Lucy May only wanted an A.

Instead, she got a tent, a pond, a raccoon problem, and far too much time to think.

As a homeschooled, dual-enrolled college student, Lucy is used to being the youngest person in the room and trying very hard not to look like it. So when her American Literature professor offers her a chance to earn honors credit through a “Modern Walden” project, she says yes before fear can talk her out of it.

The assignment sounds simple enough: live outdoors on her family’s rural property, read Thoreau, keep a journal, and prove she belongs.

Then the tent leaks.

The mosquitoes declare war.

The raccoons show up like tiny masked criminals.

And the quiet nights by the pond leave Lucy alone with every doubt she usually manages to outrun.

While her polished classmate Laura turns her own project into something picture-perfect, Lucy’s summer becomes muddy, awkward, funny, and far more honest than she expected. Between college pressure, family chaos, homesickness, and the strange courage it takes to stay when quitting would be easier, Lucy begins to discover that her “Modern Walden” project may not be only about escaping the world.

Warm, funny, and full of heart, Walden, But With Bug Spray is a clean young adult coming-of-age novel about a homeschooled girl, a summer in the woods, family, friendship, nature, and the quiet bravery of growing up.

Perfect for readers who enjoy wholesome YA contemporary fiction, homeschool stories, reflective summer reads, cozy family-centered novels, and books about finding your voice.

A Note for Parents

Walden, But with Bug Spray is a clean coming-of-age story about Lucy, a sixteen-year-old homeschooler taking a college-level Honors American Literature class. The heart of the story is Lucy’s growth, her family, her faith-shaped values, her love of learning, and her very muddy attempt to complete a Modern Walden project without being eaten alive by mosquitoes.

Because Lucy is studying college-level literature, some mature themes come up through her coursework. The book includes brief classroom discussions of The Scarlet Letter, including Hester Prynne being publicly shamed for having a baby out of wedlock, Dimmesdale hiding his role as the baby’s father, and the larger themes of sin, judgment, guilt, and whether a person can grow beyond a painful mistake.

Lucy’s class also touches briefly on Their Eyes Were Watching God, including discussions of marriage, control, and how a husband tries to shape his wife’s public identity.

These topics are handled through Lucy’s academic experience and are not graphic. The story itself remains clean and family-centered.