Review of "Bubble Gum Rocks" by A.M. Berkowitz

Score: 93+/100 (9.3+ out of 10)

We've all had that one family member growing up...
The weird one. The exciting one. The one who seemed to be going out of their way to make us think and see things differently.
The one we always looked forward to seeing.

In Bubble Gum Rocks by A.M. Berkowitz, that person is Uncle Timmy!

Uncle Timmy is the fun, slightly eccentric uncle who spins stories about “bubble gum rocks” that grow under the roots of wise old oak trees. If a child makes a heartfelt wish, then throws the rock high into the branches, the tree might just keep it and make the wish come true. It is the kind of story that probably started as a way to get kids outside and looking around, yet it becomes something more for this family.

Every summer, sisters Avery, Avianna, and Ainsley leave their normal lives and head to their grandparents’ Kansas farm, a place already loaded with warmth, tradition, and good food. This year, Uncle Timmy tells them his childhood story about bubble gum rocks and how his own father shared the legend with him. They go searching under the giant oak in the drive and, against all odds, actually find one. It looks strange enough and special enough that Avianna, the middle sister with a big imagination, truly believes.

While practical Avery and goofy Ainsley brush it off, Avianna holds that rock like a treasure. When the others head off to fish, she decides instead to stay behind, press the rock into her palm, and make a wish that is surprisingly selfless.

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WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD
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She does not wish for toys or popularity. She wishes that the magic of the farm will last and that there will be more bubble gum rocks for everyone in the family in the future. She throws the rock into the old oak, sees it vanish into the leaves, and walks away with the quiet feeling that something has changed.

Then the storm hits.

In the night, thunder shakes the house, windows rattle, and a mysterious clanging sound pulls Avery and Avianna out of bed. They glimpse a shadow near the tree and see a strange glow around its trunk. For a moment, it feels like a full on ghost story. Kids who like just a touch of spookiness will be hooked here. Of course, the shadow turns out to be Uncle Timmy securing the cellar door in the storm, which lets the tension out in a safe and comforting way.

The real magic is saved for the morning.

When the girls rush outside, they discover that lightning has split the old oak wide open. Scattered all around are dozens of glittering, jelly bean colored stones. Bubble gum rocks, everywhere, spilling out of the heartwood like a cracked pinata. Avianna realizes, with a sense of awe, that her wish came true. The farm will not run out of magic any time soon.

From there, the book shifts into celebration and legacy. Each girl chooses a rock. Avianna secretly discovers an old key with vine like carvings hidden among them. Back inside, Mom confirms that the story began a generation earlier and hints that she has her own rock collection from childhood in the barn.

A bonus Thanksgiving scene carries that thread forward, leading the girls to a carved map in the barn that seems to show other magical places and a very particular spot for that mysterious key. It is a neat little series hook that promises more secrets to uncover on the farm.

What works especially well here is the emotional core. Avianna’s wish is the spiritual center of the book. It is simple, but it is beautiful. She does not want to hoard the magic. She wants it multiplied and shared. That choice makes the payoff with the exploded tree full of stones feel earned, not random. Young readers will pick up on that idea, even if they cannot yet put it into words. Believe, wish with a generous heart, and maybe something good can grow.

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SPOILERS END

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The sister dynamics is a great strength of this book. We really liked this. Avery, the older sister, is the skeptic and rule follower. Ainsley, our little chaos engine, provides comic relief with her “sugar sprites,” backwards boots, and bubbly interruptions. Avianna sits between them, often literally and emotionally. She is unsure where she fits, but she has the biggest capacity for belief. Kids with siblings will recognize pieces of themselves in all three. The banter feels light, affectionate, and familiar.

The sense of place is also a highlight. The farm is painted with cozy detail: Grandma’s biscuits and bacon, the wheat fields, the fishpond, the old pickup, the cellar door that needs securing during storms. You can almost smell the rain on dirt and feel the cool kitchen floor in bare feet. This gives the story a grounding that keeps the magic from floating away. The farm feels like a real place you could visit, the kind of place you remember all year.

From a craft perspective, the book is tailored to younger independent readers and read aloud sessions. The pacing is gentle. The tension never gets too high. The storm sequence gives a little jolt of adrenaline and then sets you back down safely. Parents and grandparents will probably appreciate that balance. It is spooky enough to be fun, not so spooky that it causes nightmares.

If we had a few light critiques, they would mostly be about tightening and layering. At times, the dialogue and explanations repeat information we already know, especially around the bubble gum rock legend and recounting events to the parents. For an adult reader, there may be a sense of “yes, we covered this already.” For younger readers who benefit from repetition, that is less of a problem, but a touch of trimming could give the prose more snap.

Also, as a series opener, this book chooses to keep the magic rules fairly simple and mysterious. That is perfectly reasonable for the intended age group. Older middle grade readers who like complex fantasy systems may wish for a deeper explanation of why the rocks were fading, what exactly the oak tree is, or how the key and the farm’s magic tie together. The good news is that the Thanksgiving bonus chapter clearly sets up future installments to expand that mythology.

Another thing we found to be a slight pet-peeve is how the three character names look and sound so similar: all three names start with the letter A, two have the letter I, two of them have an A immediately followed by an I, two end with the letter Y. That can get really tongue-twisty and confusing, especially when reading aloud. For a dyslexic person, or a kid just trying to keep track of which character is which, that could be problematic.

Oh, you know what needs a lot of credit? The illustrations! Illustrator Timna Green really adds some zest to this book with these lively illustrations. They don't rock your socks off or demand to be hung in the Louvre, but they serve their purpose in faciliating the story and helping to give these characters more of a face and a presence.

Overall, Bubble Gum Rocks is a sweet, nostalgic starter to what looks like a Magical Farm Mysteries series. It is less about solving a puzzle and more about soaking in a feeling: the comfort of family, the thrill of believing in something unseen, and the idea that a single selfless wish can change more than you expect. We can easily imagine this becoming a bedtime favorite, followed by kids running outside the next morning to hunt for their own “bubble gum rock” and decide what they would wish for.

You'll never know when a little pebble might be packed with a lot of magic!

Check it out on Amazon!