Summary
Ever since her brother died, Annie has been extra careful in everything she does. She doesn't eat hot dogs anymore and she always wears a helmet and pads when riding her bike. A new neighbor moves into the "haunted" house across the street and quickly befriends Annie. With the help of Mrs. Finch, Annie begins to close her umbrella of sadness.
APA Reference
Graff, L. (2009). Umbrella summer. New York, NY: HarperCollins.
Impressions
Get out the tissue because this one's a tear-jerker! It is a beautifully written book with genuine, lovable characters that you will remember! Annie is sad for good reason, and has developed all kinds of funny "quirks" as a way of dealing with things. Her friends try to be patient with her but she makes them angry and Mrs. Finch is a doting Grandmother figure. The book largely deals with grief, but there's plenty of humor mixed in!
Professional Review
Ten-year-old Annie Richards has led a happy, carefree life…until the sudden death of her older brother, Jared. Five months later, as Jared's 12th birthday approaches, the Richards' family is coping the best they can: Annie's dad is physically present but emotionally absent; her mom has locked Jared's bedroom; and Annie has turned into a hypochondriac. Convinced the only way to be safe is "to know exactly what could get me and all the ways to stop it," Annie steals a neighbor's encyclopedic tome (The Everyday Guide to Preventing Illness), and clings to it like a life preserver. Annie's over-the-top anxieties worry her mom and alienate her friends; then Mrs. Finch comes along. A new 70-something neighbor and recent widow, Mrs. Finch both befriends, and identifies with, Annie and her grief, explaining that "it's easier to be worried than to be sad." Together, loveable Annie and the lovely Mrs. Finch help each other grieve and heal. As she did with The Thing About Georgie, Graf has crafted a funny, sad and ultimately uplifting book with characters the reader will not only enjoy meeting, but will remember long after the last page. Highly recommended.
Book cover image from http://www.lisagraff.com/umbrella-summer.html
Library Uses
Reader's Theater using Umbrella Summer free download found here: http://www.txla.org/TBA-theater-2010.
Make an umbrella book marker using the directions found here: http://www.lisagraff.com/umbrella-bookmark.html.
Book cover image from http://www.lisagraff.com/umbrella-summer.html
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