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Umbrella Summer

ebook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

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 make Annie realize that her plans for being careful aren't working out as well as she had hoped. And with a lot of help from those around her—and a book about a pig, too—Annie just may find a way to close her umbrella of sadness and step back into the sunshine.

With winsome humor and a dash of small-town charm, Lisa Graff's third novel is a touching look at rising above grief and the healing power of community.

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  • Reviews

    • School Library Journal

      June 1, 2009
      Gr 4-6-After her brother's unexpected death from a rare heart ailment, adventurous Annie Richards changes into an overly cautious child who diligently tries to prevent any illness or accident happening to her. Each cut or bump is bandaged. Instead of racing her friend Rachel on her bike, the 10-year-old invents turtle racing to see who can ride the slowest. Games she deems too dangerous are avoided. Annie's neighborhood is filled with friends and neighbors who care, but too often she sees the "dead brother" look on their faces. Only when Mrs. Finch moves into the long-vacant "haunted" house in the neighborhood, and Annie attempts to sell her outdated Junior Sunbird cookies, do things begin to change. Friendship, shared moments, and some careful listening help Annie close her umbrella of sadness. As in "The Life and Crimes of Bernetta Wallflower" (2008) and "The Thing About Georgie" (2007, both HarperCollins), Graff has created a lively, quirky individual who tells her story with frankness and humor. Annie's three friends come across as real kids who treat Annie's eccentricities with a mixture of understanding and occasional anger. A more complex read than Andrea Beaty's "Cicada Summer" (Abrams, 2008), Annie's story deals with death with sensitivity, love, and understanding."Kathryn Kosiorek, formerly at Cuyahoga County Public Library, Brooklyn, OH"

      Copyright 2009 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

    • Booklist

      August 1, 2009
      Grades 3-5 Nine-year-old Annie knows that bad things can happen even if youre careful. Her older brother Jared died even though he went to the doctor. So now she is extra careful. Annie pores over a medical encyclopedia, wears a helmet in the car, preemptively wraps her ankles for bike rides, and never roller-skates down the hill with one eye closed the way she and Jared loved to do. A fight over the funeral of her best friends hamster leaves Annie even more alone, but she finds an unlikely friend in the new neighbor, Mrs. Finch, who lends her Charlottes Web, reveals that she is a recent widow, and helps her learn to close the umbrella that she has put up to shield herself since Jareds death. Annie grapples with what to do to mark Jareds approaching birthday, and together with his best friend, Tommy, they find a fitting tribute to joyfully remember Jared. This tender book about love and loss benefits from Annies quirky personality, which lightens the serious tone.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)

    • The Horn Book

      July 1, 2009
      After her brother Jared dies from a rare heart condition, Annie copes by reading about illnesses; though prepared, she's not healing. That comes slowly, aided 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.

      (Copyright 2009 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

    • The Horn Book

      July 1, 2009
      With the same deftness she demonstrated in The Thing About Georgie (rev. 3/07), Graff immediately engages the reader with the main character. Here's Annie Richards, about to ride her bike to the local drug store. Elbow pads? Check. Kneepads? Check. Helmet? Check. Ace bandages? Check. She's now ready to take the safe but more time-consuming route on her mission to buy Band-Aids. Why is Annie so fearful? The previous year her older brother, Jared, died unexpectedly from a rare heart condition, and Annie's at a loss as to how to cope. Her mother cleans obsessively, her father hides behind newspapers and magazines, and Annie reads about terrible illnesses and their symptoms. She's not searching for sympathy, and she certainly doesn't want any of those "dead-brother looks," but "there was a lot of...dangerous stuff that most people didn't even think to worry about. You had to watch out for everything." However, while Annie may be prepared, she's not healing. That 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.

      (Copyright 2009 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

Formats

  • OverDrive Read
  • EPUB ebook

Languages

  • English

Levels

  • ATOS Level:4.6
  • Lexile® Measure:820
  • Interest Level:4-8(MG)
  • Text Difficulty:3-4

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