A Taste of Blackberries, written by Doris Buchanan Smith, was first published in 1973. The children’s book, which explores themes of mortality and grief through the death of a young boy, was initially rejected by multiple publishers who thought the book was too dark for young readers. However, once published, the book received critical acclaim for its sensitivity in dealing with themes of death and grief. In its handling of these heavy topics, the book has often been compared to E. B. White’s Charlotte’s Web. The primary difference, which makes Smith’s book revolutionary, is that the death is a human, not an animal or insect standing in for a human. The book won multiple awards, including an American Library Association Notable Children’s Book Award, Georgia Children’s Author of the Year and Georgia Children’s Book Awards, a Josette Frank Award, and the Zilveren Griffel Award.

This guide refers to the 2005 Harper Trophy (an imprint of Harper Collins Publishers) edition of the book.

Content Warning: This story includes an emotional depiction of grief and its impact on children. The central theme of death and loss may be sensitive for younger readers.

Plot Summary

A Taste of Blackberries follows the story of an unnamed narrator and his best friend, Jamie. The two boys have a series of adventures together, picking blackberries down by the creek, sneaking apples from a rude neighbor’s yard, and hitchhiking home during a storm. The narrator is at times annoyed at Jamie, who can be dramatic and a show-off and dives headfirst into dangerous situations. Still, the boys are as close as brothers, and as Jamie continues to act invincible, the narrator starts to believe it’s true.

Mrs. Houser, a grouchy neighbor who lives across the street from the narrator, asks the boys to get a group of kids together to scrape Japanese beetles off her plants. This is surprising, as she typically shouts at any kid who barely sets foot on her property. Even more surprising, she wants to pay the children for their work. The narrator is uncertain if they can get a group together to work for the mean Mrs. Houser, but they tell her they’ll do their best.

The narrator and Jamie go to their other best friend, Heather, first, and she agrees to join them. Afterward, they convince a few other kids to join them at Mrs. Houser’s, and they start to work. The narrator notices that Jamie is goofing off again but shrugs it off; Mrs. Houser is paying per jar of beetles each kid scrapes off, so it’s Jamie’s decision not to earn any money.

Jamie is poking a hole in the ground that is filled with bees. Heather warns him to stop or else they’ll all get stung, but Jamie scoffs at her and says that he isn’t afraid of the bees. Eventually, a swarm flies out of the hole. The narrator stands perfectly still in shock, and the other kids run around as the bees chase them. Jamie makes it to outside his house and then falls over and writhes on the ground. The narrator, who has seen plenty of Jamie’s dramatic shows before, doesn’t believe anything is wrong and walks to his own house instead of checking on Jamie.

Later that day, the narrator goes outside to find Heather standing in Jamie’s yard and hears the sound of an ambulance siren approaching. Heather tells him that the ambulance is for Jamie; something’s wrong with him. The narrator isn’t sure what to think until he sees Mrs. Houser, who never goes to anyone else’s home, coming out of Jamie’s house with a worried look on her face. Soon, the other children start to gather and wonder what has happened. The narrator and his mom go into Jamie’s house to watch Jamie’s little sister, Martha, and baby brother while Jamie is taken to the ambulance.

While the narrator is coloring with Martha, his mom comes back into the room to give the narrator some terrible news: Jamie is dead. He was allergic to bees but didn’t know it, and he didn’t survive the bee stings. The narrator is in denial at first, but he eventually must continue the grieving process and learn how to imagine a life without his best friend.

The narrator is forced to confront several important questions about mortality, and as the story progresses, it’s clear that his perspective of death and process of grieving differ from those of the adults affected by Jamie’s death. He turns to the adults in his life for comfort and answers. The first he receives, and the second he must learn to move on without ever receiving.

After going through all the stages of grief, the narrator eventually arrives at a place of acceptance. At first, he worries that his presence will be a sad reminder of Jamie’s death to Jamie’s family, but he soon realizes that he can be of help in a time of shared grief. The book ends on a bittersweet note as the narrator learns to embrace the joy of life again even amid his grief.