Strawberry Gold is an excellent historical fiction by Chris Gerrib. In January 1968, in a small community in Illinois, eighteen-year-old Pat Kowalski realised that his family had no money. However, he discovered a suitcase worth of gold coins while interviewing his grandmother for a school project. Pat decided to look for the briefcase. However, Pat did not realise that Vincent, one of his classmates, was also looking for the gold coins. Will Pat be victorious, or will Vincent? The readers of Strawberry Gold will continue to follow Pat and Vincent to discover what happens.
Strawberry Gold is the first book I have read by Chris Gerrib, and I enjoyed it. I did engage with this book from the first page, and it continues to the end. I enjoyed how Chris Gerrib ensures his readers understand the social issues of the period of this book and how they can affect small communities. I also love Chris Gerrib’s portrayal of his characters and how they interact throughout this book. Strawberry Gold is well-written and researched. I like Chris Gerrib’s description of the settings, which allowed me to imagine being part of the book’s plot.
Strawberry Gold’s readers will learn about the consequences of fraud on families and the community and about living in Illinois in 1968.
Thank you to the author and the publisher for my free ARC copy in exchange for an honest review. I recommend this book.