The Becket List

Written by Adele Griffin · Illustrated by LeUyen Pham

Part of the Blackberry Farm series

City girl faces country chaos, crafting a survival list for unexpected farm life challenges.

5.0/7 Bookroo expert·3.7/5 Goodreads · 205 ratings

208 pages· 26,548 words· Est. 3.5 hour read· 710L

$16.95Save 6%

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Bookroo's summary

Becket Branch, a city girl at heart, is thrust into rural life on Blackberry Farm. Armed with her "Becket List," she tackles farm chores, from feeding feisty hens to selling sour lemonade. As she navigates this new world, Becket's city smarts are put to the test. Can she adapt and find friendship amidst the hay bales and barnyard chaos? Join Becket on her unpredictable journey filled with quirky characters, humor, and the messy beauty of change. Will her plans succeed, or will the country life prove more challenging than she imagined?

"Nothing works better than a nice compliment to make you want to prove that it's true."

— from the book

From the publisher

“Charming and beautifully humorous . . . A sparkling story of weathering change.” –Booklist, starred review Everything is changing for Becket Branch. From subways to sidewalks to safety rules, she is a city kid born and raised. Now the Branch family is trading urban bustle for big green fields and moving to help their gran on Blackberry Farm, where Becket has to make sense of new routines, from feeding animals to baling hay. But Becket is ready! She even makes her own “Becket List” for How to Be a Country Kid. Things don’t always work out the way she planned, but whether it’s selling mouth-puckering lemonade, feeding hostile hens, or trying to make a new best friend, Becket is determined to use her city smarts to get a grip on country living. Get ready to yell “Beautiful Alert!” along with Becket as she mucks through the messy, exuberant experience of change she didn’t ask for, in a story that sparkles with quirky characters, cheerful humor, and unexpected adventures.

At a glance

Format: Hardcover
Pages: 208
Words: 26,548
Reading age: 7–10
Audience: Juvenile Reader
Lexile: 710L

Themes & topics

Books about moving Books about family Books about farm animals Books about rural living Books about social themes

After the last page

Talk about it together

Becket takes her Grandma's "free" suckers from the store for her lemonade stand. How could Becket have better handled fixing the situation of her taking Grandma's suckers?

Becket loves to announce a "beautiful alert!" she sees. What things do you notice after reading this book that are "beautiful alerts" in your life?

What readers & critics say

Reviews

5.0

out of 7

5.0

“I think this is one kids will love even more than parents (if you're thinking whether you want to do a readaloud or have your child read it on their own). Becket is perky, funny, and a little loud. :) A relatable story about a family moving from the city to a farm, Becket learns about friendship, family, farm animals, honesty, and making the best of a situation.”

B is for Bookworm

Trusted reviewer

The author