against Native peoples both in the U.S. and abroad … An uplifting and heartwarming novel that celebrates family and heritage.” —Kirkus Reviews
★ “Wisconsin, 1940, comes to life in a historical fiction reminiscent of classic children’s books. Characters grow and themes of hope, forgiveness, and restoration combine to make The Blossoming Summer an overall delight.” —Redeemed Reader, starred review
“This story, with its plucky, do-gooder protagonist who learns lessons about looking for the good in others, will please readers who have already torn through the American Girl series.” —Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
“Johnson’s atmospheric writing captures both the beauty and tumult of the time. Rosemary’s quiet voice and steadfast perseverance are a strong companion to themes of weighty parental expectations and the difficulty of healing from identity-related trauma. Rosemary’s bicultural perspective offers a fresh, new take in the historical fiction realm.” —Booklist
“A sweet story of unity with a World War II backdrop. . . . The inclusion of Anishinaabemowin words brings authenticity to the story, and Rosemary’s urge to learn more about her background rings true. . . .This is well suited for fans of cozy historical fiction, such as Anne of Green Gables.” —School Library Journal
“A 1940s teen’s magical thinking (and work ethic) convinces her that she can keep her family happy even when they learn a long-held secret in this quiet, sensitive middle-grade novel.” —Shelf Awareness
“While it’s set just before America entered WWII, the story of family, planting one’s roots, and choosing to bloom even if some weeds need to be plucked, feels timeless.” —Historical Novel Society
THE BLOSSOMING SUMMER
(Holiday House, July 29, 2025)
When English thirteen-year-old Rosemary is sent to stay with her American grandmother at the start of World War II, she uncovers the family secret: they are Anishinaabe.
The year is 1940. England is all Rosemary has ever known . . . but as World War II changes the world, her life is altered as well. With France conquered, she, her parents, and her little brothers flee to America to escape the coming Blitz. Her grandmother’s house in Northern Wisconsin is safe, but unfamiliar—and she soon discovers that her parents have kept a tremendous secret.
Rosemary and her family are Anishinaabe . . . and her father is not proud of it.
Grandmother, however, is. A fashionable, independent, and fiery-minded old lady, she begins to teach Rosemary Anishinaabemowin. Far from home, but newly connected to a once-hidden part of her identity, Rosemary develops a warm, close relationship with Grandmother Charlotte—and with a local boy whose love of gardening helps her to see the beauty in her unexpected circumstances. As Rosemary grows into her new life like a flower in bloom, she realizes that maybe she’s not as far from home as she thought.
Tender, sophisticated, and loving, and written in the mode of classic girls’ fiction, this is a beautiful story about memory, family, and identity. Rising Ojibwe author Anna Rose Johnson addresses the legacies of hidden indigeneity alongside universal coming-of-age concerns like first crushes, new towns, and finding your passions. Hand The Blossoming Summer to fans of Christine Day, L. M. Montgomery, and Kimberly Brubaker Bradley!
Cover art by Stephanie Son
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“Refreshing, exciting, and tender, The Blossoming Summer is a coming-of-age novel that highlights the contributions of First Nations, the injustices they encountered, and a path forward as imagined by a girl growing up in difficult times.”—The Banner
“A heartfelt tale of forgiveness and understanding.”—YA Books Central
“Johnson … infuses the book with an authentic respect for nature and all growing things, from budding apple trees to the native beans the children plant to the mother turtle that Rosemary observes with her grandmother. The author’s steady, measured prose offers insight into Rosemary’s inner thoughts and hopes.”—Youth Services Book Review
“I loved Rosemary—who could help but cheer for this spunky heroine? … A lovely look at the personal struggles of ordinary people in the middle of a vast, impersonal war … the themes of family, fresh starts, and belonging are timeless.”—Amy Lynn Green, author of The Codebreaker’s Daughter
“Johnson sprinkles the text with faith references and shows a broken family healing together. Rosemary experiences a blossoming of her own as she embraces her Anishinaabe heritage and realizes that you don’t have to be a perfect family to still reap rich rewards.”—WORLD Magazine
“[A] classic WWII novel with a unique perspective … would be a good fit for fans of classics like The Penderwicks and A Place to Hang the Moon.”—Reading Middle Grade