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 enlarge | Author: Michael Chabon
Publisher: Highbridge Audio
Category: Book
List Price: $39.95
Buy New: $19.98
You Save: $19.97 (50%)
New (10) from $19.98
Avg. Customer Rating:  137 reviews
Sales Rank: 473512
Format: Unabridged
Media: Audio CD
Edition: Unabridged
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Number Of Items: 12
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
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| Customer Reviews:
 An Enchanting Baseball Tale September 17, 2005
Baseball is America's pastime and a game loved by many devoted fans. Ethan Feld is not one of those people. Every at-bat is another begging for a walk. His baseball obsessed father tries to encourage him but Ethan has no love for the game, or does he? One morning, Ethan wakes up to find a fox-like creature on his stomach. This "shadowtail" takes him to the Summerlands, one of the four worlds on the lodgepole, a tree that holds them all up. All of the creatures in these lands are obsessed with baseball, and they play as often as possible. Ethan brings along his two friends, Thor and Jennifer T. Jennifer has a true obsession for the game and can throw some heat on the ball. Thor is the unique one of the trio. He is always speaking in scientific terms and claims that he is from another planet. We soon find out that he is not human at all, but a changeling, a unique creature in the Summerlands. The nemesis, Coyote wants to destroy the universe and end life for all eternity, with the help of Ethan's captured father, Bruce Feld. Ethan and his friends Thor and Jennifer T. are the only ones that can stop his tormenting conquest and save his father.
Michael Chabon brings a mature approach to a classic hero versus villain novel. I was brought into a world of mystical creatures and endless games of baseball. This book gave me a whole new look on baseball and how life progresses. The first 100 pages were a bit slow, but after that I became much more content. Soon conflicts arose that puzzled me, as well as fantasy theories that dazzled my brain. One theory that interests me is that the creatures can perform magic using "Grammers." It is a kind of magic where they only use their brain to do it, and they don't have to say any silly enchantments. They use "Grammers to do everything from floating to keeping people bound to them for life. I would recommend this one for teens and adults who are young at heart. This is a terrific fantasy novel and is one of the best I have read. So pick up the bat, and have a ball with this fantastic read!
Like the book? You'll LOVE the audio! September 7, 2005
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
For those of you who loved the book but haven't listened to this gem on audio, you are REALLY missing out. Michael Chabon reads the book himself, and with all audio products, it's really the reader who makes or breaks the book.
This book-on-tape is an absolute homerun. Michael Chabon makes his world come alive, and I have NEVER (and I've listened to a lot of books on tape) heard a reader quite like him!
Run out to your local library or better yet, buy it for yourself - this is definitely worth your time!
What an AWESOME book August 27, 2005
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
When I look for a book in the school library for L.A., I usually have a difficult time because the book has to be in my Z.P.D. range and it has to pass my expectations when I first look it over. Summerland stood out on the bookshelf because it spine was quite thick and it's cover and spine was very pretty. I read the little summary on the book's jacket and thought 'I guess I'll give it a try even though I'm not really interested in baseball' (ain't that weird, an American who isn't obessesed with baseball? Anyway, back to my subject). I borrowed it and read the whole 500 page book, beginning to end. When I finished the last page, I put the book down and said, "Wow. I finished it. And it was awesome." I would recommend this book to mainly preteens who love the fantasy genre. It's a fantasy book mixed with baseball, and a bit of humor. I really liked the antagonist of the story though: Coyote. (And no, he's not literally a coyote) To me, even though his goal is the same "I wanna be god and take over the world" thing, there was something that just made him a bit different from the typical bad guy. And when I had to list morals from the story, I had about, well, maybe a ZILLION that just popped into my head! My favorite ones though are "Sometimes in life, your family is all you have to lean on" and "Life is nothing without friends" In the story the main character, a boy (I think he's 11 or 12) named Ethan Feld, goes on a journey to rescue his father (because his dad was kidnapped by Coyote) and to stop Coyote from killing everything in the four universes and becoming the new GOD. At the start of the book, I felt that Ethan and his father were crumbling because his mother had died. It was like the two of them were just doing the same boring thing everyday, not really enjoying life. I think that Ethan didn't really appreciate having a father that was so kind and supportive. But when he finally reunited with his father at the end of the book, Ethan realized that life is so much easier with his father at his side. In the beginning of the book, I saw that Ethan doesn't have too many friends, but on his little "adventure" he made many friends and found out that without any friends, you can pretty much say that your life will be quite boring. In the end, all I have to say about this book is that it's awesome, and even though it's not one of my favorite books, I'm glad that I decided to give Summerland a chance to show me if it was worth reading 500 pages of book.
Best of Harry Potter and Baseball - genius July 21, 2005
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
As a fan of Kavalier & Clay and of baseball (and yes, I'm female), I had to read this book. Chabon's writing and imagery shine. I know it's a good book when I both cry and laugh out loud several times. If you enjoy fantasy and appreciate baseball and excellent writing, I highly suggest this book. Probably the best new book I've read this year.
If you like this, you might also try "Rumo" or other books by Walter Moers.
 Baseball meets fantasy June 28, 2005
I've never read any books by Michael Chabon and happened onto this one at a bookstore. The cover intrigued me to pick it up and read what the book was about. I love fantasy and tend to read more young adult fantasy than adult. The book dragged a bit and had me ho humming until "Second Base"...page 153. From that point on...the book picked up immensely and held me in rapt attention til the end.
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