Customer Reviews

Umbrella Summer

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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I received Umbrella Summer by Lisa Graff for my birthday this year, just days after it came out. I was excited about this, because I had already read Mrs. Graff's The Thing About Georgie, and read about this book online.

When I was debating on whether or not to start reading it, I thought, "Well, I'll just read the first chapter to see how it goes." And I ended up reading half of the book. And later that evening, I read the rest.

At the end of the book, I couldn't figure out whether to cry or just smile like an idiot. The last paragraph/sentence was truly epic in my opinion.

Lisa Graff is an amazing writer, and her characters are always real and relatable. I am looking foward to her next book.

Over all, Umbrella Summer is a must read. Order it right now, or just run to the book store.

There's a reason I don't read Jodi Picoult. It involves the size of my eyelids the morning after I read one of her books. HUGELY PUFFY! Something happened when I had child number two-I can't cry over a sad movie, show, or book right before bed without waking the next morning looking like my eyelids have been stung by bees. It's not pretty.
This morning-puffy, swollen, bee-stung eyelids. Umbrella Summer by Lisa Graff caused me to do some serious de-puffing this morning, but I loved this book! Sad books don't always make great read-alouds, but I do believe that the conversations you could have make this a good consideration for a read-aloud. I don't want to say anything else about the sadness, but boy is this a great book! The power of community to help a person heal-what a great message!
The main character Annie, is a girl I can relate to-she worries about everything! Bike safety, dangerous diseases, and more. She worries so much she has given up many of her favorite things to do, like racing on her bike with her best friend. Too dangerous. Now even though I can relate to Annie and her worries, the reason behind our compulsive worrying is not similar. We won't go into my issues, but Annie feels she needs to do enough worrying to keep herself and her family safe. Through her friendship with an elderly, new, next-door neighbor, the reading of Charlotte's Web (love books that reference other books!), and a few mishaps along the way, Annie learns that worrying isn't as necessary or all-consuming as she was letting be.
I'm so happy I loved this book, which sounds like a silly thing to say, but it bothered me that I did not like Bernetta Wallflower when so many other people have liked it. In my opinion it will become a kid's classic in the same vein as The Bridge to Terabithia.

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Annie hates getting the "dead brother" look, but she seldom escapes it during the first year after her older brother Jared's death. Now Annie is ultra careful to make sure she does don't have any diseases (like Ebola) or take chances that may cause her to be injured (like running an obstacle course,) since no one knew her brother Jared was sick until it was too late. As Jared's birthday approaches, each of the people who knew and loved him struggle to deal with the fact that he is gone.

Each character in Umbrella Summer plays an important part in helping Annie discover how best to celebrate her brother's life. Lisa Graff paints a humorous and poignant picture of the lives of Annie, her parents, her best friend, and the community that surrounds them.

My daughter, who is extremely sensitive, loved this book and gave it to me to read. I thought it taught lessons without being preachy. It mixed humor in with the heart-breaking. An exceptional novel. This author has created a true gift for her readers and I think those who read it come away with a greater understanding and empathy for those around them.

i couldn't put the book down. this story is a must read for anyone carrying around grief from the loss of a loved one. i can't wait to put it in my elementary school library.

Lisa Graff is now one of my favorite authors. She's one of those rare children's authors whose books speak to adults as well. I read The Thing About Georgie and loved it so much I bought copies for my son's 4th grade class.
Umbrella Summer was even better. The characters are funny and quirky and very real. There are messages in her books that are very powerful but in a way that isn't preachy or awkward. I'm 45 and I liked this book so much, I read it to my 10 year old son and then bought a copy for a friend.
I can't wait for more of her stories!

I just finished the second grade and could not put this book down. It was a combination of things: funny, sad, angry -- all interesting. My mother was surprised that I would finish a book this thick, but it was so good it wasn't difficult at all. I really loved it. Check it out!

Umbrella Summer by Lisa Graf is a wonderful story about a young girl who is afraid of having an accident-any kind of accident. She goes through boxes of band-aids and takes to reading a huge doctor's manuel for better diagnosing of her ailments. She has real reason to be afraid though as her older brother recently passes from an undetected heart problem and this is her way of working through her grief. This book is really well-written. Please have a box of tissues ready for last half of book!

This is a touching story of a young girl as she learns to live again after the death of her brother.