Junebug in Trouble

Publishers Weekly

In Junebug in Trouble by Alice Mead, the third adventure about the 10-year-old hero, he meets up with Robert, an old friend from the housing project where Junebug and his family used to live. When he finds out Robert is running with a gang member, Junebug tries to help his friend get back on track. ( Mar.) Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Children's Literature

Here Reeve McClain, Jr., alias Junebug, returns in his third appearance. The other two books in the series (Junebug and Junebug and the Reverend) introduce this ten-year-old black boy, who, with his mother and younger sister, move out of a drug-infested city housing project to a safer environment—a small home for the elderly, of which his mother is resident supervisor in the same New England city. Junebug's father is serving a 10-year prison term for armed robbery and is only a vague memory to the boy. Reeve and Tasha, his six-year-old sister, have learned tai chi to defend themselves from the random violence so prevalent among inner-city youth. Raised to be forthright and honest in all his dealings, Junebug finds himself in trouble over his head when an innocent jaunt to the mall leaves him holding a smoking gun and trying to cover up his best friend Robert's involvement in the infamous Rex gang, whose members tattoo their inner arms with a T-Rex head. Its threatening image, in fact, is at the beginning of each chapter. Can he save his friend and at the same time be the truth-teller his mother taught him to be? Full of soul-searching, childhood dilemmas, the story is gripping and instructive. The best learning is always the effortless kind that good writing, like Mead's, imparts. Her trilogy belongs in every library's collection of contemporary racial and social issues and is a sure, discussion-starting, read-aloud selection for any group of elementary-school students. 2002, Farrar Straus Giroux,
— Earlene Viano

School Library Journal

Gr 3-6-The engaging protagonist from two previous books grapples with some very difficult issues in this candid and involving novel. As fifth-grader Junebug tries (unsuccessfully) to build a relationship with his irresponsible father, who is in jail, he also deals with his friend Robert's intentions to join a gang. Like many of the children in this book, Robert hopes to achieve a sense of belonging that his unstable home life cannot provide. A supportive network of realistically flawed adults, especially his loving mother, helps Junebug sort through a number of moral decisions about what friendship and loyalty entail, taking responsibility for one's actions, and why lying is bad. The author sympathetically conveys the sense of hopelessness felt by some of the characters; no one is all bad or all good. Junebug is a winning narrator, sharing with readers his uncensored thoughts and feelings. This book will ring true to many young readers and expose others to the challenges faced by children today. An excellent choice, particularly for reluctant readers.-B. Allison Gray, South Country Library, Bellport, NY Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

Junebug and his family have moved away from the housing projects, where drugs and gangs were part of everyday life, but he meets up with some people from his past, which is both heartbreaking and uplifting. Junebug is excited to be living in his new home and going to a new school, but he misses some of his old friends. His best friend Robert still lives in the projects, but Junebug's mother refuses to allow him to visit, saying that it is just too dangerous. Junebug also wants to learn more about his imprisoned father and proceeds to write him a letter and to visit him. Darnell, another figure from Junebug's past, also comes around, proving to Junebug that some can escape the reality of crime and poverty. A disinterested father, Robert's desire to join the local gang, and a shooting make this a realistic and touching look at one young boy looking to break free from the stereotypes that many seek to impose upon him. This succeeds as a hopeful, yet hard look at youth growing up in the inner city, where violence and pain are part of everyday life. A wonderful addition to this series, featuring a hero who is at once brave and fragile. (Fiction. 8-12)