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“A touching book that illustrates how the choices we make influence not only our own life but the lives of many others.”
Jane W wrote this review Saturday, September 26 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Chris Fabry is a wonderful wordsmith, he has a way of delving into the culture and mindset of his subjects and bringing them to life. He does that in June Bug as he brings June Bug and her dad to life as they travel (or rather sit in the Wal-Mart parking lot) in their RV. We get inside the mind and life of a 9 year old little girl as she tries to figure out what is going on around her and who she really is.
Janna R wrote this review Sunday, August 30 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
One day as June Bug and her dad are stranded in the Wal-Mart parking lot waiting for a part for their RV to come in, she sees a missing child poster with an aged picture that looks just like her. She doesn't know what to do with that information as she tries to figure things out. The book is about the journey to truth and it is not an easy road. We see two sides to the story - June Bug and her dad and then also back in Dogwood where a little girl went missing 7 years ago and Grandma and the sheriff have not forgotten.
I loved this story. I was just distracted by the many references on the cover of the book that kept comparing June Bug to Les Miserables. It is called "a retelling" of Les Miserables, so what did I do as I read June Bug? I kept analyzing it and trying to find the similarities as I went. I wish I hadn't read the cover of the book first so I could've just enjoyed the story. I think it does Chris' writing a disservice to compare it instead of just letting a good story stand on its own.”
“My synopsis: June Bug had been all over the U.S. and she wasn't even 10 years old. She had been living and traveling in an RV with her father for as long as she can remember. She hadn't really questioned this life until she went into a Walmart and saw her face on a missing children's wall. Ok - so it wasn't her face exactly, but it was really close. It said her name was Natalie and that she had been missing since she was 2.
Kristi (Books and Needlepoint) wrote this review Saturday, August 29 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
The story jumps back and forth between June Bug and her father traveling through Colorado back East to West Virginia, where the mystery of her disappearance has resurfaced when the car she was in the night she disappeared is found at the bottom of a reservoir. As these two stories unwind, they draw all the characters closer together, until they all converge in Dogwood, West Virginia.
My thoughts: I don't know how to categorize books like this. It is not a romance, not historical fiction, not a thriller, etc. It is just a fiction book - and a good one at that. I was immediately involved in the story and wanted June Bug and her father to persevere. It was evident in the story how much he loved her and what a good dad he was.
Also underlying the story is a thread involving faith. June Bug shares how she became a Christian at a Vacation Bible School close to one of their campsites. There are also other people along the way who help them out who share her faith - including her grandmother who has been praying for seven years for some sort of closure.
This was a very good book and I would recommend it highly. It does not have a lot of action or a grand romance, but it is just a heartwarming story!”
“Beautiful character-driven novel, with complex, but not overly-quirky, characters. The prose & story flow like a Handel symphony. JUNE BUG not only touches the heart, but digs in and nests there, forever changing the reader.
Brenda A wrote this review Thursday, August 20 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
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“June Bug by Chris Fabry is a fresh take on the classic tale Les Miserables. Nine-year-old June Bug is mostly content with her life on the road with her dad, Johnson, until she sees her own picture on a poster for a kidnapped child. The poster says she was kidnapped seven years ago, and that her real name is Natalie Ann and has an age-progressed photo that looks just like her, down to the small birthmark on her cheek. Her discovery sets a chain of events in motion that will change her entire life and may just give life to her deepest dreams of stability and a home. As a narrator, June Bug is precious and just a bit precocious. She tells the story of her life with wonder and honesty. Alternating chapters depicting the frustration and heartbreak of searching for a long missing little girl are moving and devastating. It's a terrific read with a message of how God can turn the worst evil into good for his purposes.”
clockstein wrote this review Monday, August 10 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“ June Bug left the finger print of God’s love on my heart and in my mind. I haven’t read anything so riveting and unforgettable since Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers.
Nora wrote this review Sunday, August 9 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
Chris Fabry has penned a remarkable love story; one that’s filled with sacrifice, hope and forgiveness! Chris takes his time in developing his rich, endearing, three-dimensional characters that seem to jump off the pages and into your heart!
You won’t be able to resist June Bug’s charm, honesty and wonder. You’ll be spell bound by her fun-loving, inquisitive nature. She’s a girl that tells it like she sees it. She’s giving, friendly, and fun listen to. She says, “They say there is a peace that passes all understanding, and that it’s available to anybody who wants it. I believe in Jesus and I know he lives in my heart, …Sometimes having Jesus in your heart makes you feel good all over, like you know there’s somebody who loves you no matter what.”
June Bug discovers the unimaginable in Wal-Mart one day, “When I went back out and looked again, there was no doubt in my mind. That was me up there behind the glass. And I couldn’t figure out a good way to ask Daddy why he had lied to me or why he called me June bug instead of Natalie Edward.”
Chris has an authenticity in his writing style that brings June Bugs child like innocence to life. Her tale is so dynamic, yet simple it’s like you’re right there experiencing the love, joy, mystery and disappointments right along with her.
You’ll delight in what Chris has created with his vivid array of characters in this powerfully-moving journey of a little girl who discovers her haunting past. June Bug has learned to smell the flowers along this amazing journey with a father that has given up everything to show a great love to her in the middle of what could have been a horrific situation. Don’t rush through this story but savor every page. You’ll want to buy two copies of this book, one to put in your library and one to share with your friends, because you’ll definitely be telling everyone about this fascinating story you stayed up late reading.
Nora St. Laurent
Finding Hope Through Fiction
www.psalm516.blogspot.com”
“Chris Fabry’s “June Bug” is the sweetest, most touching book I’ve read in quite a while. I was amazed at Fabry’s ability to brilliantly create the narrative of a nine year-old girl! June Bug lives in an RV and wonders what it would be like to have friends she could invite to sleep over. She and her Dad park the RV at Walmart while he is waiting for a part to repair the vehicle. When she enters the store, she notices the picture of a missing child, a little girl who was abducted seven years earlier – the picture was of her own face.
Stacey D wrote this review Tuesday, August 4 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
Chris Fabry is a brilliant storyteller who plainly and simply processes this horrific event through the eyes of a child. The innocence that saturates each page tore my heart completely up as I was forced to take my own angry reaction to the situation and really see the situation through untainted eyes – eyes that I can only imagine God uses to see us – eyes full of pure love and waiting forgiveness. This book reminds me that Jesus said we must be as little children to enter heaven. I’d like to be like June Bug when I grow up…
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