June Bug by Chris Fabry

Let me begin by telling you how I heard about this book…. I was reading a review and the writer said that particular book was as good as Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers and June Bug. My attention was zeroed in at that point because Redeeming Love is on my “Best Ever Book List.” Of course, I was skeptical. The probability of me agreeing that another book is of the same caliber as Redeeming Love, is slim. June Bug was placed at the top of my to-read list and this is what I think of Fabry’s novel…outstanding!

June Bug is a modern day retelling of the musical Les Misérables. The only life this nine year old girl named June Bug knows is one of traveling around the country in an RV with her father. Stuck in a Wal-Mart parking lot for several days, June Bug entertains herself inside the store until the day she glimpses at the missing children poster inside the front door only to see a picture of herself. This turns her world upside down and the story takes off from there.

Fabry does a remarkable job of writing from the perspective of a nine year old girl. That is no easy task, but it flows effortlessly throughout the book. The way June Bug thinks and talks is spot on when compared to girls I know that age. It’s almost uncanny how accurate Fabry’s character is to reality. He must have a daughter that age.

The other trait that had me enamored throughout the book was the unusual yet perfect word pictures. He describes in a whole new way and yet it makes perfect sense and you wonder why you never thought to describe it that way. Here a couple examples I particularly enjoyed: “Her face was kindly, with more lines than the map we kept in the RV.” and “there were a bunch of trailers packed in like haulers at a NASCAR race.”

 June Bug is a great story and it is written exceptionally well. June Bug gets ahold of your heart and barely lets go at the end of the book. Staying up late and thinking about the book days after completion is to be expected when you decide to read Fabry’s June Bug.