Customer Reviews

Armageddon Summer

5 star:		(42)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(14)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Do you have that certain book you always check out from the library and re-read, just because it feels like an old friend, and you can't get enough of it?

That's Armageddon Summer for me.

This book follows the lives of two very different kids. Marina Marlow is a homeschooled girl who loves Emily Dickenson poems. Recently, her mom has decided to follow the beliefs of Reverend Beelson- and he says that the world will end on July twenty-seventh- and it will do so in fire. How convenient- right when Marina turns fourteen! Her mother drags Marina and her five brothers up to the mountain- the only place where God will spare people- and leave her dad to be "Fried". Marina is torn, and doesn't know what to believe.

Sixteen year old Jed is dragged up on the mountain too, but not by his mother. His mom ran off with a photographer to live in the mountains in Colorado, and he's stuck with his weepy dad, who turned to religion to cope with the devastating break up. He doesn't believe any of this crap, and has smuggled in a computer- which is against the rules.

This book details the experiences in each of their perspectives, and eventually they both notice each other. As the book progresses, they begin to know each other better.

Armageddon Summer is five stars for me- you should read it too!

This time the world will end in fire on July 27, 2000. That is what Reverend Raymond Beelson has told his 2 congregations of the Church of Believers. Reverend Beelson makes plans for 144, a number from scripture, Believers to escape the fire and brimstone destruction of the world. The Believers are led atop Mount Weeupcut in Massachusetts where they live by camping, pray and wait for the day of Armageddon. The days leading up to July 27 are shared with us through the alternating view point of Jed and Marina, who have never met before and came to the fortified mountain because of their families. However, the two teenagers find something compelling about each other as they struggle to find out what is going on in their lives. Jane Yolen and Bruce Coville have skillfully developed the characters of Jed and Marina in this novel. Read this book that explores the nature of faith, the dangers of cults, and relationships that are formed by friendship and love to see how Jed and Marina survive Armageddon Summer.

I've just completed reading this book! When I first read the plot, I was eager to go ahead and read the rest of the book. What an exciting plot! The story was told from two people's point of view in short, alternating chapters. That was my favorite element of the story. If you got bored of one person, the next person's story was only a page or two away. One was a 13 year old girl named Marina and the other a boy named Jed. The basic plot was that these kids' parents belonged to a new faith called the "Believers." The Believers believe that the world will END on July 27, 2000. Only a couple of weeks away! They believe that at the termination of the world, the earth will go up in flames and everything will burn and die. Everyone- except for the Believers- because they'll be safe on Mount Weeupcut. ONLY 144 Believers can be saved on the mountain...and their duty would be to save the earth when the fire was gone. While waiting for the end of the world, the Believers prepared for what was to happen. Armageddon Summer was a truly suspenseful novel. I was begging for the end the entire time, would the world actually end as the believers thought? Would everything burn up EXCEPT for the mountain they were on? Jed and Marina, the ones telling the story, had so much in common and had very similar reasons for "being" a Believer and for being on the mountain. The ending of the book, (which of course I wouldn't share with you!) was okay. It's hard to explain... it was predictable, yet I was suprised- and I was disappointed. I think there could have been a better ending,.. after all, that's the whole point of reading the whole rest of the book! With the year 2000 coming up in less than 2 months, there has been a lot of talk and controversy about the end of the world. A lot of faiths have said what needs to be done and when. This book compiles a lot of faiths and beliefs together to come up with some new faith- The Believers. This story was, for the most part, realalistic- and it could actually happen. So, here's a question- will the world really end? Find out when you read this book! :)

The topic of religious/millennial cults is a sensitive one. In the hands of less gifted writers, there would be a dangerous tendency toward the maudlin and the strident; and while this would be disaster enough in an adult audience novel, it would truly be unforgiveable in a book aimed at young adults. Not a problem at all here though; authors Yolen and Coville know exactly what they are doing and how to precisely say what needs saying without the least overstatement or soggy sentiment. As one who teaches composition, I marvel at these two and their ability to always find just the right word, phrase, sentence or paragraph; this novel would serve well as a model of precise and concise writing. And what a grand story! Two typical, but oh-so-slightly outre teens find each other and incipient romance while waiting for the end of the world on a mountaintop in Massachusetts. The characterization is superb as always with Yolen and Colville. Ms. Yolen familiarly exercises her virtuoso range from picture books like the powerful SKY DOGS to the enchanted witchery of BRIAR ROSE to the witty fun of WIZARD HALL and so much inbetween; while Mr. Coville here tries his hand (entirely successfully) at a slightly older audience than his usual, but so very exquisite MY TEACHER IS AN ALIEN and JEREMY THATCHER, DRAGON HATCHER (this writer's favorite!). This present book combines their celestial talents sublimely. While fans of both will not be disappointed here, this engrossing page-turner has so much to offer not only young adults, but their longing-for-a good-read parental units as well. Yolen and Coville: More please!

"Armageddon Summer" is one of the best novels I have had the pleasure of reading. A young girl named Marina and a guy named Jed have one word that describes their lives "insanity". After the Pastor of the church declares the end of the world, Jed and Marina are forced to move onto a mountain with their families, where supposedly they will be safe. On top of the mountain Jed and Marina meet eachother and fall in love while the world below could or could not be destroyed. Jed is suspicious of this prophecy but Marina tries best to follow her beliefs even though her father chose not to come onto the mountain.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is so amazing and heartstopping. Right from the beginning the mystery of whether or not the world will be destroyed captures your imagination. The book's format is also very interesting as it splits chapters between Jed and Marina. The only thing is that the emotions the author used with the characters about the world ending weren't genuine. Otherwise this book was amazing. I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a gripping suspense novel or maybe just anyone in general. It raises some major questions of faith and it is amazing to follow the swaying of Marina and Jed's beliefs.

Are you looking for a great book? Do you find it hard to find a book that makes you want to keep reading? I usually have this problem too. At least I did before I found this book.
The title of the book is Armageddon summer. The book was written by Jane Yolen and Bruce Coville.
There are two main characters in the novel. Their names are Jed and Marina. The story revolves around these two and how they meet. The book is written as two stories and it combines into one at the end which is really good for getting to know what the other characters think. It takes place in a small mountain in Massachusetts called Mt. Weeupcut. They are up there because the reverend of there church, Reverend Beelson, tells them that the world is going to end. He believes that god is going to end the world on July 27th, 2000 and all the people that are not on Mt. Weeupcut will be fried in the flames. The problem is that there is only aloud to be 144 believers up on the mountain at that time. Reverend Beelson thinks god wants 144 because the two sacred numbers are three and four. Multiply them and you get twelve. Twelve and twelve is a 144. It becomes a problem when they have the required 144. There are angels with guns outside and electrical fences surrounding the area. This is so no one can get in or out. Reverend Beelson wants not one more or one less than the needed 144. The believers that get to the mountain too late are not aloud in and wait outside the gates yelling in and waiting for their chance to get in. You will have to read this book to find out what really happens. Will the world end or not?
The authors did a great job with this book. There is great characterization in the book. You really get to know the characters and get inside there minds. The authors also use irony in the novel. The ending came to a surprise to me but I really liked it. One more literary element that made this book so interesting was the mood the author sets. Its calm and happy through most of the book, but then it gets really loud and violent near the end and it makes it impossible to put the book down.
This is one of my favorite books. I really liked it because I could relate to on of the main characters so much. I could really tell what was in his mind and how he felt. I recommend this book to all readers. It is an easy book to read and it was written very well.

Novels written in the first person aren't very common; good novels written in the first person are even less so. This YA book is narrated by its main characters, Marina and Jed, who meet each other at a mountaintop encampment to await the end of the world. This style allows the authors to develop them into deep, likeable characters (and it takes a while to do so).

Realistic settings are vividly described and neatly merged with actual places. After Marina and Jed tell this story, you might be tempted to search for the (fictional) events in old newspapers!

Yes, this is a love story, but it's not junior chick-lit. It's an adventure, too. After about the middle of the book, the plot tightens. Although the climax occurs shy of the end, what comes after salvages hope from the ashes of the "armageddon."

The coauthors have done a fine job presenting the religious aspects of this story in a very non-judgmental and inoffensive way. It does not appear they are pushing a particular view--something to consider when choosing a young adult novel.

Most anyone with a young heart will enjoy ARMAGEDDON SUMMER.

-Mike Kelley,
Author of "Violent Night"

This book was pretty cool. Once I picked it up, I really couldn't put it down(Except when the bell rang and I had to dash to the next class, that is.) There are two main characters, Jed and Marina. They are stuck up on a mountain, because their parent(s) belong to a nutty religious cult that believes that the world is going to end, and that the only way to be saved is to be on a certain mountain.It is written through the eyes of Jed and Marina(IE one chapter says "Jed", and the next says "Marina", and they explain the same thing, but through 2 different perspectives).It's really fun to read! Between Jed's humor and Marina's family problems, it is easy to stay into this book. It's great for about anyone 14 and older to read(anyone younger might not understand some of the parts). All in all, it kicks, so ya need to check it out!

I'd like to compare this book to a roller coaster. When you start on this book it goes slow but climbing up the hill getting more interesting, though it does do down the hill, it climbs right back to the top. When you stop this reading this book for a short time it leaves you wondering, what will happen next?

This book starts out as the main characters Marina and Jed are dragged to Mount Weeupcut by their parents, whose their pastor, Reverand Beelson and the believers, beleive that the world will vanish in a blaze of fire called Armageddon and that they will be saved by God if the 144 beleivers go to this mountain. They retreat up there bringing necessities and protection (weapons, to keep them safe and others out,non-beleivers). Jed, as well as Marina, question if they really do beleive all this which is happening and about God. Jed and Marina finally meet each other there, and they have both fall in love with each other for the first time.

Though this has sort of a romance setting it is not a romantic novel, for those (like me) who aren't intrested in that sort of stuff. This book also has a religous setting which will get you thinking. Like this book, I will leave you wondering of what does and will happen next.

This is really a great book that deals extremely well with its difficult and touchy subject matter. This book would have greatly suffered had the authors chosen to view the characters in a more black-and-white fashion (it would have been easy to portray the cult's leader as a power-hungry and maniacal manipulator, for example). However, each character is handled with much more understanding, and that's one of the truly great aspects of this story. Why people believe what they do, how those beliefs can take on new intensity in response to various events in a person's life, and the danger of attaching specifics to those beliefs (like proclaiming the exact date of the end of the world and the precise number of people who will survive it) are the major themes of this story. The authors are not evangelical; rather, they bring up issues for careful consideration that are applicable to faith and religion in general. It is thought-provoking and important, and I wish that I had this book to read when I was younger (I am 29 now). There is a small amount of mild profanity, and the ending has some pretty intense moments, so I would say this book is most appropriate for ages 12+.