This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Free Book Program, which is open to all readers and is completely free. The author will provide you with a free copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. You and the author will discuss what sites you will post your review to and what kind of copy of the book you would like to receive (eBook, PDF, Word, paperback, etc.). To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email.
This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Review Exchange Program, which is open to all authors and is completely free. Simply put, you agree to provide an honest review an author's book in exchange for the author doing the same for you. What sites your reviews are posted on (B&N, Amazon, etc.) and whether you send digital (eBook, PDF, Word, etc.) or hard copies of your books to each other for review is up to you. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email, and be sure to describe your book or include a link to your Readers' Favorite review page or Amazon page.
This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Donation Program, which was created to help nonprofit and charitable organizations (schools, libraries, convalescent homes, soldier donation programs, etc.) by providing them with free books and to help authors garner more exposure for their work. This author is willing to donate free copies of their book in exchange for reviews (if circumstances allow) and the knowledge that their book is being read and enjoyed. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email. Be sure to tell the author who you are, what organization you are with, how many books you need, how they will be used, and the number of reviews, if any, you would be able to provide.
Reviewed by Alexis Storey for Readers' Favorite
Blackberry Road by Jodi Lea Stewart is set in a small town in Oklahoma in the summer of 1934. This story follows young Biddy Woodson, the second to youngest daughter of a sharecropper’s eleven children. Her summer season gets off to a rocky start after she and her brothers find a dead body that just so happens to be someone important to her. Her summer is thrown into even more turmoil when one of her neighbors, who is a great friend to Biddy, is accused of murder. Biddy spends her summer struggling through grief, frustration, and growing up, learning how much people look down on sharecroppers and black people. Can she endure all this and still be able to prove a man's innocence? Will she find out who committed the murder?
I loved Blackberry Road. Jodi Lea Stewart brought Biddy’s character to life. Biddy has the perfect amount of sass, wit, compassion, and naïvete that I expect in a preteen. Stewart’s portrayal of Biddy’s life as a young girl living in 1934 Oklahoma was very raw and shed some light on how different and similar life was from today. The element of mystery, with the strange sounds coming from the woods and Biddy constantly feeling watched, created the perfect mood of mystery blended with curiosity. I also enjoyed seeing how Biddy interacted with her siblings. It felt like my family, and I loved that I could connect with it.
I highly enjoyed Kas Nixon’s narration. The narrator is the most important part for me when listening to an audiobook as I tend to lose interest fast. Kas Nixon made sure that did not happen once. It was very interactive, and I appreciate that she gave all the characters their unique voices. I was very entertained that she attempted any singing mentioned in the story but did not take herself too seriously. It made it all the more enjoyable. I sometimes get distracted during audiobooks, but Nixon held my interest.
