The Summer I Shrank My Grandmother [Library Binding]

Elvira Woodruff (Author), Katherine Coville (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1990 | Age Level: 8 and up

When aspiring scientist Nelly Brown uses a magic chemistry set to make her grandmother young again but is unable to stop the alteration, the seventy-year-old woman becomes a baby and Nelly fears that she may shrink into nothing.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In the tradition of Scott Corbett's The Lemonade Trick , this offbeat fantasy reveals the risks of meddling with fate as it recounts a child's mishaps with an extraordinary chemistry set. After discovering an ancient box filled with mysterious powders, budding scientist Nelly Brown produces a formula to make her grandmother younger. But the 10-year-old gets more than she bargains for when she applies the potion: overnight, 70-year-old Emma is transformed into a lively 30-year-old. At an alarmingly rapid rate, her years continue to slip away until Nelly finds herself in charge of a helpless infant. While waiting for the heroine to stumble across the obvious solution to her predicament, readers will be entertained by her attempts to keep track of the elusive Emmy ("That's what I like to be called"), who grows more impish by the day. Although the premise is somewhat contrived, this novel is sure to stir young readers' imaginations. Woodruff ( Awfully Short for the Fourth Grade ) seems to know all the tricks for holding a middle grade audience: blending elements of magic, fast-paced action and a dab of levity, she produces an irresistible tale. Ages 8-12.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-6-- Nelly Brown, 10, is spending the summer at a seaside cottage with her grandmother while her scientist parents are away on research projects across the country. Nelly is an avid experimenter herself, and is delighted to discover a mysterious antique chemistry set in the cottage basement. With it, she concocts an anti-aging formula, and secretly applies it to her grandmother. It works only too well, and Nelly soon finds Grandma growing rapidly younger: first a 30-year-old, then a teenager, a 10-year-old, a toddler, and finally a fast-disappearing infant, all within a few days. The chemistry set only guarantees one successful experiment per user, but a solution will become apparent to readers, if not to Nelly, when they learn that her favorite cousin, Ben, is on his way to the cottage. This is an enjoyable fantasy with realistic concerns about the effects of aging balanced by the comic results of Nelly's solution, and just a touch of real magic to spice up the story. The reading level, tone, and feeling are similar to Woodruff's Awfully Short for the Fourth Grade (Holiday, 1989), combining a childishly serious theme with funny results in an easy fantasy. It will appeal to the same wide audience. --Susan L. Rogers, Chestnut Hill Academy, PA
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Library Binding: 153 pages
• Publisher: Holiday House; 1st edition (October 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0823408329
• ISBN-13: 978-0823408320
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,812,692 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Elvira Woodruff is the author of over twenty picture books and novels for young readers including George Washington's Socks. Most recent books include Fearless and Small Beauties: The Journey of Darcy Heart O'Hara.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!, January 31, 2001

By 

"shannon2000" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Summer I Shrunk My Grandmother (Library Binding)

I love this book!!!!!!!!!! It is about a girl named Nelly.She makes a potion.Then when she is washing her grandmas hair she mixes it in to the shampoo!!!!!Then her grandma keeps geting younger.Read this book to find out what happens next.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Read, November 11, 2000

By A Customer

Have you ever wondered what your parents or grandparents were like as children? Well, in this book Nelly Brown is playing around with her Grandmother's old chemistry set and shrinks her Grandmom. Instead of getting older and older, her Grandmother keeps getting younger and younger. Will she shrink into nothing, or will Cousin Ben come and save the day? Read this wonderful book to find out.

5.0 out of 5 stars amazzzzing!, August 21, 2005

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Summer I Shrank My Grandmother (Library Binding)

best book ever once i read this book by her i read all the other books by her they were all awesome!!!!!!!!