The Summer Sisters and the Dance Disaster [Hardcover]

Alex Shearer (Author), Tony Kenyon (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1998 | Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up

When the Summer sisters go into business not only to forecast weather but also to sell the weather which they dance into existence, one serious misstep leads to disaster.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-5AShearer takes a commonly voiced wish, mixes it with a large dose of humor, and adds a dollop of fantasy to produce a lively plot. When their parents move away and leave them on their own, Melissa, Patricia, and their brother (and honorary sister) Arthur Summer inherit the family weather-forecasting business. Although their predictions are successful, the youngsters still can't pay their bills. While casting about for ways to earn extra money, they discover an amazing book of weather dances. The siblings, who find it difficult to cooperate on anything, finally manage to learn the dance for "Fine and Sunny Weather" and quickly fill a barrel with sunbeams. After satisfying their first customer, they quickly find themselves overwhelmed with orders. This leads to sloppy dancing, which produces some unexpected weather. When they cause an eclipse that darkens the town for days, the Summer Sisters are convinced that it isn't so great to control the weather after all. Reminiscent of Margaret Mahy's work, Shearer's book is not quite as wacky or frenetic. While the characters are not fully drawn, readers will enjoy the silliness of their dialogue as well as their unlikely experiences. This light read, paired with undistinguished pen-and-ink illustrations, could add an amusing touch to weather units.AMaggie McEwen, Coffin Elementary School, Brunswick, ME
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

Unable to pay the bills simply forecasting weather, three young people decide to sell weather itself, 50 pence the sunbeam, with predictable results. Using magic tokens, the Summer sisters Melissa and Patriciaplus little brother Arthur, whom they dub an honorary sisteractually predict the weather with perfect accuracy, but since the pounds just aren't rolling in, the three turn to an overdue library book and dance up barrels full of rain clouds and sunny days to dispense. Disaster ensues, as first a vacation-ruining cloud gets in with the sunbeams, and then when Arthur accidentally snuffs out the sun. Supported by a cast of stock eccentrics and bemused parents, the sisters make a lively, contentious team, posing with disheveled grace in Kenyon's small, frequent black-and- white ink drawings. (Fiction. 10-12) -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 112 pages
• Publisher: Orchard Books (NY) (April 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0531300803
• ISBN-13: 978-0531300800
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,091,137 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars The book report of the Summer Sisters and the Dancing Disaster, February 9, 2006

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Summer Sisters and the Dance Disaster (Library Binding)

The two sisters Melissa and Patricia and their younger brother Arthur are fighting on a rainy day with nothing to do. Their parents are weather forecasters and are sick and tired of their job. Melissa was the oldest by a year from Patricia and Arthur was the youngest. Their parents decide to leave the kids behind and move away where there would be no weather, they also leave the weather buisness to the kids as well. The kids decide to rename the buisness but they dont know what to call it. They fight for a while then decide on the name to be "The Summer Sisters Long and Short Range Weather Forecast Bureau" and were going to call Arthur a girl. They tell everyone that these dances tell the weather. The dances will guarantee blue skys and sunny vacations. They make a mistake about the weather and cause and eclips. The kids think it is all their fault that they caused the eclips, and they start to wonder if it will be dark forever and that they will have to get the dance right before it wil turn sunny again. They go to the library to find a forecasting book to find out what to do. They finally done the dance right and instantly the sun came out and it was sunny again!!!