YA Review – Suddenly Rural Girl – young adult contemporary fiction
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Welcome to the Blog + Review Tour for Suddenly Rural Girl by Dann and Kennedy Hurlbert, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!
About the Book
Title: Suddenly Rural Girl: Author: Dann & Kennedy Hurlbert
Publisher: Kirk House Publishers
Release Date: February 1, 2024
Genre: Young Adult & Middle Grade Contemporary Christian Fiction
After her dad is tragically killed, Dakota Moore’s mom moves her to northern Minnesota where Dak discovers an outcast classmate may be a reclusive miracle worker. She thinks she found him too late. The truth is, she met him just in time. Will Dak discover the miracle worker’s secrets before the next tragedy strikes?
Now, tucked into a secluded A-frame near a beaver-infested creek with her strong Sioux mom and her lisping little brother, Dak faces a new school and a trio of mean girls. Seemingly alone, she buries herself in a design app and self pity until an old blind man, his curly-haired horse named Eyeballs, a quirky dragon-doodling classmate, and a strawberry blonde with delicious sun-kissed freckles give her four reasons to keep on living. Then she decides to do more than just survive; Dak intends to thrive. When tragedy strikes again, she confronts the intriguing and repulsive miracle worker, but he doesn’t help their mutual friend. Learning why will change her life.
Suddenly Rural Girl is a friend and faith-finding journey, featuring a strong, female, multiracial protagonist and is loaded with laugh-out-loud characters and gorgeous northern Minnesota beauty. The magnificent landscapes haunt like William Kent Kreuger’s Ordinary Grace and This Tender Land, and the quick-witted dialogue is reminiscent of Jenny B. Jones’ There You’ll Find Me and In Between books. The combination makes it an excellent YA read with cross-over into Contemporary Christian audiences. The novel also has a companion study guide full of plot-related questions for classrooms and theme based discussion prompts for book groups!
PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | ChristianBook | Bookshop
My YA Review
Hurlbert, Dann & Kennedy. Suddenly Rural Girl: Facing Life, Death, Mean Girls, and Cute Boys in Rural America. Burnsville, MN: Kirk House Publishers, 2024.
Not much Christian contemporary young adult fiction comes across my desk so I was happy to see this title. The Hurlberts have crafted a contemporary novel that many teens will relate to. Issues of losing a parent, bullying, being the new kid in school, first crushes, and more are all things faced by young teens. The Hurlberts handle these topics well in a hard-to-put-down novel.
Dakota, her mom, and little brother moved from Grand Rapids, MI to a small town in Minnesota after the sudden, accidental death of her father. She is slow to make friends. In the story she is bullied, has her first crush, deals with the death of a beloved friend, and other tragic events. Through them all she grows and matures and learns to rely more heavily on her faith.
The book is well written and faith and (Catholic) church attendance are incorporated into the story. I did enjoy the book, other than my concerns listed below.
There are some potential areas of concerns for some audiences. The story has several references to Dreamcatchers which some Native Americans believe catch bad dreams and others believe catch evil spirits. The phrase “holy crap” is used throughout the book which is considered profanity in some circles. There are at least three references to a teenage transgender girl taking the place of a girl as the starting center on a high school basketball team – it isn’t a plot point, just a text discussion point between friends. There are also some hints of syncretism (merging of Native American and Catholic beliefs) in the story. There are also a couple Catholic beliefs that are not shared by Protestants.
On a side note – I grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan (which is referenced in the book) and not all of the information included about Grand Rapids is accurate.
Because of these concerns I cannot recommend Suddenly Rural Girl for the K-12 Christian school audience. Parents and librarians may think it is okay for their teens. I suggest they read the book for themselves before making a purchasing decision.
I received a complimentary copy of Suddenly Rural Girl. This is my honest review.
About the Authors – Dann and Kennedy Hurlbert
Dann Hurlbert has BSED in English and Theater Education from the University of South Dakota, an MFA in Digital Cinema from California’s National University, and has spent many years as an educator and professional actor and director. He currently serves as a Media & Design Specialist at Minnesota’s Carleton College. He’s a sucker for the Great Outdoors, Caribou Coffee, and his beautiful wife, and three impressive kids.
Kennedy Hurlbert is a cheerful and creative teenager who inspired much of the SRG story and corrected all her dad’s teen lingo. She enjoys being with friends, whipping up sweet and tasty desserts, and spending time at the lake. Any lake. She loves lakes. Especially the Boundary Waters. But any lake will do. She also likes sports and cuddling with the family Golden Retrievers.
Connect with Dann at dannhurlbert.com to follow him on social media and sign up for email updates.
Tour Giveaway
(3) winners will win a signed paperback copy (or ebook) of Suddenly Rural Girl!
Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight July 16, 2024 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on July 23, 2024. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.
Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.
Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!
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This looks like a very enjoyable read. Thanks for sharing.
thanks for sharing your thoughts, Jane!
Glad to help