Mod 7: Umbrella Summer Review

What's It All About?

Annie is careful. VERY careful. That's because there's a million bad things that could happen. Giving up all the fun things kids her age like to do - such as riding a bike - is a small price to pay to know that she'll stay safe. She wasn't always this way though. She was carefree before her brother Jared unexpectedly died. Can Annie ever go back to the way she was before or is she stuck in her ever-evolving hypochondria bubble?

What'd I Think?

Whew. Watching the heartbreak that Annie goes through after she has lost her brother is rough. All I wanted to do was wrap her up in my arms and tell her it would all be okay, and then take her to feed the ducks like they always did on the Fourth of July.

I give it 5 out of 5 stars!

What'd They Think?

Horn Book Guide

(October 02, 2009; 9780061431883)

After her brother Jared dies from a rare heart condition, Annie copes by reading about illnesses; though prepared, she's not healing. That comes slowly, aided by understanding friends and a close-knit community of complex, concerned (but never cloying) characters. Expect tears, but also expect to cheer for Annie's recovery as she gradually learns to honor Jared's life and care for her own. (c) Copyright 2010.

School Library Journal

(June 01, 2009; 9780061431883)

Gr 4-6-After her brother's unexpected death from a rare heart ailment, adventurous Annie Richards changes into an overly cautious child who diligently tries to prevent any illness or accident happening to her. Each cut or bump is bandaged. Instead of racing her friend Rachel on her bike, the 10-year-old invents turtle racing to see who can ride the slowest. Games she deems too dangerous are avoided. Annie's neighborhood is filled with friends and neighbors who care, but too often she sees the "dead brother" look on their faces. Only when Mrs. Finch moves into the long-vacant "haunted" house in the neighborhood, and Annie attempts to sell her outdated Junior Sunbird cookies, do things begin to change. Friendship, shared moments, and some careful listening help Annie close her umbrella of sadness. As in The Life and Crimes of Bernetta Wallflower (2008) and The Thing About Georgie (2007, both HarperCollins), Graff has created a lively, quirky individual who tells her story with frankness and humor. Annie's three friends come across as real kids who treat Annie's eccentricities with a mixture of understanding and occasional anger. A more complex read than Andrea Beaty's Cicada Summer (Abrams, 2008), Annie's story deals with death with sensitivity, love, and understanding.-Kathryn Kosiorek, formerly at Cuyahoga County Public Library, Brooklyn, OH (c) Copyright 2010.