The Other Side of Summer

by Emily Gale

Overview

A heartfelt and voice-driven novel with just a touch of magic, Emily Gale's The Other Side of Summer is perfect for fans of Rebecca Stead.

Ever since her brother Floyd died, Summer’s world has been falling apart. Her mom is a ghost of her former self, her older sister is angry all the time, and her dad wants to move the family to Australia. It seems like the only thing unchanged in their lives is Floyd’s guitar, which was returned to the family perfectly unharmed by the bombing that killed him.

Once Summer arrives in Australia, she feels even further away from Floyd than before. Until she works up the courage to play his guitar. When she plays, something amazing—perhaps even magical—happens. Summer starts to feel less alone. But even with a little magic on her side, only Summer will be able to find her way through her grief to whatever the other side may bring.

“This pitch-perfect story is full of hope and magic. Exquisite and unforgettable.”—Fiona Wood, author of Six Impossible Things, Wildlife, and Cloudwish

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062656766
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	05/30/2017
Sold by:	HARPERCOLLINS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	336
Sales rank:	772,313
File size:	710 KB
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

Editorial Reviews

This pitch-perfect story is full of hope and magic. Exquisite and unforgettable.” — Fiona Wood, Six Impossible Things, Wildlife, and Cloudwish

“A bittersweet, hopeful coming-of-age story complicated by loss, saved by love.” — Kirkus Reviews

“Fans of Rebecca Stead will gravitate to this heartfelt and beautiful tale that fits perfectly in the gray area between middle grade and young adult.” — School Library Journal

From the Publisher

This pitch-perfect story is full of hope and magic. Exquisite and unforgettable.

Fiona Wood

05/01/2017
Gr 5–8—When 13-year-old Summer's brother Floyd dies in a bombing, her family members have difficulty coping. Her mom is depressed and barely leaves her bedroom, her older sister Wren is dark and angry, and her dad wants to move the family from London to Melbourne, Australia. Summer, her dad, and her sister make the move to Australia while her mom stays behind. Summer feels alone, angry, and even further removed from her memories of her brother until she discovers sheet music of Floyd's and works up the courage to play his Ibanez Artwood guitar, his prized possession, which was returned to the family unharmed after the accident. When Summer is near the guitar, she can speak to her brother in her head. When she begins to play, a mysterious boy named Gabe appears. Summer's efforts to figure out Gabe's story, and his possible connection with her brother, bring her mourning family together. Gale realistically portrays how grief impacts each member of a family differently and explores the challenges of losing someone and struggling to find them again in a new and different way. VERDICT Fans of Rebecca Stead will gravitate to this heartfelt and beautiful tale that fits perfectly in the gray area between middle grade and young adult.—Sarah Polace, Cuyahoga Public Library System, OH

School Library Journal

2017-03-06
Summer's family is blown apart when her brother, Floyd, is killed in a bombing in London, and their anguish surges anew when Floyd's cherished guitar is delivered to their house afterward.In a prescient moment, Summer says the instrument is "a sign of a different, unexpected ending." With it, Summer hears Floyd's voice; it also draws the spirit of a boy named Gabe. As Summer struggles to get to the other side of her grief, she narrates her trajectory in three parts over the course of 18 months that include a move from England to Australia. Part 1 represents loss. Summer's agony is tangible and her descriptions, searing. Her dad's face is "as unreadable as an old gravestone;" her mum, suffering depression, is a "whispery ghost." In Australia, the family starts to heal. It's there that Gabe appears to Summer. She can't tell if he is a ghost or from the realm of dreams or how she can help him. This mystery propels the action in Part 2. Summer's discoveries not only allow her to aid Gabe, but also to reconstruct important moments in Floyd's last days. The reason for the bombing is not explained, nor is there an easy path through sorrow, but Part 3 brings resolution. Summer's family is white, but the full cast appears to be multiethnic. A bittersweet, hopeful coming-of-age story complicated by loss, saved by love, that ends with a song. (Fiction. 10-14)

Kirkus Reviews