Summerland
by Michael Chabon

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Book Reviews of Summerland

Book Review: Not for all young readers
Summary: 3 Stars

The book follows Ethan and his friends as they journey through the Winterlands in attempt to rescue Ehtan's father from the evil Coyote, as well as preventing the destruction of the universe as they know it. Baseball is the centerpiece of the book, as it is a sport that all creatures have played for hundreds of years, and they take the outcome of the games as law.

This is a good, fun read, but not for people who dislike detail and backstories, because there is plenty of that. Also, at just over 600 pages, this could be an intimidating read for many young people, but it is worth the journey in the end.

Summary of Summerland

In Summerland, conditions are always ideal for playing baseball. But the small beings who keep things that way are in peril, and they need a hero -- a baseball star, in fact -- to vanquish their foe.

An Accelerated Reader® title.

The plot is simple and pure, but takes a long time to tell. The setting is Clam Island, Washington, specifically the area on the western tip of the island known as the Summerlands, which enjoys zero rainfall and yearlong fine weather. Ethan Feld, a self-described really bad ball player, is recruited by a 100-year-old scout called Mr. Chiron "Ringfinger" Brown. Ethan is needed to help the ferishers, essentially fairies, to save their world from eradication. On the great infinite tree of worlds, Summerland is on the boundary between two such worlds, and a particularly destructive fairy called Coyote and his band of warriors are nearby and threatening to destroy everything.

Heroes are desperately needed to counter this threat, and their journey involves a lot of baseball, but also encounters with giants, bat-winged goblins, sea monsters, and assorted cunning magic. The novel features an ensemble cast of equal parts that shine and fade in turn, and yet the undoubtedly fine writing fails to mask the enormity and complexities of the world in which they travel, and the bad guys getting their comeuppance always seems so far away. Readers need to savor every word in Summerland to extract the best flavors from it. (Ages 10 and older.) --John McLay, Amazon.co.uk

Action & Adventure Books

• Subjects > Children's Books > Action & Adventure
• Literature & Fiction