Where the Watermelons Grow
Where the Watermelons Grow book cover

Where the Watermelons Grow

Hardcover – July 3, 2018

by
Price
$16.99
Format
Hardcover
Pages
256
Publisher
Quill Tree Books
Publication Date
ISBN-13
978-0062665867
Dimensions
5.5 x 0.89 x 8.25 inches
Weight
12.8 ounces

Description

From School Library Journal Gr 4–6—When 12-year-old Della finds her mom digging black seeds from a watermelon in the middle of the night, she worries that the schizophrenia that put her mom in the hospital several years ago is back. Along with the stress of her mother's illness, her dad is struggling to save the family farm as scorching hot temperatures and a drought threaten the crops. Della asks the local Bee Lady for magic honey, which has been known to repair the wounds of residents in their North Carolina town for generations. She also helps take care of her 16-month-old baby sister so that her mom will have more time to rest. But as her mom's symptoms worsen, Della begins to see that rather than trying to fix her mama, she must find a way to love and accept her. The family is surrounded by helpful neighbors including Della's best friend Arden's family, who owns the farm next door. Della's voice will tug at reader's heartstrings as she tries to hold her family together. VERDICT Middle grade stories about mental illness, particularly those that focus on empathy and acceptance, are rare. This heartfelt story will stay with readers. A top choice.—Sarah Polace, Cuyahoga Public Library System, OH ★ “Della’s voice will tug at readers’ heartstrings as she tries to hold her family together. Middle grade stories about mental illness, particularly those that focus on empathy and acceptance, are rare. This heartfelt story will stay with readers. A top choice.” — School Library Journal (starred review) ★ “Baldwin has written a heartbreaking, yet heartening, story that explores mental illness and its effects on an entire family. Readers will connect with the novel’s well-formed characters and be absorbed by the plot, which pulls no punches but doesn’t overwhelm.” — ALA Booklist (starred review) ★ “Cindy Baldwin’s graceful debut is an ode to family and community. Hints of sweet magical realism touch Where the Watermelons Grow , balancing this exquisite novel’s bittersweet authenticity.” — Shelf Awareness (starred review) ★ “In her debut novel, Baldwin presents a realistic portrayal of life with a mentally ill parent.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review) “[Della’s] first-person narration is realistically earthy without crossing into gritty. This debut novel gushes with Southern charm. This story’s as sweet as Della’s daddy’s watermelons but never saccharine.” — Kirkus Reviews “This has a tenderness that will appeal to fans of DiCamillo’s Because of Winn-Dixie .” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books “Della’s story is a reminder that even under the toughest rinds of troubles we can find the cool, sustaining sweetness of friendship.” — Kirby Larson, author of the Newbery Honor Book Hattie Big Sky “ Where the Watermelons Grow takes a close look at the unpredictable and debilitating nature of schizophrenia. Baldwin writes with a genuine voice.” — Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA) “ Where the Watermelons Grow is a spot-on, insightful novel about a preteen learning to live with and accept a parent’s mental illness.” — BookPage.com Cindy Baldwin is the award-winning author of Where the Watermelons Grow , Beginners Welcome, and The Stars of Whistling Ridge. She is a disabled activist, co-founder of Middle Grade at Heart, and We Need Diverse Books mentor. She lives just outside Portland, Oregon, with her husband and daughter. To learn more about Cindy, visit www.cindybaldwinbooks.com. Read more

Features & Highlights

  • Fans of
  • The Thing About Jellyfish
  • and
  • A Snicker of Magic
  • will be swept away by Cindy Baldwin’s debut middle grade about a girl coming to terms with her mother’s mental illness.
  • An Oregon Spirit Award Honor book.
  • When twelve-year-old Della Kelly finds her mother furiously digging black seeds from a watermelon in the middle of the night and talking to people who aren't there, Della worries that it’s happening again—that the sickness that put her mama in the hospital four years ago is back. That her mama is going to be hospitalized for months like she was last time.
  • With her daddy struggling to save the farm and her mama in denial about what’s happening, it’s up to Della to heal her mama for good. And she knows just how she’ll do it: with a jar of the Bee Lady’s magic honey, which has mended the wounds and woes of Maryville, North Carolina, for generations.
  • But when the Bee Lady says that the solution might have less to do with fixing Mama’s brain and more to do with healing her own heart, Della must learn that love means accepting her mama just as she is.

Customer Reviews

Rating Breakdown

★★★★★
60%
(248)
★★★★
25%
(104)
★★★
15%
(62)
★★
7%
(29)
★
-7%
(-29)

Most Helpful Reviews

✓ Verified Purchase

Powerful Story about Dealing with Mental Illness

I was really fortunate to receive an e-arc of this book through Netgalley, and it was so good, I had to order a copy of my own that I can read whenever I want.

This book. This book felt so different to almost any middle grade book I've ever read. Fearlessly, Cindy Baldwin takes on the struggles a person, and especially a kid, goes through when someone they love has mental health issues. In this story, Della begins to get worried when her Mama starts showing signs of schizophrenia again. They've been through it before--when Della was 8--but this time, everything is worse. And Della is just certain that there is something she can do to help her Mama get healed up permanently.

I don't want to get too personal in this review, but I have seen this first hand. Mental health issues can be scary. And for some reason, they carry a stigma. Instead of offering real help, we often judge. We think 'if they just try harder they wouldn't be sick.' We tell them 'it's all in your head.' And when one parent is ill, and the other is overwhelmed trying to deal with life and everything, sometimes kids get forgotten. Sometimes, we don't acknowledge their struggles as well.

Where the Watermelons Grow was hard to read, because I knew the situation all too well. But at the same time, it was a beautiful portrayal of how we must all band together. How we can support each other in extended community families. How being open and willing to share both the good and bad ties us together in ways we can't imagine.

The writing is gorgeous and the use of the summer heat and drought made me hot in the middle of winter. All the characters are so real. Well-rounded, and each with their own struggles, even if they weren't at the center of the story. I wished I could visit Maryville, North Carolina for myself (though maybe not in the middle of summer), and get to know them all. :)

I highly recommend it
14 people found this helpful
✓ Verified Purchase

A beautiful book full of empathy. Equally echanting for adults as it is for middle grade readers.

I just finished this book a few minutes ago and it's stunning. I smiled, I cried and I loved it. It's really beautiful. The message of empathy and compassion is greatly needed in this world and I can't wait to share this book with my friends and children so they can absorb this message, too.

I run a support group for people with chronic and mental illness and I am going to share this book far and wide there as well. I hope it gives others as much hope and light as it bright to my life.

This book is beautifully written and a quick read. It sucks you in and flows so smoothly you'll finish it quickly. I love the author's writing style and look forward to reading more from her in the future.
7 people found this helpful
✓ Verified Purchase

MG lit about mental illness

I'm so glad to see that authors aren't watering down difficult topics for the children reading their books. Mental illness has such a negative stigma in our country, and the only way to diminish that stigma is to have open, honest conversations about this topic with those who live with it every day. I'm sure many children who have a parent with mental illness may feel like the main character, Della; she believed she was responsible for her mother's schizophrenia because it became apparent after she was born. I'm guilty of feeling responsible for my son's autism, and I'm an educated adult, so certainly children are more likely to feel responsible for a parent's sickness that they absolutely have no control over.

This book is important for both children living with mental illness in their family and those who do not. For the latter group, this book will help them have a greater understanding of mental illness, but it will also help them empathize with peers who have the same struggles as Della. For children like Della, reading this book might help them realize there are plenty of adults who are willing to step in and love on them when their parents are unable.

#bookposse
3 people found this helpful
✓ Verified Purchase

Great, clean, quick read for all ages

I couldn’t put this book down, from the 1st chapter I wanted to keep reading to find out what would happen to Della and her mama. Many can relate to the feelings of a pre-teen struggling as they begin to understand the big, unsolvable adult problems of the world. Namely, in this story, mental illness—which is an important topic and was handled carefully and respectfully. I loved how the author beautifully wove in aspects of nature into the story to illustrate Della’s complex emotions. It was a story that tugged at my heart, but in a good way as I followed Della’s journey towards hope, love, family and community. I would recommend this book for adults, but also for preteens and teens because I think they could definitely relate to the story. I’m passing this book along to my pre-teen daughter. This book made me wish to be transported to a hot summer evening in North Carolina, catching lightning bugs and eating sweet watermelon with those I love most. ❤️🍉
3 people found this helpful
✓ Verified Purchase

it’s just small things like her mother fearing watermelon seeds are toxic and air ...

@kidlitexchange #partner #bookstagram #kidlitexchange #kidlit

Thanks to the @kidlitexchange network for the review copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Where The Watermelons Grow takes us on a journey with twelve-year-old, North Carolina girl, Della Kelly who tiptoes from her bed one steamy summer night only to discover her mother hearing voices that aren’t there. As the days progress, Della watches her Mama fall deeper under the veil of an acute episode of schizophrenia. Initially, it’s just small things like her mother fearing watermelon seeds are toxic and air conditioners are bad for your health. But these irrational concerns and non-existent voices become stronger until Della can no longer recognize her mother in the body of the woman who stands before her.

Desperate to prevent her mother’s downward spiral, which has previously ended in a hospitalization, Della takes it upon herself to shoulder an increasing amount of responsibility - from household chores to caring for her eighteen-month-old sister and helping her daddy on the struggling, drought-ridden farm. And when that doesn’t work, she seeks some medicinal honey from the legendary, local Bee Lady- who, much to Della’s despair, advises Della to heal her own aching heart and let the medical professionals care for her mother.

Throughout the book, Della’s journey continues to be heart-achingly sad but Cindy Baldwin’s beautiful writing gently wraps around your heart and mesmerizes, compelling you to read on like only a master storyteller can. And Baldwin’s secondary characters are just as rich and alive as her heroine. Especially Della’s exhausted but loving father, her loyal best friend, Arden, and new neighbor, Miss Lorena.

Where The Watermelons Grow is a must-read story full of love and hope despite the seriousness of the mental illness portrayed. Grab an ice-cold plate of watermelon, a patch of summer sun, a box of tissues, and get ready to walk in Della’s shoes. It’s an experience not to be missed.
3 people found this helpful
✓ Verified Purchase

Excellent Book!

I loved this book! As an oncology social worker, I could see this book being helpful for pre-teens and teens with a patent with any type of illness. It addressed the themes of self-blame, uncertainty and powerlessness that many children of ill parents experience. I think this is a must for middle school libraries!
3 people found this helpful
✓ Verified Purchase

Do yourself a favor and read this book!!!

"When he brought a melon in that night, I closed my eyes and bit into one of the ruby-red slices, letting the crisp cold flavor explode onto my tongue, and even though I couldn't stop myself from thinking of Mama and the way watermelon seeds had been the first clue that something wasn't right with her, it was okay".
To be honest I picked this book up based on the cover and title. I am a country girl born and raised in the middle of watermelon fields and so of course my attention was grabbed at any mention of my favorite fruit. What I didn't expect was to open this book to a story that would pull on every emotion I had. I laughed, because baby Mylie the monster reminded me of my own baby brother. I was angry because I know how it feels to want someone to fix something so badly that deep down you know they can't. I cried because I thought of my own momma as a child and how she must have felt knowing she couldn't save her daddy, although from a much different sickness, it was sickness the same.
This book although aimed at the young adult genre, is a book for all ages. A book that offers a glimpse into the love a mother has for her children and how even through sickness, they are her main concern. It offers a look through the eyes of a child who feels helpless in the present and scared for the future. More than anything though, this book is hope. A hope that we all need at one time or another. A hope that as Bob Marley says, "every little thing, gonna be alright".
Where the Watermelons Grows is a story of not giving up on others but more importantly yourself. In the midst of everything, when you think you have nobody left, look around and in those moments will you find your blessings in disguise. This book reminded me so much of my hometown. A rural farming community, where everyone knows everyone and in the midst of it all, everyone becomes family.
Do yourself a favor and go pick up this book!! Young or old you won't regret it!
2 people found this helpful
✓ Verified Purchase

Loved it!

Oh, this book. It's just all the things. The author takes a truly heavy topic - a mother's schizophrenia and her 12-year-old daughter Della's reckoning with it - and all at once gives it the breadth and weight it deserves, somehow giving the reader a way to really see it without becoming overwhelmed by it.

Sometimes you read a book and forget that there's an author behind it, because the words are so perfectly woven, but also so down-to-earth and unassuming. Neither trying too hard nor not trying enough.

Della's voice in the novel is at once strong and scared, nice and not-so-much, joyful and devastated, littered with the kind of realness and change and growth that we all have so much of in our lives. There's a touch of magic, but not too much as to make the book saccharine or unreal. A perfect blend of reality, charm - and most of all - hope.

I can't imagine a better treatment of the subject at hand. This seems like a story that needed to be told, and couldn't have found a better way than through the sweetness of Della's beautiful story. Truly a must-read.
2 people found this helpful
✓ Verified Purchase

You can taste the watermelons, when they're sweet and when they sting, in this novel.

Okay, this book wrecked me. I can say that the representation of a disorder that includes delusions and voice feels very accurate to me, the daughter of a mother with delusional disorder. Middle-grade readers will experience this along with Della and her family, and while it might hurt for a while, Dell'a experience brings readers to a place of understanding and does this through love. While the Bee Lady's honey is involved, this book is less about the possibility of magic fixing our ills, and more about how we come to terms with what hurts us, and come to terms with being different, with loss, and with change.

Baldwin is a writer whose prose is beautiful. You can taste the watermelons, when they're sweet and when they sting, in this novel.
2 people found this helpful
✓ Verified Purchase

Excellent writing.

Excellent story with a well written plot that highlight the emotional effects of Schizophrenia on the family unit.
1 people found this helpful

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