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Summerland | 
 enlarge | Author: Michael Chabon
Publisher: Highbridge Audio
Category: Book
List Price: $39.95
Buy New: $13.25
You Save: $26.70 (67%)
New (10) from $13.25
Avg. Customer Rating:  136 reviews
Sales Rank: 644385
Format: Unabridged
Media: Audio CD
Edition: Unabridged
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Number Of Items: 12
Pages: 15
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 6.1 x 5 x 1.4
ISBN: 1565117212
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9781565117211
ASIN: 1565117212
Publication Date: September 16, 2002
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
In Summerland, his first novel for young readers, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Michael Chabon attempts an American Narnia. Inspired by Lewis and Tolkien, he's created his own magical landscape on which to paint a sweeping fantasy quest, but mixes the same ingredients--folklore and new inventions--in a distinctively American way. The plot is simple and pure, but takes a long time to tell. The setting is Clam Island, Washington, specifically the area on the western tip of the island known as the Summerlands, which enjoys zero rainfall and yearlong fine weather. Ethan Feld, a self-described really bad ball player, is recruited by a 100-year-old scout called Mr. Chiron "Ringfinger" Brown. Ethan is needed to help the ferishers, essentially fairies, to save their world from eradication. On the great infinite tree of worlds, Summerland is on the boundary between two such worlds, and a particularly destructive fairy called Coyote and his band of warriors are nearby and threatening to destroy everything. Heroes are desperately needed to counter this threat, and their journey involves a lot of baseball, but also encounters with giants, bat-winged goblins, sea monsters, and assorted cunning magic. The novel features an ensemble cast of equal parts that shine and fade in turn, and yet the undoubtedly fine writing fails to mask the enormity and complexities of the world in which they travel, and the bad guys getting their comeuppance always seems so far away. Readers need to savor every word in Summerland to extract the best flavors from it. (Ages 10 and older.) --John McLay, Amazon.co.uk
Product Description
Summerland is the story of a young hero on a quest through the strange world of the American Faery. This is a fantasy for readers of all ages, set against the background of the American myth. The Clam Island fairies are in grave peril. War is coming, another battle in an ancient conflict. When the band sends for a champion, they get an 11 year-old boy named Ethan Feld. He hates baseball and wants to quit his losing team, but Jennifer T. Rideout loves baseball and won't let him quit. The two find themselves on a journey that includes zeppelins, werefoxes, Indian mythology, sasquatches, wendigos, and the haunted 161 year old husk of George Armstrong Custer. Finally Ethan becomes who he is: a changeling, a hero, and even a man.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 131 more reviews...
A very creative take on real heroes May 31, 2008
Heroes are born of circumstance. Ordinary people are called upon to be extraordinary and they answer the call despite overwhelming mortal threat and no chance of a material reward. It is always an inspiring surprise when the ordinary schmoe steps it up and saves the world. Take that context, throw in a love letter to baseball, and you've got the gist of this book. It is a bit like Tolkien. Substitute children for the hobbits, baseball games for the battles, and you've got yourself a great yarn on good versus evil. I enjoyed it. It is a bit derivative, but so what. It is a fun read that I did not want to end.
 Forget that it's Chabon we're talking about. May 20, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I picked up this book when it first came out, quite unaware as to who exactly Michael Chabon was, and therefore, held no expectations of what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised, and instantly hooked.
The tone immediately transfers the reader to a hot, sunny, summer day, as the journey unfolds. The story is set to a baseball theme, with each portion of the book dedicated to different moments in a baseball game. Ethan, the hero, is easy to root for, as he searches for his father, kidnapped by the nasty Coyote. The Coyote is planning on killing the tree of life, and therefore controlling the universe. Helped along by Thor, a kid who thinks he's actually a robot, and Jennifer T. Rideout, a girl striving to prove her worth to the world, two ferishers, and a Sasquatch named Taffy, Ethan battles his way through baseball games with all sorts of creatures.
This book is amazingly beautiful, with backstories and such vivid details that the book almost reads like a movie reel. Don't be fooled by the disappointed Chabon fans. I've since read the rest of Chabon's books, and Summerland is quite unlike the rest. In fact, Summerland almost reads like a Neil Gaiman "American Gods." Please, if you love epic journeys and battles between good and evil, pick up this book. If you're a baseball lover, pick up this book. I promise you won't be disappointed.
Great Book for Young at Heart December 6, 2007
I loved this book. I read it twice, originally getting it for my kids to read. I loved the imaginary world, the baseball stuff, the characters and the wackiness of the plot. "Summerland" falls into the category of books that includes "His Dark Materials" trilogy, "Holes," or "Wrinkle in Time," where the fantasy element is closely tied to character development. It won't appeal to everyone, but that's how books are.
The magic of baseball November 13, 2007
Ethan Felds is the worst player on his baseball team, and everyone knows it. In spite of this, he finds himself drawn into a struggle to save the universe, travelling in an alternate universe where all stories are true, and baseball is a metaphor for life. Together with a rag-tag team of misfits, he must find his way along the branches of this other world to the well that feeds the tree of the universe, to save his father and prevent the poisoning of the tree that supports the universe.
This is a wonderfully quirky tale about an awkward boy who discovers that he is stronger than he would have believed, and about the importance of stories in giving meaning to life. The true magic is the power of stories to fuel our imaginations, and fill us with wonder. Just remember, keep your eyes open!
 3-1/2 Stars: A Fanciful Romp, Engaging and Imaginative November 6, 2007
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
An intriguing mix of Beowolf, Native American lore and baseball, "Summerland" is the coming-of-age story of Ethan Feld. Many of the standard elements of this type of story are found in "Summerland" including a difficult past for Ethan as well as a search for acceptance by his father. Other characters include Ethan's friend and sidekick Jennifer T and his guide, 'Cutbelly,' a werefox.
Mr. Chabon is clearly working within the 'arch-myth' framework. "Star Wars," "The Matrix," and "Harry Potter" (to a degree) are joined by "Summerland" as tales embodying the 'hero's journey.'
"Summerland" is successful because Mr. Chabon is able to wrap enough of his wonderfully descriptive prose around a fantastic mixture of the otherworldly (Norse Mythology, Native American lore and Chabon's own take on the world of faerie) and the familiar (baseball, American tall tales, and the regular human experiences of growing up) to create a engaging whole.
Mr. Chabon set out to write a children's book. He was only marginally successful in that endeavor. Yes, the heavier plot and more obscure vocabulary of "Kavalier & Clay" is absent and the protagonist is an 11 year old boy. That doesn't mean that many of the 11 year olds that I know would be particularly fond of "Summerland." While nothing in the book is inappropriate for an 11 year old, much of the book - in fact much of what is best about the book - would go right over their heads. The 500+ pages of interwoven plot might be a bit much too for kids to read on their own, but if you're looking for something to read outloud to your kids that won't make you want to hit your head against a wall, "Summerland" is a good choice.
That isn't to say that "Summerland" isn't worth reading unless you have a collection of ankle-biters to listen. Any Chabon fan looking for something a bit lighter than "Kavalier & Clay" to read on vacation or on an airplane would certainly enjoy "Summerland."
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