Memories of Summer [Hardcover]

Ruth White (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up

By the author of the Newbery Honor book Belle Prater's Boy

It is the mid-1950s, and Lyrics familys dream is finally coming true -- they are moving from the backwoods of southwest Virginia to Flint, Michigan, where her father hopes to get an assembly-line job for a car manufacturer. Thirteen-year-old Lyric has always been close to and admired her older sister, Summer, who is pretty and popular. But in their new hometown, Summer unexpectedly and drastically changes. She becomes remote, speaks gibberish, stops taking care of her appearance, wont go to high school, and then seems to have hallucinations. Lyric and her father try to cope with the devastating effects of Summers mental illness, but, sadly, there is no bringing the old Summer back. Ruth White has written a heart-wrenching novel which, despite the sad and serious subject matter, offers readers humor and hope and most of all love.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

White's (Belle Prater's Boy) familiar territory of Appalachia in the 1950s is the vividly drawn springboard to this tender, lyrical novel about mental illness. Sisters Summer and Lyric Compton are 16 and 13, respectively, when their Poppy decides to leave the sooty coal mines of rural Virginia for the booming automobile factories of Flint, Mich. Told in Lyric's evocative drawl, the story of their migration contains enough careful observations and insights to carry the tale all by itself. But it is Summer's descent into schizophrenia that emerges as the focal point. Acknowledging that Summer "always did have funny ways about her" (since childhood, Summer has been so afraid of electricity that she won't turn on a light), Lyric and Poppy are not quick to act when Summer's behavior and language grow more and more irrational. But as Poppy gets a job with Chevrolet and moves the family from a squalid apartment to a house of their own, and as Lyric makes friends and begins to say "ree-al-lee" and "yous guys" instead of "no foolin'" and "y'all," Summer's illness encroaches on their lives in an increasingly demanding and dangerous manner. Summer's disintegration inspires confusion, anger and palpable frustration in Lyric before she finally understands her sister's plight. The result is a wise and thoughtful novel, painfully well realized and gently revealed. Ages 10-up. (Aug.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 7-10-In the 1950s, Lyric's widowed father moves her and her sister, Summer, from Glory Bottom, VA, to Michigan, hoping to better their life. Like other rural Southerners, 13-year-old Lyric and her family initially find adjustment to urban life difficult, but Lyric has an even worse problem. Her beautiful older sister has progressed from being afraid of electricity and dogs to speaking incoherently with nonexistent people and disfiguring herself. Lyric shares the care of Summer with her father, leaving her with little time for after-school activities and a dread that her new friends might find out about her sister's mental illness. When Summer becomes consumed with setting fires in the house, Lyric and her father know they must make some changes; after she injures Lyric, they are forced to institutionalize her. The main characters are well drawn and Lyric's first-person narration remains true to her age and background. White has beautifully reconstructed the period with descriptive references to music, clothing, housing, and social attitudes. Lacking the humor of her Belle Prater's Boy (1996), this book is closer in tone to White's Weeping Willow (1994, both Farrar). A marvelous re-creation of time and place and a poignant story that has much to say about compassion.
Cindy Darling Codell, Clark Middle School, Winchester, KY
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR); 1st edition (August 29, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0374349452
• ISBN-13: 978-0374349455
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,438,340 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You have to get it!, September 10, 2000

By 

Jenny (CT) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Memories of Summer (Hardcover)

This is the best book I have ever read. This book gives you it all laughs, tears and the fun of reading it! It deals with many different important issues throughout the book which make all your emotions seen. Once you pick this book up you can't put it down because you just have to know what ends up happening! A great beggining, middle and end! You can't get any better!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Book!, July 19, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Memories of Summer (Hardcover)

Lyric, a thirteen year old girl, re-tells the story of her move with her family from rural Virginia to the city of Flint, Michigan. Just as Lyric is discovering herself as a young teen, she is disappointed to find that her sister is lapsing into a deep struggle with mental illnes. Seen through the eyes of Lyric, this story is both heartwarming and sad. The descriptive writing of Ruth White and the voice of Kate Forbes, invites the listener to imagine what life was really like for a teen that has been uprooted from the peacfulness of a rural community only to take on the struggles of city life at school and at home. This book would be an excellent book for any young reader. (This review is based on the audio version).

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Memories of Summer, October 8, 2003

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Memories of Summer (Readers Circle) (Mass Market Paperback)

Memories of Summer is about two girls named Lyric and Summer.
The sisters' mom died about a year after Lyric was born. Their grandfather died in a mining accident. On Summer's birthday, they got a surprise from their Poppy telling them that they were moving to Flint, Michigan.
When they got to Flint, they moved into a two- bedroom apartment. About a week later Lyric and Summer started school. Lyric liked it but Summer didn't so she dropped out. When Summer started staying home, she began talking to imaginary people and having episodes of paranoia. The family decides to take Summer to the doctor. The doctor tells them that Summer has a disease called schizophrenia and that they should take her to Pontiac so they could focus on only Summer. Lyric and Poppy say no and bring Summer back home. Everyday Summer gets worse. One day she cussed out her babysitter. One day she tries to burn her arm!
What happens next....... well read this book Memories of Summer by Ruth White to find out.