Full disclosure: The author of the book that I am about to review is a patron at a library that I work at. All of the opinions stated in this review are solely mine.
Over a year ago, I reviewed The Tale of the Red Fox in the North Woods – Robert C. Jones’s first book written for a younger audience. It seems like Jones got enough positive reviews on it that he decided to create another title with a similar age range in mind. This became A Young Soul Maturing during Another Summer in the North Woods on the Big Lake. It’s a coming-of-age tale that doesn’t always work, but what is effective really is.
A Young Soul Maturing during Another Summer in the North Woods on the Big Lake is about a summer Bobby spends at his aunt and uncle’s resort in the North Woods. Bobby comes back to the North Woods and encounters old and new friends, strange new characters, and his aunt and uncle. Problems arise when unknown individuals disrupt his story. Bobby confronts the issues of trust, bullying, and social/emotional conflicts with them. At his young age, he learns that adults have and keep secrets, and sometimes help can come from the most unexpected places. At the end of visit, he is regarded as more grown up.
Like The Tale of the Red Fox, Jones wanted to target children of a certain age with A Young Soul. This time, it has mixed results. I liked Addendum A, which provides the recipe for Aunty’s Peach Cherry Cobbler with Sweet Biscuit Topping. Aunty makes that in the book, which represents a sense of normalcy in the midst of chaos that Bobby experiences. Even though I wish Jones had included exact measurements, I understand that recipes from an earlier time didn’t do that, so it feels authentic. I still have to make that cobbler at some point. In addition, I love the Postscript, which discusses the presence of migrant workers in Northern Michigan. Bobby befriends a 12-year-old worker named Daniel Ortez. Migrants play a big role in the story because the hospital being built is on land that they’re working on, and they are portrayed realistically. The postscript reminded me of the ones I used to see in American Girl and Dear America series.
On the other hand, I wish there was a set of book club questions that addressed certain plot elements. A lot happens to Bobby in this book like him having funny feelings towards the girl who dives off the local bridge, an intruder coming into the cabin that Aunty and Uncle reside in, and the realization that adults have and keep secrets. Luckily, Jones does include one question, which is “Do you the reader have a secret you should share with a person close to you?”
This is definitely intended for an upper elementary/middle school audience because of the vocabulary and the amounts of violence. I’m not kidding about the latter. People get injured and murdered in gruesome ways throughout the book. There are some mentions of violent acts in The Tale of the Red Fox, but A Young Soul raises the stakes in that regard. Even one of the black-and-white illustrations depicts a man getting shot in the shoulder. Jones mentions that it’s based on a true story, yet I have to wonder if the violence actually happened in the way that it did because it felt so visceral.
Since Jones wanted to educate kids about what it was like decades ago, he had to explain certain things. There are times where it’s well done. For example, Jones defines what a fruit cellar is when Bobby has to go down there to grab items for Aunty. On the other hand, they are sometimes awkwardly inserted. To some readers, they may come off as patronizing. For instance, a person literally describes what a peeping tom is in his journal, and I had to scratch my head over that.
Finally, I have to talk about the story. A Young Soul is more of a coming-of-age tale than The Tale of the Red Fox was. Bobby has a big realization among adults and musters up the courage to do things that earn him respect in the community. It all plays out in a way that readers will know and possibly predict. However, I like the ending, in which Bobby makes an important choice regarding what he learned about adults. The main plot surrounds people getting injured and murdered while a new hospital is being built. Because this is a coming-of-age story, it makes sense to have more mature content. I also want to point out that the perpetrator is wonderfully evil. He explains his entire backstory in a diary that’s featured in one and a half chapters of this book. I loved how far he’s willing to go to achieve what he wants. Because of this villain, it does elevate A Young Soul from being another by-the-numbers coming-of-age story.
A Young Soul Maturing during Another Summer in the North Woods on the Big Lake by Robert C. Jones is another coming-of-age story. However, it tackles a lot of big issues from migrant workers to a sad realization about adults, which were well handled. Does everything work? No, but what does work really does, especially the obviously evil villain. It’s basically everything that one could expect from Jones after reading The Tale of the Red Fox in the North Woods with the stakes raised. I would recommend it for 9-13 year olds, especially if they like coming-of-age stories and truly heinous baddies, and their grandparents who want to relive their younger days and love Jones’s other books. I’m curious to see how Jones continues with the “North Woods” series.
Stay tuned for next week when I reveal my Top 3 Best and Worst Books* of 2024! See you then. In the meantime, Merry Christmas!
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