Seaglass Summer [Hardcover]

Anjali Banerjee (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up

 
Eleven-year-old Poppy Ray longs to be a veterinarian, but she's never had a pet. This summer, she's going to spend a month with her uncle Sanjay, veterinarian and owner of the Furry Friends Animal Clinic on an island off the Washington coast.
 
Poppy is in for big surprises. She loves tending to the dogs, cats, and even a bird, and she discovers the fun of newborn puppies and the satisfaction of doing a good job. But she learns that there's more to caring for animals than the stethoscope and cotton swabs in her Deluxe Veterinarian First-Aid Kit. She's not prepared for quirky pet owners, gross stuff, or scary emergencies. With help from a boy named Hawk, a chunk of seaglass, and a touch of intuition, Poppy gains a deeper understanding of the pain and joy of working with animals.
 
With warmth and humor, Anjali Banerjee tells the story of a resourceful, determined girl who can't wait to grow up, but begins to realize just how much she has left to discover.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3–6—While her parents are in India on business, 11-year-old Poppy Ray spends a month with her veterinarian uncle, Sanjay. She begins the summer with naïvely high expectations, planning to use her time healing and saving pets of all kinds. However, as her mother is allergic to anything with fur, life in Los Angeles has given Poppy no practical knowledge of animals or their peculiar owners. Her stubborn resolve to help Uncle Sanjay's clients brings her frustration, anger, and hurt, but a developing friendship with 13-year-old Hawk and meditation with a piece of seaglass slowly give her a more realistic understanding of animals, humans, and their relationships. In this realistic story, adults are pretty much hands-off, allowing Poppy to explore her new independence and grow with her experiences. Animal lovers will appreciate the warm, fuzzy moments, cry at the sad times, and feel at home in this rural island community off the coast of Washington state.—Carolyn Janssen, Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, OH
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Eleven-year-old Poppy wants to be a veterinarian like her uncle Sanjay. So while her parents are in India visiting relatives, she spends several weeks with him on Nisqually Island, Washington, helping out at his Furry Friends Animal Clinic. Episodic chapters focus on the people and animals that Poppy meets, her efforts to do a good job, no matter what’s thrown at her, and the difficulty she encounters in balancing dreams against some harsh realities. One terrific thing about this book is that there’s no talking down, either to Poppy or the reader. Everything’s on the table, from Sanjay’s father’s negative reaction to his son’s career choice to the limits of care a vet can provide when a pet is terminal. There are many moving events here, and only the hardest of hearts won’t soften when Poppy tries to comfort an elderly man whose beloved cat is being put down. Sometimes amusing, sometimes gross, and always true to itself, this should find a wide readership. Pencil illustrations enliven the chapter headings. Grades 4-6. --Ilene Cooper

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: Wendy Lamb Books; 1 edition (May 11, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385735677
• ISBN-13: 978-0385735674
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.9 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,389,824 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Anjali Banerjee was born in India, raised in Canada and California and received degrees from the University of California, Berkeley. Her books have received accolades in many review journals and newspapers. The Philadelphia Inquirer called her young adult novel, Maya Running (Wendy Lamb Books/Random House) "beautiful and complex" and "pleasingly accessible." The Seattle Times praised Anjali's novel for adults, Imaginary Men (Downtown Press/Pocket Books) as "a romantic comedy equal to Bend it Like Beckham."

Anjali has always loved to write. When she was seven, she penned her first story about an abandoned puppy on a beach in Bengal. Then, inspired by her maternal grandmother--an English writer who lived in India--she wrote a mystery, The Green Secret, at the age of nine. She illustrated the book, stapled the pages together and pasted a copyright notice inside the front cover. After that she churned out a series of mysteries and adventure novels with preposterous premises and impossible plots.

Growing up in a small town in Manitoba, Canada, Anjali's favorite family event was the weekly drive to the garbage dump to watch for bears. She also loved jaunts to the library, where she checked out the same Curious George books dozens of times. She adored a picture book called The Bear Who Couldn't Sleep, starring a baby bear who refused to hibernate in winter. Her favorite authors were Enid Blyton, Agatha Christie, Alexander Key, C.S. Lewis and others. Every night her father read to her from C.S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia or Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

After she grew up and finished university, Anjali tried on jobs like new sets of clothes--veterinary assistant, office manager and law student--before rediscovering her love for writing. Since then, Anjali's Pushcart Prize-nominated short fiction has appeared in several literary journals and in the anthology New to North America. She was a contributing writer for three regional history books and local newspapers before she began writing novels. An alumnus of Hedgebrook, an esteemed retreat for women writers on Whidbey Island, Anjali has been a speaker at the South Asian Literary and Theater Arts Festival (SALTAF®) at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., at many schools, libraries and writers' conferences, and she has led workshops for Field's End and the Whidbey Island Writers' Association MFA program.

Anjali loves hiking, reading, watching movies, supporting local animal welfare organizations, feeding birds, and playing piano. She lives in the Pacific Northwest, in a cottage in the woods, with her husband and five rescued cats.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 3rd Grade Class reviews Seaglass Summer, January 18, 2011

By 

Hillel Day School Library (Michigan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Seaglass Summer (Hardcover)

Seaglass Summer is a great book! It is a good book for a person who likes adventures. One of my favorite adventures is when Poppy Ray got on the ferry and headed off to Washington State. The book is a little bit on the gross side because Poppy Ray goes to Washington State to start her dream of being a vet. I think the author was going up and down hill with this book, which means it was good, then scary, then emotional. I hope you get what I mean. Poppy Ray is a cool and adventurous girl who has a heart for animals. My favorite part of Seaglass Summer is when Poppy Ray learns to meditate using sea glass. Seaglass Summer is a wonderful book! Emily F.

Seaglass Summer is a very great book. It is a good book for people who like adventurous, exciting books. A few of my favorite parts are when Poppy Ray gets to help the newborn puppies take their first breath. I also like how Poppy Ray helps Stu when he gets hurt. I love Seaglass Summer!!!!!! Nia K.

I loved Seaglass Summer. This book does teach a few life lessons; one lesson is that when you visit new places you can make new friends. This book is sometimes scary but is also has adventures in it. It was scary because Uncle Sanjay's dog got hurt. Sometimes it is gross and at times it's sad. It was sad because a cat had to be put to sleep, and it was gross because Uncle Sanjay said that once he had to take care of a cow with his eye drooping out of the socket. My favorite part of the book was when Poppy Ray helped save her uncle's dog. The book Seaglass Summer is a great, wonderful book. Ethan B.

I love Seaglass Summer because it's the kind of book that could happen in real life!Poppy Ray is a girl who wants to be a vet, so she goes to her uncle's clinic. My favorite part was when Poppy Ray and Hawk go biking together and Hawk meets some of his friends on the way. They ask who Poppy is, and Hawk calls her "Just a kid." There is also a Lavender Festival, at which Poppy receives a lavender sachet from Toni, Uncle Sanjay's friend. Near the end of the book, Poppy Ray takes a trip to the beach, where many things happen. This is an awesome book!!! Maya G.

Seaglass Summer is an awesome story. The story takes place on Nisqually Island, WA. At times, it gets a little scary. There is a life lesson in the book that is, use what you have to make things right. The book is gross because there are dog testicles and a cow whose eyeball fell out. The book is full of excitement. My favorite part is when Poppy Ray saves Stu from not being able to walk, which is awesome along with scary. Seaglass Summer is a tremendous book. Jacob E.

I loved Seaglass Summer. I liked the part when Hawk showed Poppy the gross dog testicles, because it was funny when Poppy said EEEEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWW! That part made me laugh lots! I think that part fits in with being an amazing vet. That is my favorite part of the book. There were more great parts. Jacob S.

The book was fantastic! Uncle Sanjay made my class think of collecting things because in the story he collected air from other places. The book was a little gross and scary though. There was a part with a cow with a bulged out eyeball, (ewww)! Uncle Sanjay was my favorite character. Some of my favorite parts of the book were when Hawk shows Poppy dog testicles and freaks out. She sees some orcas; she saves a duck from the bathroom, and much more. Seaglass Summer is a great book for everyone. Alex A.

I loved Seaglass Summer. It was a bit gross and kind of sad at times, because one of the main characters is a vet. One part I liked was when Poppy helps save her uncle`s dog, Stu. Poppy learns a lot during her stay on Nisqually Island. It was sad when she had to leave, but I guess when we go on a trip, we have to leave too. I think the lesson is, being a vet isn`t all fun and games, you have to deal with a lot of gross stuff and emergencies. Seaglass Summer is an amazing book. It made me feel like part of the story. Noa A.

5.0 out of 5 stars A top pick for young adult collections, July 20, 2010

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Seaglass Summer (Hardcover)

A fine story of friendship evolves. Anjali Banerjee's SEAGLASS SUMMER tells of Poppy, who longs to be a vet even though she's never had a pet due to her mother's allergies. Her summer with an uncle who owns an animal clinic is filled with surprises as she finds her love of animals may not equip her to handle their quirky owners. A top pick for young adult collections!

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A perfect read for animal lovers, July 17, 2010

By 

Whatcha Reading Now? (Florida, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Seaglass Summer (Hardcover)

When eleven-year-old Poppy Bhatta's parents travel to India for a month of business and family visits, she's excited to stay behind and spend her summer vacation with Uncle Ravi. But when she arrives, his home on a remote island off the coast of Washington is so different from Los Angeles and everything else she knows. But Poppy has always dreamed of being a vet and Uncle Ravi runs his own animal clinic, so this is the perfect chance to get professional training.

Poppy quickly learns there's a lot she doesn't know about animals. Scary stuff-- like pain, suffering, abandonment and even death. It's not a part of what she'd envisioned. Through it the summer, Poppy never gives up on her dream. With the gentle guidance of Uncle Ravi and her new friend Hawk, the son of the receptionist at the clinic, she discovers the joys that can come from the comfort and care of animals.

Author Anjali Banerjee has crafted a tender, heartwarming novel for anyone who loves stories about animals, friendship, family or characters who pursue their dreams.
-- Reviewed by Michelle Delisle