The Magic of Summer

Dandelion Wine 

By Ray Bradbury 

Adult Fiction 

"Twelve-year old Douglas Spaulding knows Green Town, Illinois, is as vast and deep as the whole wide world that lies beyond the city limits. It is a pair of brand-new tennis shoes, the first harvest of dandelions for Grandfather's renowned intoxicant, the distant clang of the trolley's bell on a hazy afternoon. It is yesteryear and tomorrow blended into an unforgettable always. 

But as young Douglas is about to discover, summer can be more than the repetition of established rituals whose mystical power holds time at bay. It can be a best friend moving away, a human time machine who can transport you back to the Civil War, or a sideshow automaton able to glimpse the bittersweet future." 

This book is rife with magic-the magic of summer according to two boys. But by the end of the book, you are sure to be as enchanted by this fictional town and its unique charm as the boys are by the rows and rows of green bottled dandelion wine lining their grandfather's cellar. 

This book is episodic: told in little episodes rather than weaving one plot throughout the book. I wasn't expecting that and haven't read many novels written in that style, but I quite enjoyed it. The style works well for the two boys who see the summer and life as a series of exciting or terrifying incidents. I didn't enjoy all the episodes the same, but they were definitely created of various flavours: silly, sweet, creepy, or just plain ridiculous, and I enjoyed most of them. Besides, if you don't like one particular 'story,' it's sure to be over in a few pages (by the end of the chapter, in fact). It was also nice that there were several threads connecting all the episodes or stories, since the two brothers play a part in each one, and they all occur in the same town in the same summer. 

The first chapter, or episode, was the most difficult for me to enter, just because I was still trying to nail down Bradbury's style and what was happening, but once you soar through that dramatic, vague chapter, you're good to go! The rest of the book is as lovely as a cup of tea during a rainstorm. 

I loved how lyrical this book is; similes, metaphors, and other various types of figurative language pop out on nearly every page like a sunset begging to be savored and admired. So beautiful! 

It was also quite different from the only other novel I've read by Bradbury: Fahrenheit 451. Dandelion Wine is as lighthearted and fun as that book is depressing and bleak. So, this is a great novel if you prefer the former, especially for a warm, bird-chatter filled summer day! It also helped that I read this book while being in Illinois, where the story takes place; it makes the story just lift off the page, alive and breathing. Have you read any books while being in the setting where it takes place? 

I give this tale a 4 out of 5 and recommend it for fifteen-year olds and up. The main characters are young boys, but the novel is written to be savored by an older audience. 

What I learned: I am alive, and each day is to be truly felt, from the delightful to the ordinary to the sorrowful.  

What great books have you been reading this summer? 

Superb Summer Reads

The summer, with its lethargic, warm days, is nearly upon us! I love reading books containing summery feelings or themes, such as cool breezes, bright water, or characters facing their own summers, since it makes reading a much more enjoyable, immersive experience. So here are nine superb books to spend your long, hot days with (not listed in any particular order). 

*Several of them also feature mermaids, because summer means the beach, and the beach means mermaids!

1. My Louisiana Sky by Kimberly Willis Holt

Hang out with Tiger, a twelve year old girl, in a rural town in Louisiana in the 1950s as she struggles with how to live and love her mentally challenged mother and 'slow' father. She longs to escape the difficulties of home to visit her aunt in the big city of Baton Rouge. 

This is a tender novel and has been dear to my heart ever since I first read it long ago in third grade. 






2. Aquamarine by Alice Hoffman

This short tale (pun intended ;) is one of my all-favorite mermaid stories. It's a classic for anyone who loves reading about the fantastical creatures. 

Two best friends, Hailey and Claire, are spending their last summer together when they discover something lurking in the decrepit pool of the Capri Beach Club. The mermaid therein has left her family in search of love, and the friends are forced to focus on someone else's needs as they help the creature. This is such a sweet story of lasting friendship and magic. 




3. A Long Way from Chicago by Richard Peck 

This child's chapter book focuses on the siblings, Joey and Mary-Alice, who visit their grandmother every summer in a rural Illinois town. I never knew that living in such a tiny town for a few brief months could be so thrilling! The kids have great adventures, and their grandmother, Grandma Dowdel, is a hilarious character. If you're in need of something light that will make your belly dance with laughter, this book is for you! 

*See my entire review of the book here: http://rachsreads.blogspot.com/search?q=Chicago. 



4. Kisses from Katie by Katie Davis 

If you think you're hot this summer, then pick up this book and travel to Uganda with Katie. This is an amazing true story of a normal American woman who realized what is vital and gave up the American dream to live in Uganda, adopt thirteen girls, and shower love on them. I am continuously challenged by this young lady's servant, compassionate heart. 




5. Ingo by Helen Dunmore 

This is another of my favorite mermaid books. One summer, Sapphire (or Sapphy) meets Faro, a Mer boy who introduces her to a fabulous world she never knew existed. She must let go of the world above to truly embrace the world of the Mer, but Sapphy also still craves to see her lost father again. 

This is a haunting story steeped in legend that will follow you long after you read the last page, its song of ocean waves reverberating in your head and heart. 

*It's a series, but the first was my favorite.





6. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis 

Why not travel across the seas this summer with a timeless tale of adventure and danger? 

Lucy and her brother, Edmund, find themselves coasting the seas with their bratty cousin, Eustace, and several friends. Their duty is to find several lost lords of Narnia, but they must first encounter sea serpents, dragons, and much more before they complete their quest. 

My husband and I just finished reading this book again (for my third time), and it remains one of my favorites of the Narnian books. 




7. Percy Jackson Series by Rick Riordan 

Travel to Camp Half-Blood this summer, where demi-gods of the Greeks battle monsters, fulfill prophecies, and fall in love. These books will exercise your stomach muscles and your fingers as you grip your fingers in anticipation of what will happen. 

8. Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton 

If your summer is revolving too slowly or too boring, then hitch a ride to Jurassic Park! Many have seen the movie, but of course, the book far surpasses its visual partner. 

Before it can open, certain experts arrive at the park filled with reconstructed living dinosaurs to check it out. But their journey soon devolves into a battle for their lives against the wild creatures. 








9. Seven Tears into the Sea by Terri Farley 

Seven years after an encounter with a stranger on the beach during a storm (it's not nearly as creepy as that sounds), Gwen, seventeen, returns to her hometown to help her grandmother at the Sea Horse Inn. 

Gwen and the stranger soon become friends, and Gwen realizes the boy is not an ordinary boy; the sea is strong in him. 

This novel is steeped in Celtic mythology, and haunts the reader with its magic through every page. A definite must-read for those who love the ocean! 




*What other books do you love to read in the summertime?  
*If you liked this post, you might also like Spectacular Spring Reads.