
Summerlost
3.8
6
5
1
Product Details
ISBN-13: | 9780399187216 |
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Publisher: | Penguin Young Readers Group |
Publication date: | 05/09/2017 |
Edition description: | Reprint |
Pages: | 272 |
Sales rank: | 161,488 |
Product dimensions: | 5.00(w) x 7.60(h) x 0.80(d) |
Age Range: | 10 - 14 Years |
About the Author

Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Summerlost
3.8 out of 5
based on
0 ratings.
6 reviews.
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Summerlost by Ally Condie is a beautiful story of tragedy and friendship. It is a wonderfully written middle-grade novel that does an amazing job putting you in the kids' shoes and seeing everything play out from their points of view.
Leo and Cedar's friendship is one not unlike some I have had myself. To believe they were able to build such a strong and positive relationship in only a few summer months baffles me, but youth are good at making friends. Leo and Cedar are both very mature for their age and their relationship reflects that. Leo’s maturity is portrayed in his love for and knowledge of the arts, as well as his charisma and ability to interact with adults. Tragedy and the way she is able to cope with it reveal a maturity in Cedar that is beyond her age. The juvenile tendencies of the “Hellfarts” distinguishes them from the two protagonists and really helps the reader take their side. Regardless, the ramblings of Cedar’s mind and the shenanigans she and Leo get themselves into remind us that they are, in fact, young.
Ally Condie uses her skills as a novelist to look at the world from a child’s point of view. Having been a child myself, I could relate to some of the feelings Cedar, Leo, and Miles had towards the adults. Trusted adults typically do have your best interest in mind, but kids may have a hard time understanding. Especially towards the end of this book was this a major theme, and Ally Condie delivered it very well.
If what you are looking for is a beautiful story of friendship without being bogged down by romance, this is the book for you.
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Summerlost by Ally Condie is a beautiful story of tragedy and friendship. It is a wonderfully written middle-grade novel that does an amazing job putting you in the kids' shoes and seeing everything play out from their points of view.
Leo and Cedar's friendship is one not unlike some I have had myself. To believe they were able to build such a strong and positive relationship in only a few summer months baffles me, but youth are good at making friends. Leo and Cedar are both very mature for their age and their relationship reflects that. Leo’s maturity is portrayed in his love for and knowledge of the arts, as well as his charisma and ability to interact with adults. Tragedy and the way she is able to cope with it reveal a maturity in Cedar that is beyond her age. The juvenile tendencies of the “Hellfarts” distinguishes them from the two protagonists and really helps the reader take their side. Regardless, the ramblings of Cedar’s mind and the shenanigans she and Leo get themselves into remind us that they are, in fact, young.
Ally Condie uses her skills as a novelist to look at the world from a child’s point of view. Having been a child myself, I could relate to some of the feelings Cedar, Leo, and Miles had towards the adults. Trusted adults typically do have your best interest in mind, but kids may have a hard time understanding. Especially towards the end of this book was this a major theme, and Ally Condie delivered it very well.
If what you are looking for is a beautiful story of friendship without being bogged down by romance, this is the book for you.
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I’ve only read a small handful of middle grade books. I’m not exactly sure why that is, other than they don’t usually call to me. This one, however, really did, and I’m so happy I decided to give it a read.
I went with the audiobook for this one, which turned out to be quite entertaining. I listen to books on 1.5x or 2x speed, so after speeding it up, this book ended up only being a few hours along. I listened to the whole thing in just two sittings. (It would have been one sitting if adulting didn’t get in the way!)
The story of Cedar was an emotional one, though also very hopeful and uplifting. I loved the friendship between her and Leo. Though there wasn’t any romance since they’re both still very young, I loved how strong this friendship was and how it leaves open the chance of something more in the future between them. I thought the addition of the mystery having to do with the local Hollywood actress added quite a bit to the story as well, and it all tied together very nicely, wrapped up with a cute little bow on top.
I really enjoyed this MG read by Ally Condie. I’m not sure if she’s going to write more MG books, but I really hope she does. The flow of this story was effortless, which is something I always love about her writing. A fun middle grade book that I would recommend to the younger readers for sure.
(Thanks to Dutton Books for Young Readers for the review copy!)
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An absolutely gorgeous and stunning MG from Ally Condie. This book broke my heart and put it back together in the best possible way. There is so much emotion packed into this little book, and I'm already looking forward to re-reading it again to savor the delightful characters and fantastic prose. I'm also looking forward to recommending it to everyone I know!
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I normally don't read MG, but I had heard Ally discussing this book when I saw her on tour and I was definitely interested.
I liked Cedar and Leo. They're adorable together and they compliment each other perfectly. The relationship between them is quick and sweet and it was fun watching them navigate through the summer. I especially loved the soap opera that they all got hooked on. Even Leo's older brothers.
It did feel like the narrative was filled with rambling. Perhaps it was the formatting of the e-arc, but there were pages and pages of one long paragraph, but with several different topics. And while the content was easy to understand, the constant switch up between topics continually disrupted the rhythm.
Overall, it was a cute story with an interesting take on death. I look forward to future MG titles from Ally.
**Huge thanks to Dutton Books and Edelweiss for providing the arc in exchange for an honest review**
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