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About the Author
Shelly Brown
Shelly was born in Portland Oregon but spent most of her growing up years in the San Francisco Bay Area. As a child you could usually find her wearing a swimsuit and bouncing between the pool, the beach, and her family's ski boat.
She has always loved children and books so it made sense when she started writing books for children. In her spare time she helps her husband, author Chad Morris, write MORE children's books. In her extra-extra spare time she loves the theater, history, kdramas, and traveling. She is also one of the worst tap dancers you will ever meet. But she does it anyway.
She has no regrets, one husband, three chickens, five children, and sixty-four Pez dispensers.
Chad Morris
Chad Morris is the coauthor of The Playmakers, The Wild Journey of Juniper Berry, Virtually Me, Willa and the Whale, Mustaches for Maddie, and Squint. He is also the author of the futuristic Cragbridge Hall trilogy. He has won the Nebraska Book Award, The Utah Book Award, The Buckeye Children’s Book Award, and Foreword review’s Book of the Year Gold Winner. He has also appeared on CNN and the Hallmark Channel. He is married to his coauthor, Shelly Brown, lives in Utah, and has five children.
About the Book
Juniper Berry knows how to handle bobcats, bears, and mountain lions, but can she survive the toughest predator of all―middle school?
Eleven-year-old Juniper Berry lives with her family deep in the wild woods. Living off the grid is pretty exciting, but her happy life in the wild ends abruptly when her younger brother gets sick, and they move to the city to be closer to the hospital. Juniper and her older sister end up living with cousins they hardly know and attending public school for the first time, which is harder to navigate than the wild woods ever were. Juniper feels like a wolf cub separated from her pack.
As the hospital bills for her brother start piling up, Juniper knows they’ll need to be paid before the family can go back to the woods, so she decides to make enough money to help out. With her cousin Alayna’s support, Juniper starts posting videos filled with her wisdom from the woods, hoping to get a following. But what if it doesn’t work? What if the bills never get paid? Not going home to the wild is Juniper’s worst nightmare. While she’s stuck in the city, she might as well make the most of it, like sticking up for Alayna, who’s being bullied by her supposed friends, for starters.
The Wild Journey of Juniper Berry is a story about perseverance when faced with difficult and unfamiliar challenge, belonging and finding your identity, compassion for others, and learning that our differences can sometimes be our strengths.
2025-2026 Nominee - Intermediate (Grades 3-5)-- "Indiana Young Hoosier Book Award" (3/6/2025 12:00:00 AM)
Chosen as a 2025-2026 Nominee for the Children's Book Award-- "South Carolina Book Awards" (2/7/2025 12:00:00 AM)
2024-25 nominee-- "Volunteer State Book Award" (8/7/2024 12:00:00 AM)
Selected as a "recommended title" and a "top pick"-- "2023 Kansas National Education Association's Reading Circle Commission"
Selected as a 2024 Award Book-- "Notable Children's Books in the Language Arts"
Selected for the Best Books of 2023 List-- "Kirkus Reviews"
"Make room on the bookshelf for a fantastic and unique middle grade story! ... Juniper's story is genuine, and her character is authentic to the reader. Her misunderstandings about society create mishaps, adding humor and tension to the plotline. The primary and secondary characters are well-developed and relatable. The plot unfolds well, keeping readers engaged. Oftentimes, readers experience newcomer stories to America, especially as characters navigate a new culture. Readers of those books will appreciate and enjoy a new perspective from Juniper's story. This book is a great addition to the upper elementary classroom or library and would be a fantastic read aloud."
-- "Children's Literature"
"As she struggles to adapt to [her] new life, Juni finds out that she wants to make friends and that there are society people who care. This is a high interest book with a complex and compelling protagonist, that addresses mental health issues, the importance of family, connecting to nature, valuing different strengths, and standing up for what is right."-- "School Library Journal"
"Juniper's first-person voice and the many memorably developed characters she meets cultivate a feel-good story that reminds readers of both the pitfalls and the benefits of coexisting with others."-- "Publishers Weekly"
"Juniper is a marvelously developed character navigating extremely uncomfortable situations. Alayna, too, is developed with depth and care; she and Clara have their 'storms" (panic attacks) in common, for which they eventually get help. A fascinating, touching story of an off-the-grid family facing changes and the invisible threads that connect people."-- "Kirkus, starred review"
Resources/Teaching Ideas
Teacher's guide from Shadow Mountain Publishing
Discussion questions from AI focusing on themes of identity, family, and the challenges of navigating a changing world:
Identity & Self:
How does Juniper's personality develop throughout the story, and what experiences shape her growth?
How does Juniper's identity, as a child who has lived a life off the grid, change when she and her family move to the city?
What does Juniper learn about herself and her place in the world?
How does Juniper's relationship with her parents and siblings evolve during this time of change and challenge?
Family & Community:
How does Juniper's relationship with her family change during this time of change and challenge?
How do Juniper's parents handle the changes in their lives?
What does Juniper's experience teach us about the importance of family and community?
How does the story portray the impact of a health crisis on a family and community?
Challenges & Change:
What are some of the major challenges Juniper and her family face throughout the story?
How does the story portray the challenges of adapting to a new environment?
How does Juniper's journey inspire readers?
What is the significance of the book's title, "The Wild Journey of Juniper Berry?"
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