Twisted Summer [Mass Market Paperback]

Willo Davis Roberts (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 1998

Willo Davis Roberts wrote many books for adults and children during

her long and illustrious career. Three of her children's books won Edgar

Awards, while others received great reviews and other accolades. "The

One Left Behind" would have been her hundredth book for children.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6-9?The brisk pace of this suspenseful murder mystery lures readers right to the gripping ending. Fourteen-year-old Cici Linden's anticipated summer among family and old friends on Crystal Lake in Michigan takes an abrupt turn when she realizes that the brother of the boy she likes has been convicted of murdering a flirtatious girl from the summer community. Convinced of Brody's innocence, Cici searches for the real killer in the midst of the illness and death of her beloved grandmother and her growing conviction that her stepgrandfather is somehow involved in the crime. Before discovering the murderer's identity, Cici survives being shot at and uncovers double blackmail. Roberts writes insightfully about death and the different ways in which people grieve. This is a well-crafted, sophisticated story that conveys Cici's conflicting feelings as her hopes for a romantic summer turn sour.?Connie Tyrrell Burns, Mahoney Middle School, South Portland, ME
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Gr. 6^-8. Last summer Cici and her family couldn't make it to their Michigan cabin. This summer promises to be better. Fourteen-year-old Cici fits into her new bikini beautifully; surely, 17-year-old Jake will notice. But last summer, Jake's older brother was convicted of murder, and this summer, Jake wants to talk about it. As Jake and Cici review the facts of the case, clues surface. In the middle of their investigation, Cici's grandmother dies. Although Cici feels guilty for suspecting the mourners, she prepares a list of suspects with motive and opportunity. When the list disappears, it's apparent that someone knows what the teens are doing. Cici's first-person narrative enhances the realistic characterizations, and although the ending is a bit formulaic, it's still a suprise. A charming mystery for readers who like Nancy Drew. Karen Simonetti --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Simon Pulse (July 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689806000
• ISBN-13: 978-0689806001
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 4.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (49 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #940,297 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #92 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Teens > Mysteries

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Twisted Summer Review, November 3, 2000

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Twisted Summer (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition) (School & Library Binding)

The book Twisted Summer by Willow Davis Roberts is about how a girl named Cici and how she spends her summer at Crystal Lake. Cici is fourteen and going on fifteen years old and is hoping to have a special summer at the lake, joining the big kids. Cici and her family have spent every summer at the lake, for as far back as she could remember, except for last summer. When they arrive at the lake, they find out that there was a murder at the lake, of a young girl, and Jack a boy 2 years older than Cici, his brother, Brody, had been convicted, and sent to jail. Cici cannot belive that Brody would do such a thing, and neither could jack, his mother, or some other residents at the lake. So Cici tries to discover what really happened. Their summer is then complicated with the illness and death on Cicis grandma Molly. The cottage they all stay in belonges to the Judge, Mollys second husbend. Molly's illness then helps Cici to make unexpected discoveries about the Judge, things that may or may not have information about the murder. It then becomes clear to her that she will be in mortal danger if she continues her investigation. Befor it is all solved, she finds she has matured and that she is now one of the big kids. I difinitely would recommend this book to people of all ages to read. It's an easy to read book, which has suspense, mystery and friendly characters. It also has a lot of drama and you will want to finish it quickly, to see what happenes at the end.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book, November 24, 2005

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Twisted Summer (Mass Market Paperback)

This book is excellent and worth the money.
I read this book from the library, and I've read it 2 times so far.
It's so good, that at the end, both times, I had goosbumps all over, and I felt a great sense of relief.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good mystery, with a great story, June 30, 2001

By 

Valerie Lockhart (Shreveport, Louisiana) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Twisted Summer (Hardcover)

This book was really fun to read. Throughout the book, Cici is trying to find out who killed a girl at the lake the previous summer. There are several suspects, and each of them, at one point or another, says something, or makes a comment, that would make one believe that that particular person was the murderer. Towards the end though, Cici zeroes in on one particular person, and with the help of Jack (a boy she likes), they finally find out who the murderer is. It's a surprise ending. This book was fun to read, and I really enjoyed it.