The Sour Orange Derby

Every so often I enjoy picking up a book that isn’t in a genre I’ve been reading recently.  This particular title definitely breaks away from the blend of Christian romance and paranormal stories that have graced my ereader or nightstand.

About the Book~

One lone tree is all that remains of the cherished Standridge family orange groves, a legacy that goes back as far as the Civil War. But for young Colly Standridge, that solitary tree is at the center of a magical world.

Inspired by real people, The Sour Orange Derby follows the lives of Colly, who dreams of becoming a professional baseball player, and K.B. Standridge, an imaginative old man who spends his days creating stories for his grandchildren to enjoy while searching for a new family legacy – and finds it in his last beloved orange tree.

A story about love and healing steeped in southern traditions, The Sour Orange Derby is a tale of one family joining together to celebrate life and history, and how their last remaining orange tree holds them all together when the young boy’s fight with cancer threatens to tear them apart.

About the Author~

Kristina "Little Butterfly" Circelli is the author of five published fiction novels, and many more yet to be released. Her current works include: The Helping Hands series, The Whisper Legacy series, and The Sour Orange Derby.
A descendant of the Cherokee nation, lover of magic and fantasy, dreamer of Narnia and mythology, Circelli holds both a Bachelor and Master of Arts in English from the University of North Florida. She currently works as a copywriter as well as a creative writing professor for the University of North Florida.
Circelli resides in Jacksonville, Florida, with her husband, Seth, and cat, Sir Whisky Sour.

 

My Thoughts~

I adored how Kristina blended stories from her childhood to come up with a story that included some situations that are fictional.  I love how her grandfather used stories to help build traditions for the family that act as glue to keep them together.  In this story, the big fictional component surrounds the ultimate death of the youngest sibling of the family and how a backyard tradition, the sour orange derby, had provided the means for the survivors to heal.

Unlike some titles I’ve read written for a young adult audience, this one was not an especially quick read.  I attribute that to two reasons. First off, I wasn’t wanting to read faster to get to the next chapter, rather wanting to savor the story.  And, secondly, because the cancer storyline had sections where I was crying so much that I had to stop reading to wait for the tears to stop.  So, I guess this could be considered a blend of creative, fantastical stories from the author’s youth with a tear jerker storyline that reminds readers of how powerful the relationships of family can be.

Disclaimer ~ I was provided with an electronic copy of this title to facilitate a review as part of a Promotional Book Tours blog tour. No monetary compensation occurred and all opinions are my own.