Isaac is in a new school, making new friends, and carrying an old secret. As he is trying to settle into his role as the boy trying to get noticed on the first day, he makes a couple of discoveries. First, there could actually be a witch living in his new neighborhood, second, he just might have made friends with the school activist. Meg, intent on saving the school’s courtyard, has enlisted the help of her friends, including Issac, and is determined to preserve her favorite part of their school environment. Isaac, willing to help but fighting his own battle, must figure out what is going on with himself before he can help anyone else.

Peeps in Bloom, by J.D. Suhre, is the story of two friends both facing their own very different obstacles but simultaneously solving their own little mystery. Suhre has included several parallel plot lines to capture young readers’ attention and keep them guessing throughout the book. Told in chapters that alternate between the first-person points of view of the two main characters, Suhre’s story offers two unique perspectives of the same plot.

Isaac’s problem is a tricky one. While it is difficult as a parent to watch him face his own health issue virtually alone, I am sure this is a dilemma experienced by many children daily, especially at this upper elementary/middle school age. In fact, his apprehension in telling anyone about his strange episodes reminds me of the story of Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes. There is a great lesson to be learned from both stories, and Suhre touches on a hard reality with Isaac’s storyline.

I was pleasantly surprised at the turn the story takes when it comes to rumors of the witch in the neighborhood. There are so many ways a plot like this one can take; it was refreshing to see the way Suhre incorporated Mrs. Peekers into Meg and Isaac’s stories. As an adult reader, if I had an aha moment, young readers are sure to experience a thrill when they realize the truth.

Peeps in Bloom is a short creative novel geared for upper elementary and tweens. It carries within its pages some difficult lessons and wonderful examples of what strength, determination, and courage can do. Young readers will benefit from taking this journey with Issac and Meg.

Pages: 126 | ASIN : B09R1ZDN46