Summer has a magic all its own in Elizabeth Enright's beloved stories about two children and their discovery of a ghostly lakeside resort. These two modern classics are once again available in Odyssey/Harcourt Young Classic editions, but now with handsome new cover art by Mary GrandPré to complement Beth and Joe Krush's original interior illustrations.
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Book Description
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Editorial Reviews
From School Library Journal
Grade 3-6-Elizabeth Enright's 1957 Newbery Honor book (Harcourt, pap. 1990) will continue to entertain and enlighten today's children in this audiobook format just as the print version has for generations. A brief opening train ride (one of the only somewhat dated segments in the book) introduces listeners to Portia and Foster, siblings on their way to spend a summer in the country with their cousin Julian and his parents. But from that point on, the magic of discovering a small summer community, derelict for decades as its lake slowly dried, is just as enchanting today as it was nearly 50 years ago. Even Foster's play at robots and space stations contributes a contemporary feel to the story's details. The story is beautifully written with fairly sophisticated language, and it is even more of a treat to listen to thanks to a charming narration by Colleen Delany. Her lightning-fast transitions from voice to voice are absolutely on target, and she voices each character distinctly. The unfolding tale of the once-upon-a-time summer colony at the turn of the 20th century is wonderful, and Delany's clear, artful reading adds value. This story of a summer of discovery and adventure would be an outstanding choice for elementary school youngsters with a good reading and vocabulary skills.
Jane P. Fenn, Corning-Painted Post West High School, NY
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.
Jane P. Fenn, Corning-Painted Post West High School, NY
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.
Review
"[Has] a brilliance and a humor that make it seem as if it were happening right this minute."—The New York Times Book Review
"A beautifully written, wonderfully imaginative story."—Publishers Weekly
"A beautifully written, wonderfully imaginative story."—Publishers Weekly
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
44 of 45 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
"Gone-Away Lake" is a delightful, beautifully written story, just this side of fantasy and filled with interesting, likable characters. A brother and sister from the city take the train to visit their country cousin. The children discover an old, mostly abandoned summer colony of houses near a swamp that used to be a lake. There they meet the most charming people in the book, an elderly sister and brother, Minnehaha Cheever and Pindar Payton, who are living happily in the place where they spent summers as children. The pair wear old-fashioned clothes stored away many years ago by their family, cultivate a variety of gardens, and have chickens, goats, a duck, and a cat named Fatly. Once a month, Pindar cranks up the antique Franklin car and drives into town for supplies. The children are adventuresome and imaginative, and have no need of TV to keep themselves amused. The descriptions of the country are amazingly vivid, and there's plenty of humor too. Don't miss the sequel, "Return to Gone-Away." And Elizabeth Enright's series about the Melendy family is also fun to read.
29 of 29 people found the following review helpful
A Kid's Review
Format:Paperback
I'm 12 and just finished the book today and was totally SHOCKED at the bad reviews!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have read Miracles at Maple Hill and I loved it and these books are very similar but in a good way, a very good way! I am convinced that all of the people who disliked this book were either disappointed because they rather idiotically judged the book by it's mysterious cover or they just plain old don't like to read happy books with happy endings or just don't like to read at ALL (which is beyond my imagination)!! I was supposed to read this for school but I started it early having nothing else to read and finished LONG before the date i was supposed to START it!
So it's not a horror or a thriller, SO?!?!?! So it's not violent or action packed, WHO CARES?!?!?! It's sweet and fun and I read it for hours! It is one of the few books I could read again!
So it's not a horror or a thriller, SO?!?!?! So it's not violent or action packed, WHO CARES?!?!?! It's sweet and fun and I read it for hours! It is one of the few books I could read again!
17 of 19 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
These books made me wish I'd had this perfect summer adventure. Two children come across a group of old houses, mysteriously vacant and abandoned on the shore of a swampy lake. Somebody has been there -- there's a warning and an inscription carved into a rock. Can the children keep their find a secret? Who left the houses and where did they go? What's lurking in the lake?
A terrific story -- the main characters are a boy and girl who are good friends, interesting people, and respectful of each other's strengths and weaknesses.
It was one of my husband's favorite books and it has become one of mine after we read it aloud to our daughter. The sequel is just as good (Return to Gone-Away). If you enjoyed Enright's books about the Melendy children ("The Saturdays" "Four-Story Mistake", etc.) you'll love these.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Really Good Read!!
I read this book to my children when they were little. It is excellent! My kids now have grandchildren, but this remains one of our favorite books of all time for children.
Published 5 months ago by MacGregor
5.0 out of 5 stars
pleasant plot with gentle humor
Ten-year-old Portia Blake and her six-year-old brother Foster are riding a train all by themselves on their way to spend their summer vacation with their Uncle Jake, Aunt Hilda,... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Wayne S. Walker
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great Tale for Adventurous Readers!
As a child, I LOVED books that would take me away to a place like Gone Away Lake. I wish I had found this when I was ten because I'm sure it would have been one of my favorite... Read more
Published 9 months ago by B. Cuenin
5.0 out of 5 stars
GONE AWAY LAKE BOOK REVIEW
Gone Away Lake is a delightful, adventurous, and beautiful story written by Elizabeth Enright. Two brothers take a train to visit their uncles and cousin. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Luisa Maria V.R
5.0 out of 5 stars
Krush illustrations delightful!
I read this book as a young girl and it was the illustrations by Joe and Beth Krush that haunted me for years! Read more
Published 15 months ago by Dayle H. Jacob
5.0 out of 5 stars
My favorite children's novel
I first read this when I was in fourth grade. My favorite book when I was a kid I made sure I'd read it every summer and several times in between. Read more
Published 17 months ago by Cassondra B. Mccarthy
5.0 out of 5 stars
Gone-Away Lake is good for the whole family.
I think Gone-Away Lake is exciting, and good for boys and girls. This book is for everyone- animal lovers, outdoor people, and adventurers. Read more
Published 20 months ago by Andrea M. Hogan
4.0 out of 5 stars
A quiet pleasure
There is something fundamentally cool about ghost towns and abandoned places. Here in Colorado there are lots of old mining towns that have gone from populations in the thousands... Read more
Published on March 23, 2011 by Pop Bop
5.0 out of 5 stars
A perfect read at any age
I received a copy of "Gone-Away Lake" from my second grade teacher as a parting gift at the end of the school year. Read more
Published on January 29, 2011 by Allis
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellence from a bygone era
I have read the Gone-Away Series and the Melendy Series to my daughter and I can't say enough good things about them. Read more
Published on March 8, 2010 by Laureen Miki
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 1
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17
books
cite this book:
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- Thimble Summer by Elizabeth Enright in Front Matter, and Back Matter
- Reading is not a Spectator Sport by Mary H. Pelton on page 147, page 152, and Back Matter
- The Mother-Daughter Book Club: How Ten Busy Mothers and Daughters Came Together to Talk, Laugh and Learn Through Their Love of Reading by Shireen Dodson on page 205, and Back Matter
- Return to Gone-Away by Elizabeth Enright in Front Matter, and Back Matter
- Return to Gone-Away (Gone-Away Lake Books) by Elizabeth Enright in Front Matter, and Back Matter
- Literature Circles: Cooperative Learning for Grades 38 by Mimi Neamen on page 44
See all 17 books citing this book
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