World Famous Comics: Summerland: A Novel: Summerland
Summerland: A Novel: Summerland
By: Michael Chabon Publisher: Miramax Average Rating: Binding: Paperback Label: Miramax Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 512 Publication Date: 2004-02 Reading Level: Ages 9-12 Release Date: February 16, 2004
Product Description: A BookSense 76 pick, and best-seller from coast to coast-Summerland is part fantasy, part adventure, part baseball, but most of all it's the story of a young boy, Ethan Feld-a lousy, but lovable little-leaguer who finds himself playing in the most important baseball game ever. Not only the game, but the fate of the world rests on his shoulders.
Amazon.com Review: In Summerland, his first novel for young readers, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Michael Chabon attempts an American Narnia. Inspired by Lewis and Tolkien, he's created his own magical landscape on which to paint a sweeping fantasy quest, but mixes the same ingredients--folklore and new inventions--in a distinctively American way.
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
For Young and Old This is a fun read. Chabon is a true literary talent, and in Summerland he sets aside the complicated, down-to-earth troubles of humans and their relationships for a charming world of fantasy. It's fun, it's easy, it's well written, and little Elroy will ask you to read another chapter before bedtime, every night, until it's done.
A very creative take on real heroes Heroes are born of circumstance. Ordinary people are called upon to be extraordinary and they answer the call despite overwhelming mortal threat and no chance of a material reward. It is always an inspiring surprise when the ordinary schmoe steps it up and saves the world. Take that context, throw in a love letter to baseball, and you've got the gist of this book. It is a bit like Tolkien. Substitute children for the hobbits, baseball games for the battles, and you've got yourself a great yarn on good versus evil. I enjoyed it. It is a bit derivative, but so what. It is a fun read that I did not want to end.
Forget that it's Chabon we're talking about. I picked up this book when it first came out, quite unaware as to who exactly Michael Chabon was, and therefore, held no expectations of what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised, and instantly hooked.
The tone immediately transfers the reader to a hot, sunny, summer day, as the journey unfolds. The story is set to a baseball theme, with each portion of the book dedicated to different moments in a baseball game. Ethan, the hero, is easy to root for, as he searches for his father, kidnapped by the nasty Coyote. The Coyote is planning on killing the tree of life, and therefore controlling the universe. Helped along by Thor, a kid who thinks he's actually a robot, and Jennifer T. Rideout, a girl striving to prove her worth to the world, two ferishers, and a Sasquatch named Taffy, Ethan battles his way through baseball games with all sorts of creatures.
This book is amazingly beautiful, with backstories and such vivid details that the book almost reads like a movie reel. Don't be fooled by the disappointed Chabon fans. I've since read the rest of Chabon's books, and Summerland is quite unlike the rest. In fact, Summerland almost reads like a Neil Gaiman "American Gods." Please, if you love epic journeys and battles between good and evil, pick up this book. If you're a baseball lover, pick up this book. I promise you won't be disappointed.
Great Book for Young at Heart I loved this book. I read it twice, originally getting it for my kids to read. I loved the imaginary world, the baseball stuff, the characters and the wackiness of the plot. "Summerland" falls into the category of books that includes "His Dark Materials" trilogy, "Holes," or "Wrinkle in Time," where the fantasy element is closely tied to character development. It won't appeal to everyone, but that's how books are.
The magic of baseball Ethan Felds is the worst player on his baseball team, and everyone knows it. In spite of this, he finds himself drawn into a struggle to save the universe, travelling in an alternate universe where all stories are true, and baseball is a metaphor for life. Together with a rag-tag team of misfits, he must find his way along the branches of this other world to the well that feeds the tree of the universe, to save his father and prevent the poisoning of the tree that supports the universe.
This is a wonderfully quirky tale about an awkward boy who discovers that he is stronger than he would have believed, and about the importance of stories in giving meaning to life. The true magic is the power of stories to fuel our imaginations, and fill us with wonder. Just remember, keep your eyes open!
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