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Umbrella Summer
Who ever knew closing an umbrella could be so hard?
©2012 Lisa Graff. All rights reserved Lisa Graff.
Umbrella Summer is a radiant book.
—Kirby Larson,
Newbery Honor author of Hattie Big Sky
—Kirby Larson,
Newbery Honor author of Hattie Big Sky
Annie Richards knows there are a million things to look out for—bicycle accidents, food poisoning, chicken pox, smallpox, typhoid fever, runaway zoo animals, and poison oak. That's why being careful is so important, even if it does mean giving up some of her favorite things, like bike races with her best friend, Rebecca, and hot dogs on the Fourth of July. Everyone keeps telling Annie not to worry so much, that she's just fine. But they thought her brother, Jared, was just fine too, and Jared died.
It takes a new neighbor, who looks as plain as a box of toothpicks but has some surprising secrets of her own, to help Annie close her umbrella of sadness and step back into the sunshine.
Resources for teachers and librarians
Resources for teachers and librarians
(created by the Texas Bluebonnet Program Committee)
(created by TeachingBooks.net)
Awards and honors
Umbrella Summer has been named to ten state reading lists!
Reviews
The Horn Book
With the same deftness she demonstrated in The Thing About Georgie, Graff immediately engages the reader with the main character . . . [Annie's] healing comes slowly, helped along by understanding friends and a close-knit community of complex, concerned (but never cloying) characters. Expect tears, but also expect to cheer for Annie's recovery as she gradually learns to honor Jared's life and care for her own.
With the same deftness she demonstrated in The Thing About Georgie, Graff immediately engages the reader with the main character . . . [Annie's] healing comes slowly, helped along by understanding friends and a close-knit community of complex, concerned (but never cloying) characters. Expect tears, but also expect to cheer for Annie's recovery as she gradually learns to honor Jared's life and care for her own.
School Library Journal
Graff has created a lively, quirky individual who tells her story with frankness and humor . . . Annie's story deals with death with sensitivity, love, and understanding.
KidsReads.com
Heartwarming . . . [Graff's] characters are colorful and distinct, especially Annie, whose intelligence, deeply felt emotions and troubled spirit dive right into the reader’s heart. Keep an eye on Graff; she has a real gift for the kind of storytelling that will bond readers to a lifetime of reading.
Winston-Salem Journal
This poignant book is both funny and sad . . . One of our favorites thus far in 2009.
The Buffalo News
This beautifully written, poignant middle-grade novel offers an unforgettable heroine, a charming small-town setting and a compassionate portrait of a family frozen in grief while going through the motions of getting by. Thanks to Graff’s realistic depiction of childhood summers, games and friendships, her book is touching and also very funny . . . This is a book that stays with you.
KidsReads.com
Heartwarming . . . [Graff's] characters are colorful and distinct, especially Annie, whose intelligence, deeply felt emotions and troubled spirit dive right into the reader’s heart. Keep an eye on Graff; she has a real gift for the kind of storytelling that will bond readers to a lifetime of reading.
Winston-Salem Journal
This poignant book is both funny and sad . . . One of our favorites thus far in 2009.
The Buffalo News
This beautifully written, poignant middle-grade novel offers an unforgettable heroine, a charming small-town setting and a compassionate portrait of a family frozen in grief while going through the motions of getting by. Thanks to Graff’s realistic depiction of childhood summers, games and friendships, her book is touching and also very funny . . . This is a book that stays with you.
Buy the book
The following links will take you directly to the buying page.
Double Dog Dare
The Thing About Georgie
Find out more >
Find out more >
The Life and Crimes of Bernetta Wallflower
Laura Geringer Books
HarperCollins Summer 2009 >
hardcover: 978-0-061-43187-6
paperback: 978-0-061-43189-0
HarperCollins Summer 2009 >
hardcover: 978-0-061-43187-6
paperback: 978-0-061-43189-0
Make your own umbrella bookmark
Click the photo to find out how.
