Customer Reviews

Summer Of Fear (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition)

5 star:		(55)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I first read SUMMER OF FEAR in high school and found it to be the first book I couldn't put down, actually reading it all the way through in one sitting! Lois Duncan takes typical teenage angst and self-conscious paranoia and spins them together in a web of horror and mystery.

Rachel is the number one priority of her family until her cousin Julia (parents recently deceased) moves in. The two bond as sisters at first, but when Julia begins to receive all the attention, Rachel's jealousy kicks into high gear. The spin here is when "accidents" and deaths become common place. Rachel suspects Julia to be responsible, but the jealousy Rachel's family has witnessed lend them to believe Rachel is just looking for attention, leaving her to discover her "cousin's" evil secrets and legacy.

A great suspense novel I still reread occasionally. Check out the movie starring a teenaged Linda Blair as "Rachel" and Fran (The Nanny) Drescher as her best friend!

I have read many other Lois Duncan books. I was not planning on reading "Summer of fear" until my friend recommended it to me. She said that it was really good, so I took her suggestion and read it. I agree with her. It is a wonderful book about a 15 year-old girl named Rachel who lives in Albuquerque with her parents and her 2 brothers when her aunt and uncle and a buisness associate drive off the side of a cliff in the Ozarks. Her parents go to pick up Rachel's aunt and uncle's daughter Julia. Strange things start happening and Rachel is convinced that Julia is somehow connected to them. The rest of the family thinks she's crazy. Lois Duncan is an amazing writer and this book is surely one of her best books. So buy "Summer of Fear" and start reading!

The author, Lois Duncan, has brought out the characters in this book, giving each of them unique traits. Lois Duncan has written yet another mystery novel that is filled with suspense and excitement. The story opens up with Rachel a seventeen-year-old girl remembering a summer when a strange incident happens. Her cousin Julia comes to live with them. Julia ruins Rachel's life and plans to take over. Julia starts by stealing her boyfriends and her girlfriends. During this story Rachel tries to convince her family and friends that Julia is bad. But of course her family does not believe her.
As Duncan travels the characters through the book she brings them through all of her troubles. I thought this book was great and I hope you will want to read it too.

This book is awesome until the last gripping page. When I checked this book out at the library I was a little nervous because the cover art looked really scary. It turned out to be one of my favorite Lois Duncan titles yet.

The book starts out when Rachel's aunt and uncle die and their teenage daughter Julia comes to live with Rachel's family. Julia is incredibly beautiful and Rachel is jealous of her right away. Then she starts trying to steal Rachel's boyfriend and Rachel's brother. Rachel finds really strange things in the room she shares with Julia, things normal teenage girls wouldn't have. Rachel tries to warn her Mother and Father but they just brush it off as jealousy. Then the things go from bad to worse. You just have to read the story to find out!

A reader's first impression of Summer of Fear will more then likely be a story of horror and murder. But they may find out that the book is more then horror, it is a suspenseful thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat. The book also contains a type of love that over powers everything and could save the lives of your loved ones.

Rachel Bryant had a normal life with loving family and friends and the perfect boyfriend, but once her aunt and uncle die in a car crash her cousin Julia, that she hasn't seen since she was 3, comes to lives with them. Rachel is excited about having another girl in the house but once she finally meets Julia her feelings change toward her. She feels some type of magic that surrounds her but it isn't pleasant magic, it's sort of like black magic. Things start changing around Rachel and her family and Rachel is getting suspicious; her family starts to surround Julia with ever lasting love and is very protective about her feelings. Her mom and dad say that they need to help Julia (her cousin) with this awful tragedy, but it doesn't seem to be affecting her in any way at all. She doesn't really care that her mom and dad died a horrible death. When she first got there Julia seemed ok about the event that occurred, like she never cried. When her parent's things arrived from their house she didn't want to look at them at all, like she didn't care that they were actually gone. She never seemed to cry or feel any guilt when someone mentioned her parents. She never ever talked about them! Then when she got a letter from a friend she seemed to ignore it and not care about what was in it or about the sender.

More weird things change around her; her brother Peter gets googol eyes for Julia and becomes this sensitive guy towards girls that he has never shown before. Rachel's best friend Carolyn starts being best friends with Julia and leaves Rachel out in everything. Her boyfriend Mike falls madly in love with Julia like she is this beautiful girl that can only appear in dreams. Her dog trickle starts growling at Julia, which is a very unusual behavior he has never shown before, sort of like he knows that there is something wrong with Julia and is just protecting his family. Rachel can't help getting annoyed and suspicious for all these weird exotic changes, because they all changed the night Julia arrived at their house

Rachel one day finds this odd shape wax figure in Julia's drawer; it has four legs, a body and a head and white hair sticking out of it. Rachel thinks it looks like a dog, but no it couldn't be for only witches use and make things like that. Could Julia be a witch? No, not Rachel's cousin! Or is she? Rachel knows that there is something more to her cousin then everyone thinks, and since they are blinded by her she will prove to them that Julia isn't who they think she is.

This book starts out as Rachael is looking forward to another great summer, but the death of her aunt and uncle cut plans short. Rachael's cousin Julia is now coming to live with her. At first, the two girls bond like sisters, but soon Julia starts getting a lot of attention, and Rachael gets suspicious. Everyone, including Peter, Rachael's shy brother, falls in love with the beautiful cousin. Determined, Rachael does research, and digs into Julia's past. She finds out that Julia must be a witch. Only a witch could cause all of the `accidents' to happen. Even with nobody to believe her, Rachael keeps trying and never gives up until the end. Later, Rachael's mom invites both of the girls on a road trip, Rachael turns down the offer, but Julia doesn't. On the day of the trip Julia `plays sick'. Julia thinks that Rachael is in the car and purposely makes the car crash and run off a cliff. Luckily, Rachael got the truth out of Julia. But did she get it in time? Read Summer of Fear by Lois Duncan to find out what happens at the end.
I enjoyed the description that Lois Duncan put into the book using vivid words to put a clear picture into your head. What I disliked about the book was sometimes the story changed points of view. Sometimes it came from Rachael and other times it changed to a non-main character.
Lois Duncan used these words to describe Julia, Rachael's cousin. "She was a plain, thin girl with long, black hair that hung halfway to her waist. Her brows were heavy, her face narrow and shallow, but her eyes - even now, thinking back upon that moment, I cannot begin to describe my first impression of her eyes. They were deep and dark and filled with secrets. Haunted eyes. They were the strangest eyes I have ever seen." She put a picture into my head of what Julia looked like. Here is an example of what I disliked about the book. It starts out with Rachael speaking. "I go out this morning to get the paper and although it is still early....." Then it switches to Rachael's mother speaking. "The memories kept coming, flashing across the screen of my mind, filling my sister's voice with grief."
I recommend this book to any one who enjoys reading mysteries. In this book, you have a chance to learn things about witchcraft, and magic. People over ten years of age should read this book because some of the words are difficult to understand.

This is an excellent mystery written by Lois Duncan. Julia's parents die in a car accident when Julia is only 17, so she has to go live with her relatives, her mother's sister. Rachel is prepared for her cousin to come live with her. She is planning to treat her like a sister, go swimming with her, shop with her, do everything with her. But when a deep, dark-eyed Julia appears, Rachel is disappointed. The first day Julia is full of sorrow, but the second day Julia acts as if nothing has happened. When Carolyn, Rachel and Julia go to buy clothes, it seems strange that Julia has such a great figure. Well, that isn't a very important detail, but this is. Trickle, Rachel's dog, has never growled at anyone. Trickle is very sweet to everyone. But when Trickle growls at Julia and bites her, Rachel's family doesn't let Trickle sleep in the house any more. In the middle of the story, Julia seems to have practically stolen all of Rachel's life: her parents' love, Rachel's brother's affection, her steady boy friend, Rachel's best friend and even Rachel's room. And Julia has stolen it all with witchcraft. Rachel has proof, but no one will believe her until she remembers the professor. But then Julia manages to hurt the professor with her witchcraft. What can Rachel do? It turns out the "Julia is not really Julia". To find out what this means, read this book!

I have to admit that when I first looked at this book, I only got it because I had to. But when I started reading it, I immediately got hooked in the book's intriguing plot. Raechel is looking foward to another great summer, but the death of her aunt and uncle cut plans short. Raechel's cousin Julia is now coming to live with her. At first, the two girls bond like sisters, but soon Julia starts getting a lot of attention, and Raechel gets suspicious. Everyone, including Peter, Raechel's shy brother, falls in love with the beautiful cousin. Soon, Raechel's parents even believe that she is jealous, and ignore her pleas. Determined, Raechel does her research, and digs into Julia's past. But does she really want to know?

The moral of the book is that persistence pays off in the long run. Even with nobody to believe her, Raechel overcomes the odds and cuts Julia's plan off at the knees. If she had stopped trying, she, and everyone else in her family, could find themselves in a problem that they cannot get out of.

This is a great book that I am sure I will read many more times. I never thought of myself as a Duncan fan, but now I will definitely look into some of her many other works. I hope you enjoy the read.

This book written by Lois Duncan is a really good teen girl book. I couldn't put the book down and I don't read that often. It keeps you wondering about what is about to happen next. Like other books, it's got a twist you would never think of. It's not a scary book, it's more of a thriller book. If you are into any kind of thriller this is a really good choice. Or, if you don't read very often, try this book, it kept me reading and like I said, I don't read at all. Lois Duncan is also the author of I Know What You Did Last Summer so you know this has to be a good one. If you're a teenage girl, you should really try this book!

"Everyone loves Julia-except Rachel. Julia stole Rachel's bedroom, her best friend, and her boyfriend. Now Rachel's parents think she's jealous of her beautiful cousin. Why can't anybody see the evil behind Julia's charm?"

This book has genres of mystery, horror, and fantasy.

Lois Duncan wrote forty-five bestselling books. They include I Know What You Did Last Summer, Daughters of Eve, Don't Look Behind You, and Down a Dark Hall.

I think this book is almost perfect, because mystery, horror, and fantasy are some of my favorite genres. Readers who like any one of those three genres should read the book. People who like all three, like me, will most likely agree that this book rocks!

I bought the book from my school fair. You should do the same, or just simply borrow it from a library. I love Lois's writing, so I definately want to read another book written by her!