The Other Side of Summer

March 15, 2017
Summer's family is blown apart when her brother, Floyd, is killed in a bombing in London, and their anguish surges anew when Floyd's cherished guitar is delivered to their house afterward.In a prescient moment, Summer says the instrument is -a sign of a different, unexpected ending.- With it, Summer hears Floyd's voice; it also draws the spirit of a boy named Gabe. As Summer struggles to get to the other side of her grief, she narrates her trajectory in three parts over the course of 18 months that include a move from England to Australia. Part 1 represents loss. Summer's agony is tangible and her descriptions, searing. Her dad's face is -as unreadable as an old gravestone;- her mum, suffering depression, is a -whispery ghost.- In Australia, the family starts to heal. It's there that Gabe appears to Summer. She can't tell if he is a ghost or from the realm of dreams or how she can help him. This mystery propels the action in Part 2. Summer's discoveries not only allow her to aid Gabe, but also to reconstruct important moments in Floyd's last days. The reason for the bombing is not explained, nor is there an easy path through sorrow, but Part 3 brings resolution. Summer's family is white, but the full cast appears to be multiethnic. A bittersweet, hopeful coming-of-age story complicated by loss, saved by love, that ends with a song. (Fiction. 10-14)

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May 1, 2017

Gr 5-8-When 13-year-old Summer's brother Floyd dies in a bombing, her family members have difficulty coping. Her mom is depressed and barely leaves her bedroom, her older sister Wren is dark and angry, and her dad wants to move the family from London to Melbourne, Australia. Summer, her dad, and her sister make the move to Australia while her mom stays behind. Summer feels alone, angry, and even further removed from her memories of her brother until she discovers sheet music of Floyd's and works up the courage to play his Ibanez Artwood guitar, his prized possession, which was returned to the family unharmed after the accident. When Summer is near the guitar, she can speak to her brother in her head. When she begins to play, a mysterious boy named Gabe appears. Summer's efforts to figure out Gabe's story, and his possible connection with her brother, bring her mourning family together. Gale realistically portrays how grief impacts each member of a family differently and explores the challenges of losing someone and struggling to find them again in a new and different way. VERDICT Fans of Rebecca Stead will gravitate to this heartfelt and beautiful tale that fits perfectly in the gray area between middle grade and young adult.-Sarah Polace, Cuyahoga Public Library System, OH

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