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Where the Watermelons Grow
A debut middle grade about a girl coming to terms with her mother’s mental illness.
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.
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.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published July 3, 2018
About the author
Cindy Baldwin
4 books346 followersCindy Baldwin the author of the critically acclaimed novels WHERE THE WATERMELONS GROW, BEGINNERS WELCOME, THE STARS OF WHISTLING RIDGE, and NO MATTER THE DISTANCE (2/2023). She lives just outside Portland, Oregon, with her husband and daughter.
(PS, Goodreads friends! I am no longer accepting friend requests on Goodreads.)
(PS, Goodreads friends! I am no longer accepting friend requests on Goodreads.)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 563 reviews
October 10, 2021
I had the pleasure of reading this book before it got a book deal. It is gorgeous. The words will floor you. They are lyrical and beautiful and packed full of emotion. The feelings are raw and real. An important book. Loved it.
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January 22, 2020I'm so excited to share this little piece of my heart with all of you!
July 12, 2018
What an amazing middle grade read! Told in a strong southern voice, this story follows 12-year-old Della through the most difficult summer of her life. Her mother is battling paranoid schizophrenia, her family farm is in trouble, and she's left to hold the family together. I thought this book did a wonderful job of humanizing mental illness for the MG reading set. The author does not shy away from the emotional intensity of dealing with the disease, but she does manage to handle it with such grace that I don't think it would overwhelm a younger reader. This book was hard, but also incredibly hopeful, and I've already told my eleven year old it's going on his reading list!
"There is nothing you did that caused your mama's problems, and nothing that you could have done to change it, you hear me? A thing like schizophrenia is bigger than you, bigger than me, bigger than your mama and daddy. It's a sickness, just as real as anything like cancer, and it needs a doctor's help just as much."
"There is nothing you did that caused your mama's problems, and nothing that you could have done to change it, you hear me? A thing like schizophrenia is bigger than you, bigger than me, bigger than your mama and daddy. It's a sickness, just as real as anything like cancer, and it needs a doctor's help just as much."
August 17, 2019
Sweet, some sad, some smiles, and throw in some hope:)
A beautiful and heartfelt book, can't think of anything else to say.
I kept wanting to give everyone big hugs and not let go.
Would highly recommend!
A beautiful and heartfelt book, can't think of anything else to say.
I kept wanting to give everyone big hugs and not let go.
Would highly recommend!
October 28, 2016
I'm lucky enough to have read this one already and I can't say enough great things about this story. I read it in one sitting, because I couldn't put it down. It delivered on all the beautiful feels and Della's story stays with you long after you set the book down. It's a perfect bittersweet balance of optimism and acceptance. Add it to your TBR and start your countdowns now, you'll need this one on your shelf when it comes out!
July 7, 2018
This was a very difficult book for me to read because I have a mother who suffers from mental illness. So of course I personalized everything. All the memories that I had carefully buried and had tried to move past resurfaced and it felt like I was reading with a brick in my stomach.
That said, I am happy this book was written and Cindy did a beautiful job capturing what it feels like to live with someone who is suffering from mental illness. I think mental health needs to be talked about and not hidden. Growing up we were told not to tell anyone what went on in our house because it was "confidential" so there wasn't anyone I could really turn to. I had many of the same feelings Della had in this book.
As I read Where the Watermelons Grow I wished for a cure that I knew Della would not find. I still wish for a cure. It felt like the conversation Della had in the car with Miss Lorena was written just for me. She was talking to a fictional 12 year old girl, but I needed to hear it and be reminded again too. I wish I had this book 20 years ago.
That said, I am happy this book was written and Cindy did a beautiful job capturing what it feels like to live with someone who is suffering from mental illness. I think mental health needs to be talked about and not hidden. Growing up we were told not to tell anyone what went on in our house because it was "confidential" so there wasn't anyone I could really turn to. I had many of the same feelings Della had in this book.
As I read Where the Watermelons Grow I wished for a cure that I knew Della would not find. I still wish for a cure. It felt like the conversation Della had in the car with Miss Lorena was written just for me. She was talking to a fictional 12 year old girl, but I needed to hear it and be reminded again too. I wish I had this book 20 years ago.
August 29, 2018
Like Smack Dab in the Middle of Maybe, this book deals with mental illness and I liked it better because it seemed more realistic. Young Della Kelly's mother is schizophrenic, which illness became manifest with Della's birth. Although she was hospitalized and given medication when Della was 8, the birth of her little sister causes her to progressively worsen. Della feels responsible, and tries to help her Mama using the logic of a child, but her various strategies don't work. Eventually, the Bee Lady and other neighbors help Della figure out the help that is needed most.
June 4, 2018
I can count on one hand the number of books in our library that deal with parents who are battling mental illness and yet I know this is a problem that our students face. I am thrilled to be able to put this book on my shelves for the upcoming school year. WHERE THE WATERMELONS GROW is a book I won't forget anytime soon and I know it will stay with other readers, as well. Someone out there is going to complain that this book is too heavy and depressing for children. It is heavy. Having access to books about tough topics is important. Some of our students are dealing with tough situations like this one and they deserve to see their life reflected in books, too. I will defend books like this one ALL. DAY. LONG. And yes, it belongs in elementary school libraries, too. I think the sweet spot for this book is likely grades 3 - 6 (Della is entering 7th grade), but I know certain 7th and 8th graders who will love it, too.
August 7, 2019
I didn't know anything about this when I picked it up, I just loved the bright cover. It was more complex and sad than I expected. This is about a 12 year old girl coming to terms with her Mom's mental illness. She heartbreakingly tries to 'fix' her mom herself and has to come to grips with loving her the way she is instead of the way she wants her to be. I felt like this was really well done and tried to be true to what a situation like that would be. Della is courageous and honest and felt really real. I loved all the different Moms in this one and the descriptions were so vibrant.
3.5 stars
Content: clean but maybe better for more mature kids? Later elementary school and older is what I'd recommend.
3.5 stars
Content: clean but maybe better for more mature kids? Later elementary school and older is what I'd recommend.
November 25, 2019
The 2018 middle grade contemporary novel, "Where the Watermelons Grow," by Cindy Baldwin, deals with an important topic: paranoid schizophrenia in parents. In this book, the twelve-year-old first-person protagonist, Della, witnesses her mother's medication begin to fail, and then watches her mother descend into a non-functioning state, a situation that grows increasingly scary until finally, the mother is hauled off in an ambulance against her will and locked up in a mental ward until her medication can be adjusted.
I recently wanted to do some research on modern middle grade novels, and I admit that this book's topic really spoke to me because my own mother is mentally ill, and I have long suspected she has paranoid schizophrenia. Unlike Della's mother, my mother's condition remains undiagnosed, though I did witness her locked up in a mental ward against her will when I was Della's age in this book: 12/almost 13.
"Where the Watermelons Grow" should have been a home run for me; I expected to love this book. But within thirty pages, it was clear to me that the author was not writing from her own experiences. After reading the acknowledgments, I understand that Baldwin chose to write about schizophrenia in order to publish a novel, not because she had any personal experience with schizophrenic parents herself.
The book really suffers for it. The presentation of Della's mother sometimes reads like my own experience with a schizophrenic parent: no one talks about what is wrong, no one even acknowledges there is anything "wrong," everything is entirely secret, no one knows what to do or say, the sick person refuses all help and throws away their medicine, etc. etc. That was definitely what I have experienced as a child, as a teenager, and as an adult. My experience with a parent's mental illness has been relentless, frightening, and sickening.
But Baldwin put Della into a completely different situation. By the end of the book, it's made abundantly clear that Della's mother, Suzanne, didn't fall into this "secrecy, shame, and ableist dysfunction" category at all. Suzanne's family was entirely open and helpful concerning her mental health, and she sought and received help for her disorder. Suzanne received a clear diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia after her first child (Della) was born. Suzanne's husband, her husband's parents, and her own parents were supportive and loving, helping her through getting a diagnosis, receiving correct medication, and supporting her through the ordeal of being a new mother. Suzanne also had close friends who helped her a lot, and she lives within a tight-knit community that cares for her and her family very much.
Ten years after Suzanne's second child is born (and Della is now 12 years old), Suzanne's medication starts failing. Even though Della's father could have stepped in and said, "Honey, something is not right, let's visit the doctor," and quickly discovered that her medication had been failing for months, the father ignores the growing problems and advocates secrecy. Della, a timid, meek, and completely believable bookworm of a child, goes along with her father's plan, until the mother finally gets to the point that she is screaming, raving, hitting, and biting (all of which takes place off-scene, pg 183). That is when the father finally calls for an ambulance to haul the mother away.
The book should have strongly addressed the bad parenting choices that went into this breakdown. Instead, the story ignores that point. The novel focuses on Della's reaction to her mother's illness, and closes with Della needing to be a better person in order to cope.
I'm not against giving twelve-year-olds the message that they can control their own emotions and reactions to things, but I also needed the book to point out that the ADULTS in this story -- Della's mother and father -- seriously f*cked up. They behaved irresponsibly and were clearly in the wrong. Suzanne should have visited a doctor to have her medication altered, and if she was too sick to be able to do that, then her husband should have taken her to the doctor. He should have recognized that her medication was failing long before Suzanne descended into yelling and biting people. Della's father read like someone who had no idea what was wrong with his wife, and his ableist secrecy and shame for the bulk of the novel made no sense when the full extent of Suzanne's history was spelled out later in the text.
In the end, I did not like either of Della's parents. The father, especially, behaved badly, and he owed Della a big apology by the end of the book -- an apology that never arrived. Della's mother never apologizes to her, either. At the end of the novel, Suzanne is still so sick that she is caught in her delusional paranoia, so the reader never sees Suzanne return to a healthy mental state in order to be able to apologize for ignoring her illness and refusing all help, long before things got so bad.
I just really hated both of these parents. If they had been killed in the ambulance ride to the mental ward, I would not have been sad.
Della herself is so meek and mild that she is easy to feel sorry for. But the novel is hardly ever written in immediate, active scene. The vast bulk of this book is interior exposition and long, long stretches of backstory. Della thinks to herself, and thinks to herself, and thinks to herself some more. It makes the novel boring to read and leads to skipping entire pages and sections of text, because nothing new is happening. Della simply ruminates over the past, or summarizes material that should have been written in active scene, but Baldwin wrote the material as backstory instead.
Many of the sentences in this book are quite long and ponderous. Baldwin tends to let her similes go overboard, with unnecessary prepositional phrases that should have been cut, especially for a middle grade novel. Here are two examples:
"I hugged the Emily Dickinson book to me, feeling it hard against my chest just like a second heart, and tried not to let my cheeks flame as red as the cherry tomatoes dripping off the vines in the garden out behind our house." (pg 46)
"His minute-long visit had added something different to the jumble of feelings inside of me: swirling through the worry and the sadness and the knotting in my insides was a tiny springtime bloom, like the finger-long purple crocuses that popped up all around our front porch step in February, before the sun had even come back into the sky." (pg 213)
Overall, I did not enjoy or recommend this book. I did like Della's character, and I liked that this book is a love letter to the South. But Della's parents were incredibly irresponsible. Della went through a very traumatic situation in this book that was *entirely* preventable, but NO ONE in the text ever pointed that out, or took any action to end it. As a middle grade novel, Della's grim, unrelenting suffering was gratuitous and unfair, and it was entirely caused by her parents' choices, rather than her reactions to her mother's descent into delusional paranoia. The author's choice not to advocate within the text for more open communication about mental illness within the family, and specifically between Della and her parents, was a missed opportunity to educate the reader about psychiatric conditions.
After finishing this book, I believe that Della ought to be seeing a counselor, and instead, this book shows Della drinking a jar of local honey to "heal" her emotions, rather than seeing a therapist. But I truly believe Della would need therapy by the end of this book.
I think "Where the Watermelons Grow" is a book that was probably written with good intentions, but which still ended up being an incredibly damaging portrayal of how families cope with mental illness.
I recently wanted to do some research on modern middle grade novels, and I admit that this book's topic really spoke to me because my own mother is mentally ill, and I have long suspected she has paranoid schizophrenia. Unlike Della's mother, my mother's condition remains undiagnosed, though I did witness her locked up in a mental ward against her will when I was Della's age in this book: 12/almost 13.
"Where the Watermelons Grow" should have been a home run for me; I expected to love this book. But within thirty pages, it was clear to me that the author was not writing from her own experiences. After reading the acknowledgments, I understand that Baldwin chose to write about schizophrenia in order to publish a novel, not because she had any personal experience with schizophrenic parents herself.
The book really suffers for it. The presentation of Della's mother sometimes reads like my own experience with a schizophrenic parent: no one talks about what is wrong, no one even acknowledges there is anything "wrong," everything is entirely secret, no one knows what to do or say, the sick person refuses all help and throws away their medicine, etc. etc. That was definitely what I have experienced as a child, as a teenager, and as an adult. My experience with a parent's mental illness has been relentless, frightening, and sickening.
But Baldwin put Della into a completely different situation. By the end of the book, it's made abundantly clear that Della's mother, Suzanne, didn't fall into this "secrecy, shame, and ableist dysfunction" category at all. Suzanne's family was entirely open and helpful concerning her mental health, and she sought and received help for her disorder. Suzanne received a clear diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia after her first child (Della) was born. Suzanne's husband, her husband's parents, and her own parents were supportive and loving, helping her through getting a diagnosis, receiving correct medication, and supporting her through the ordeal of being a new mother. Suzanne also had close friends who helped her a lot, and she lives within a tight-knit community that cares for her and her family very much.
Ten years after Suzanne's second child is born (and Della is now 12 years old), Suzanne's medication starts failing. Even though Della's father could have stepped in and said, "Honey, something is not right, let's visit the doctor," and quickly discovered that her medication had been failing for months, the father ignores the growing problems and advocates secrecy. Della, a timid, meek, and completely believable bookworm of a child, goes along with her father's plan, until the mother finally gets to the point that she is screaming, raving, hitting, and biting (all of which takes place off-scene, pg 183). That is when the father finally calls for an ambulance to haul the mother away.
The book should have strongly addressed the bad parenting choices that went into this breakdown. Instead, the story ignores that point. The novel focuses on Della's reaction to her mother's illness, and closes with Della needing to be a better person in order to cope.
I'm not against giving twelve-year-olds the message that they can control their own emotions and reactions to things, but I also needed the book to point out that the ADULTS in this story -- Della's mother and father -- seriously f*cked up. They behaved irresponsibly and were clearly in the wrong. Suzanne should have visited a doctor to have her medication altered, and if she was too sick to be able to do that, then her husband should have taken her to the doctor. He should have recognized that her medication was failing long before Suzanne descended into yelling and biting people. Della's father read like someone who had no idea what was wrong with his wife, and his ableist secrecy and shame for the bulk of the novel made no sense when the full extent of Suzanne's history was spelled out later in the text.
In the end, I did not like either of Della's parents. The father, especially, behaved badly, and he owed Della a big apology by the end of the book -- an apology that never arrived. Della's mother never apologizes to her, either. At the end of the novel, Suzanne is still so sick that she is caught in her delusional paranoia, so the reader never sees Suzanne return to a healthy mental state in order to be able to apologize for ignoring her illness and refusing all help, long before things got so bad.
I just really hated both of these parents. If they had been killed in the ambulance ride to the mental ward, I would not have been sad.
Della herself is so meek and mild that she is easy to feel sorry for. But the novel is hardly ever written in immediate, active scene. The vast bulk of this book is interior exposition and long, long stretches of backstory. Della thinks to herself, and thinks to herself, and thinks to herself some more. It makes the novel boring to read and leads to skipping entire pages and sections of text, because nothing new is happening. Della simply ruminates over the past, or summarizes material that should have been written in active scene, but Baldwin wrote the material as backstory instead.
Many of the sentences in this book are quite long and ponderous. Baldwin tends to let her similes go overboard, with unnecessary prepositional phrases that should have been cut, especially for a middle grade novel. Here are two examples:
"I hugged the Emily Dickinson book to me, feeling it hard against my chest just like a second heart, and tried not to let my cheeks flame as red as the cherry tomatoes dripping off the vines in the garden out behind our house." (pg 46)
"His minute-long visit had added something different to the jumble of feelings inside of me: swirling through the worry and the sadness and the knotting in my insides was a tiny springtime bloom, like the finger-long purple crocuses that popped up all around our front porch step in February, before the sun had even come back into the sky." (pg 213)
Overall, I did not enjoy or recommend this book. I did like Della's character, and I liked that this book is a love letter to the South. But Della's parents were incredibly irresponsible. Della went through a very traumatic situation in this book that was *entirely* preventable, but NO ONE in the text ever pointed that out, or took any action to end it. As a middle grade novel, Della's grim, unrelenting suffering was gratuitous and unfair, and it was entirely caused by her parents' choices, rather than her reactions to her mother's descent into delusional paranoia. The author's choice not to advocate within the text for more open communication about mental illness within the family, and specifically between Della and her parents, was a missed opportunity to educate the reader about psychiatric conditions.
After finishing this book, I believe that Della ought to be seeing a counselor, and instead, this book shows Della drinking a jar of local honey to "heal" her emotions, rather than seeing a therapist. But I truly believe Della would need therapy by the end of this book.
I think "Where the Watermelons Grow" is a book that was probably written with good intentions, but which still ended up being an incredibly damaging portrayal of how families cope with mental illness.
August 24, 2023
Great characters and good story
July 2, 2018
Interest Level: 5-8; Reading Level: 7.0
Have you ever felt like you have the weight of the world on your shoulders? You have a problem that needs to be fixed and you are the only one who can fix it? This is what Della Kelly is struggling with. Her mom has a disease called schizophrenia. This is a disease that makes her hear other voices in her head and she becomes extremely obsessive about things such as cleaning and the safety of her children. This disease was triggered when Della was born so she feels responsible for her mom's sickness. When her mom's sickness starts up again and is spiraling downward, Della feels like she has to fix her. Everything she tries seems to fail and Della is at her wits end. Della's family lives in a small town in North Carolina where everyone knows everyone. Della and her dad are trying to keep this new bout of sickness just to themselves, but as things get worse they realize they need help. All this time that Della is trying to help her mom, she doesn't realize that she needs fixing also. Read this amazing book of love, sacrifice, and family to find out if Bella can help to fix her mom and her family or if things will spiral out of control.
This was a very hard book to read. Since I have never had to deal with a family member with any type of mental sickness, I could not put myself in Della's shoes. This was an incredible book to to read, however, because there are so many children out there who do have to deal with these problems everyday. Many children are ashamed and don't want others to know what is happening in their lives. We as teachers have these students in our classrooms and this book teaches us how to have sympathy for these children. If you are a child dealing with a mental illness in your family, this is a must read. If you are an adult that works with children, this is a must read. Don't miss this one!!
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Have you ever felt like you have the weight of the world on your shoulders? You have a problem that needs to be fixed and you are the only one who can fix it? This is what Della Kelly is struggling with. Her mom has a disease called schizophrenia. This is a disease that makes her hear other voices in her head and she becomes extremely obsessive about things such as cleaning and the safety of her children. This disease was triggered when Della was born so she feels responsible for her mom's sickness. When her mom's sickness starts up again and is spiraling downward, Della feels like she has to fix her. Everything she tries seems to fail and Della is at her wits end. Della's family lives in a small town in North Carolina where everyone knows everyone. Della and her dad are trying to keep this new bout of sickness just to themselves, but as things get worse they realize they need help. All this time that Della is trying to help her mom, she doesn't realize that she needs fixing also. Read this amazing book of love, sacrifice, and family to find out if Bella can help to fix her mom and her family or if things will spiral out of control.
This was a very hard book to read. Since I have never had to deal with a family member with any type of mental sickness, I could not put myself in Della's shoes. This was an incredible book to to read, however, because there are so many children out there who do have to deal with these problems everyday. Many children are ashamed and don't want others to know what is happening in their lives. We as teachers have these students in our classrooms and this book teaches us how to have sympathy for these children. If you are a child dealing with a mental illness in your family, this is a must read. If you are an adult that works with children, this is a must read. Don't miss this one!!
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July 8, 2018My heart absolutely broke for Della while I was reading this. Because her mom was diagnosed with schizophrenia shortly after Della was born, she's blamed herself for the illness. And because her dad has a strict policy of "family problems are not to be discussed with outsiders," no one ever said "Oh, honey, no, it's not your fault."
I also take issue with the synopsis. It's more that Della learned to let go of (a) her feelings of guilt and (b) her idea that she's the only one who can help fix her mama. The synopsis makes it sound like she's embarrassed and feels like her mom could be better if she'd only try harder.
Della is really wise for someone who's only 12. A large chunk of that is because she's had to do a lot around the house and she does the lion's share of raising her little sister. But she's also still 12 and because her mom was diagnosed after she was born, she interprets it as happening BECAUSE she was born, which means that it was her fault. Even so, she does her part (and then some) and isn't ever all that resentful about it.
This is such a fantastic story and will absolutely break your heart (and also really make you crave watermelon). Recommended.
I also take issue with the synopsis. It's more that Della learned to let go of (a) her feelings of guilt and (b) her idea that she's the only one who can help fix her mama. The synopsis makes it sound like she's embarrassed and feels like her mom could be better if she'd only try harder.
Della is really wise for someone who's only 12. A large chunk of that is because she's had to do a lot around the house and she does the lion's share of raising her little sister. But she's also still 12 and because her mom was diagnosed after she was born, she interprets it as happening BECAUSE she was born, which means that it was her fault. Even so, she does her part (and then some) and isn't ever all that resentful about it.
This is such a fantastic story and will absolutely break your heart (and also really make you crave watermelon). Recommended.
March 6, 2019
Once I was lucky enough to get an ARC I decided that Where the Watermelons Grow would be my first read for 2018. What a lovely book--filled with real emotion and love, beautiful descriptions, down home dialogue, and (the part that sticks out the most for me) UNRELENTING heat. It reminded me of hot humid summer days, and by the end of the book I, too, was desperate for a good summer rainstorm. I was left with tears in my eyes and a reminder in my heart that we all have difficult situations in our lives, but thankfully we are also surrounded by people to help us.
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October 17, 2022I read this to my twins. I wasn’t sure how much they’d like it, because they usually prefer books with more adventure, but this held their interest and made them feel for the characters. It’s about Della, a girl whose mother has schizophrenia, and her challenges, fears, and growth as her mother has a particularly hard summer. The writing was beautiful, and I hope it helps my daughters develop more empathy for those struggling with mental illness and their families. Note to parents (since this is a middle grade book): one swear word.
November 30, 2017
What a lush, gorgeously written book. Della has such a distinctive voice, and the atmosphere and place in this book is like another character.
June 30, 2018
This book draws the reader in with its gorgeous cover and then makes us fall in love with Della and spend a few weeks in her shoes. She is having a tough summer. They are in the middle of a drought and her mother has refused to allow the air conditioner to be fixed. That and the fact that Della finds her mother picking all the evil seeds out of the watermelon in the fridge in the middle of the night are clues that all is not right. Her mom has schizophrenia and her meds don't seem to be working.
Having grown up on a farm myself, I can really relate to their lifestyle. Her father is working hard to keep the farm going despite the lack of rain. Della decides she must try to fix her mom, but can't seem to find a plan that is effective. A crisis in their family reveals to her that even though her mom is not always a picture perfect mom, there are people around her at church and in their town who are ready to be a support to Della and their family to fill that gap. A beautiful story of family and community.
I received an ARC of this new middle grade novel from HarperCollins and Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
Having grown up on a farm myself, I can really relate to their lifestyle. Her father is working hard to keep the farm going despite the lack of rain. Della decides she must try to fix her mom, but can't seem to find a plan that is effective. A crisis in their family reveals to her that even though her mom is not always a picture perfect mom, there are people around her at church and in their town who are ready to be a support to Della and their family to fill that gap. A beautiful story of family and community.
I received an ARC of this new middle grade novel from HarperCollins and Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
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January 27, 2018Gulped this down in one sitting on an ugly cold January night - just like Della says of watermelon, it's got the very taste of the stickiest days of July. Full of gorgeous, languid prose I could read all day!
July 3, 2018
Thanks to the publisher for the free review copy. All opinions are my own.
I noticed this morning that WHERE THE WATERMELONS GROW is rated #1 in children’s farm life books on Amazon. That description is extremely limiting, but this book is about as southern as southern gets. It reminds me in many ways of THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES by Sue Monk Kidd. You can almost hear the characters’ slow drawl and feel the hot, sticky air.
Della is indeed a 12-year-old country girl, spending her summer selling her family’s crops at their roadside farm stand. A summer drought threatens her family’s crops, and Della has never seen her father so stressed. That is, until her mother stops taking the medication that has helped to control her schizophrenia for several years—ever since the “bad time.”
Della feels responsible for her mother’s illness, in part because it first blossomed after her own birth. In addition, her mother’s worries often express as fears that something will happen to her daughters.
“And once you have a child, it’s like a part of your heart is out there walking around in the world…”
As her mother’s health spirals out of control, Della does everything in her preteen power to help. When all efforts fail, Della must rely on friends, family, and ultimately, the power within her to live with her struggles. That’s important—Della can’t solve her mother’s problems, she can only live alongside her and support her as she deals with them. Della also realizes that her mother’s illness in no way affects her ability to love her children.
“No sickness in the world could make my mama’s love for us less real.”
Della often expresses the fear that her mother is “crazy.” The characters surrounding her respond consistently and forcefully that calling her crazy is neither kind, fair, nor true. Her mother is sick, not crazy. It’s important for young readers to hear this message—that mental illness is just like any other illness.
Although I don’t have real-world experience with schizophrenia, this book read to me as a fair and genuine representation of the illness and its impact on families. Perhaps just as importantly its about family love and how family often blurs with community when we need it most.
I highly recommend WHERE THE WATERMELONS GROW for middle grade and adult readers! I think it has wide appeal, deals with difficult issues in a fresh way, and is chock full of southern charm.
I noticed this morning that WHERE THE WATERMELONS GROW is rated #1 in children’s farm life books on Amazon. That description is extremely limiting, but this book is about as southern as southern gets. It reminds me in many ways of THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES by Sue Monk Kidd. You can almost hear the characters’ slow drawl and feel the hot, sticky air.
Della is indeed a 12-year-old country girl, spending her summer selling her family’s crops at their roadside farm stand. A summer drought threatens her family’s crops, and Della has never seen her father so stressed. That is, until her mother stops taking the medication that has helped to control her schizophrenia for several years—ever since the “bad time.”
Della feels responsible for her mother’s illness, in part because it first blossomed after her own birth. In addition, her mother’s worries often express as fears that something will happen to her daughters.
“And once you have a child, it’s like a part of your heart is out there walking around in the world…”
As her mother’s health spirals out of control, Della does everything in her preteen power to help. When all efforts fail, Della must rely on friends, family, and ultimately, the power within her to live with her struggles. That’s important—Della can’t solve her mother’s problems, she can only live alongside her and support her as she deals with them. Della also realizes that her mother’s illness in no way affects her ability to love her children.
“No sickness in the world could make my mama’s love for us less real.”
Della often expresses the fear that her mother is “crazy.” The characters surrounding her respond consistently and forcefully that calling her crazy is neither kind, fair, nor true. Her mother is sick, not crazy. It’s important for young readers to hear this message—that mental illness is just like any other illness.
Although I don’t have real-world experience with schizophrenia, this book read to me as a fair and genuine representation of the illness and its impact on families. Perhaps just as importantly its about family love and how family often blurs with community when we need it most.
I highly recommend WHERE THE WATERMELONS GROW for middle grade and adult readers! I think it has wide appeal, deals with difficult issues in a fresh way, and is chock full of southern charm.
August 23, 2018
This beautiful MG novel was one that my heart didn't know it needed. But oh, did I need it.
You see, I'm Della's mama. I don't have schizophrenia, but I have other mental illnesses, and some chronic physical conditions that limit me. I'm not the perfect mom that I want to be, that I imagined I'd be. And sometimes I worry that my kids will resent me for not being enough. For being too tired to do everything they want to. For gifting them with a genetic heritage that's going to impact their lives as well.
Reading Della's struggles in this book, from wanting to fix her mother, to trying to be strong enough to help her, to struggling to accept her mother's illness, and even her fears for her own future, was like a glimpse into my own daughters' lives. My heart broke with Della's. And healed a bit along with hers as well.
This gorgeous story is set in the South, and Baldwin does a lovely job of making the setting shine. Her phrasing and atmosphere breathe Southern charm onto every page, without resorting to painful Twain-esque dialect. Her cast of side characters, both black and white, was well-fleshed out. Every character felt important, and like a real person with a past, emotions, and desires of their own. Della and Mylie in particular were wonderfully done, true to strong-willed girls everywhere. I enjoyed the light touch of magic with the Bee Lady's honey and with storytelling.
I think for my kids, this will be a read-together type of book, not because of anything problematic or inappropriate in it, but because it is a little bit heavy. And I know at least one of my tender-hearted, super-sensitive girls does better with this type of story if we read it together and talk about it as we go. And for us, because it does reflect our family, I hope it will be a good conversation starter.
You see, I'm Della's mama. I don't have schizophrenia, but I have other mental illnesses, and some chronic physical conditions that limit me. I'm not the perfect mom that I want to be, that I imagined I'd be. And sometimes I worry that my kids will resent me for not being enough. For being too tired to do everything they want to. For gifting them with a genetic heritage that's going to impact their lives as well.
Reading Della's struggles in this book, from wanting to fix her mother, to trying to be strong enough to help her, to struggling to accept her mother's illness, and even her fears for her own future, was like a glimpse into my own daughters' lives. My heart broke with Della's. And healed a bit along with hers as well.
This gorgeous story is set in the South, and Baldwin does a lovely job of making the setting shine. Her phrasing and atmosphere breathe Southern charm onto every page, without resorting to painful Twain-esque dialect. Her cast of side characters, both black and white, was well-fleshed out. Every character felt important, and like a real person with a past, emotions, and desires of their own. Della and Mylie in particular were wonderfully done, true to strong-willed girls everywhere. I enjoyed the light touch of magic with the Bee Lady's honey and with storytelling.
I think for my kids, this will be a read-together type of book, not because of anything problematic or inappropriate in it, but because it is a little bit heavy. And I know at least one of my tender-hearted, super-sensitive girls does better with this type of story if we read it together and talk about it as we go. And for us, because it does reflect our family, I hope it will be a good conversation starter.
October 2, 2019
A very quick read for a middle grade book, but I just didn't like it. Too many characters that had lots of potential for growth but their development was minimal. I wanted to be sympathetic to Della and her family but found myself getting more and more irritated with all of them. And while the honey she got from the "Bee Lady" sounded delicious, I didn't catch how it healed her heart.
"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."
"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."
August 26, 2018
Wow, this book was so much more than I had expected it would be. I suffer with mental illness. In this book the Della he oldest daughter is trying to find a way, any way, to solve her mothers schizophrenia. She is desperate to fix her.
It was difficult to read, but only because it was SPOT ON with what mental illness truly looks like. I saw myself (in my darkest times) in Della’s mother. I also saw myself in Della, (desperate to find a solution)
Through beautiful writing we follow Della through true friendship, hardship, rebellion, fear, southern ways and a little bit of Magic.
:::Spoiler::::
In the end they are not able to magically able to save the mother from her illness, she gets sick enough to need to go to the hospital. Once again this mirrors real life, most people do need some attention medically. The book shows us that it is okay. That we can still love those in our life that aren’t perfect.
Della learns from the bee lady, that her mother would Never give up her family, even if the stress of family sometimes makes her sick.
I applaud the author for beautiful story, filled with truth and love. I plan on reading this again soon. It is one of my new favorites.
It was difficult to read, but only because it was SPOT ON with what mental illness truly looks like. I saw myself (in my darkest times) in Della’s mother. I also saw myself in Della, (desperate to find a solution)
Through beautiful writing we follow Della through true friendship, hardship, rebellion, fear, southern ways and a little bit of Magic.
:::Spoiler::::
In the end they are not able to magically able to save the mother from her illness, she gets sick enough to need to go to the hospital. Once again this mirrors real life, most people do need some attention medically. The book shows us that it is okay. That we can still love those in our life that aren’t perfect.
Della learns from the bee lady, that her mother would Never give up her family, even if the stress of family sometimes makes her sick.
I applaud the author for beautiful story, filled with truth and love. I plan on reading this again soon. It is one of my new favorites.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 20, 2018
So many emotions.
This book was one that I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about, but in the end i loved it.
The MC is just a 12 (almost 13) year old girl who wants to help her mama.
I related so much with many of Della’s emotions and feelings, remembering many things where i felt the same at that age.
I tearwd so many times, and would’ve probably cried if there weren’t people nearby.
It is bittersweet in its realism, showing that life has its ups and downs, and we have to work our way and sometimes do things differently.
This book was one that I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about, but in the end i loved it.
The MC is just a 12 (almost 13) year old girl who wants to help her mama.
I related so much with many of Della’s emotions and feelings, remembering many things where i felt the same at that age.
I tearwd so many times, and would’ve probably cried if there weren’t people nearby.
It is bittersweet in its realism, showing that life has its ups and downs, and we have to work our way and sometimes do things differently.
July 12, 2018
This is a stunning book dealing with a difficult issue. Della Kelly's mother has schizophrenia and she's stopped taking her medicine. Cindy Baldwin deals with mental health in a sensitive way, leading readers to feel compassion for both Della and her family. It was hard to put this book down. I was as immersed in this as I was when I read Bridge to Terabithia for the first time. Highly, highly recommended.
April 20, 2018
I read one of the very early versions and loved the story from the beginning. The story is well told and deals with real life problems. Not just for those in similar circumstances, but for everyone from all walks of life because we all have things out of our control to figure out how to deal with in our lives. I can't wait to read it again in it's final version.
February 18, 2018
This book will break your heart a little and piece it back together, as the best books do. The writing is lush, the setting vivid, and Della's voice shines, shines, shines. I loved it.
December 30, 2018
This was a fascinating book – it shows a family dealing with a member’s insanity, but in a middle grade context. It was an interesting concept, and one that was executed very well. It is obvious that Baldwin plotted this story out very carefully. The limited knowledge that Della has about schizophrenia only adds to the intensity of the story. She does not know why her mother is acting the way that she is and Della is frightened even more by her mother’s actions. Della’s lack of knowledge of the disease made the book feel much more emotionally charged, and real. Yet, the opposite is also true: Della new enough about schizophrenia (from her mother’s previous issue) that the book didn’t become some sort of dark despair novel. Baldwin wove an intricate balance of emotion. Kudos to Baldwin for being able to pull it off masterfully. The writing style is appropriate for younger kids, but the topic could be a little tough for some readers. I think this book would be a good read for children who know someone with schizophrenia as it may help them understand how people have dealt with schizophrenics a little, or teach them about the disease. This was one of the heavier middle grade novels I’ve read lately, but it wasn’t too dark. This was an interesting read, and I think people in search of different topics in their reading will enjoy this book. *Please note I received a free review copy of this book
April 4, 2023
My daughter is reading this for school and I wanted to be able to talk about it with her. I am glad that I did. It is such a beautiful, touching book.
January 3, 2020
The theme is to appreciate what you have because it can become worse
July 24, 2018
This book is spectacular. Cindy tackles the issue of mental illness on a young family: its unpredictability, the stress, the emotions and how this illness affects everyone around them. This middle school novel is not just for children, it’s for anyone who has been touched by mental illness as Della’s father says it perfectly when he lies about his wife’s absence. “Lots of people, they don’t understand an illness like your mama’s, like schizophrenia. They hear that name and start to use hurtful words, like “crazy” and “psychotic” and start seeing a person as just a disease, not a human being.” So, they feel that it’s just better that they lie or not say anything about her condition.
Eleven-year old Della would do anything to cure her mother. Della feels she’s at fault for her mother’s disease and since her mama won’t go to the doctor, she intends to cure her. She doesn’t just want the symptoms go away, like they have in the past, she wants a healthy mama. But as the days go by, it seems mama is getting worse.
Della tries a variety of ways to cure her mama but mama’s behavior is worsening and she is being unpredictable. In an area where neighbors help neighbors, Della feels alone and scared as she knows she can’t reveal to anyone their family’s secret. Arden, her best friend, who knows a bit about the situation, carries the weight of secrecy and friendship, watching her friend suffer.
I loved the Southern atmosphere of this novel where the community was positively involved in the lives of their neighbors. The concern for them yet the knowledge of knowing when to step away was felt as individuals drifted into Della’s family’s routine. The weight of responsibility that Della felt for her mother’s illness was heavy, yet that is how she felt as words of her mother’s illness were heard upon her ears. I felt for Della as she tried to help but it was like a losing battle.
Her little sister was a handful and I had to laugh and shake my head at her adventures. I felt Mylie needed someone to take her out and just run with her: run and run and run!
I loved the reference to the books as I read. Since I love The Graveyard Book, I was thrilled to see this book mentioned and how the character cited it. This book is filled with friendship, struggles, family, determination and love, it’s a book that you will not forget. I really enjoyed this book and feel that it’s a book that not only children will enjoy.
“Sometimes when things are bad for me, books get to be some of my best friends.”
Eleven-year old Della would do anything to cure her mother. Della feels she’s at fault for her mother’s disease and since her mama won’t go to the doctor, she intends to cure her. She doesn’t just want the symptoms go away, like they have in the past, she wants a healthy mama. But as the days go by, it seems mama is getting worse.
Della tries a variety of ways to cure her mama but mama’s behavior is worsening and she is being unpredictable. In an area where neighbors help neighbors, Della feels alone and scared as she knows she can’t reveal to anyone their family’s secret. Arden, her best friend, who knows a bit about the situation, carries the weight of secrecy and friendship, watching her friend suffer.
I loved the Southern atmosphere of this novel where the community was positively involved in the lives of their neighbors. The concern for them yet the knowledge of knowing when to step away was felt as individuals drifted into Della’s family’s routine. The weight of responsibility that Della felt for her mother’s illness was heavy, yet that is how she felt as words of her mother’s illness were heard upon her ears. I felt for Della as she tried to help but it was like a losing battle.
Her little sister was a handful and I had to laugh and shake my head at her adventures. I felt Mylie needed someone to take her out and just run with her: run and run and run!
I loved the reference to the books as I read. Since I love The Graveyard Book, I was thrilled to see this book mentioned and how the character cited it. This book is filled with friendship, struggles, family, determination and love, it’s a book that you will not forget. I really enjoyed this book and feel that it’s a book that not only children will enjoy.
“Sometimes when things are bad for me, books get to be some of my best friends.”
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