The Other Side of Summer

March 15, 2017
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)

COPYRIGHT(2017) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

May 1, 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

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2017
Summer's world falls apart after her brother dies. Hoping for a new start, her dad moves Summer and her sister to Australia, leaving her feeling even sadder since her mother has stayed behind in England. Playing her dead brother's guitar brings Summer comfort--and it seems to make a mysterious boy appear. Despite well-developed characters and vivid prose, the mystery's supernatural element doesn't quite work.

(Copyright 2017 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

April 6, 2016
How does a family recover from a tragedy? For Summer’s dad, it’s packing up and moving to a new country, where they can find themselves free of painful memories. For her mother it’s staying put, burrowing into her emotions in the hopes of finding a way out. And for Summer, it’s finding her own way to remember Flynn, even if that way takes her in a very unexpected direction. Away from the comfort of Mal, her best friend in England, Summer becomes someone else. She feels abandoned by those close to her so she closes herself off to new friendships, becoming snappy and withdrawn. Summer’s lifeline is Flynn’s old guitar, the Ibanez Artwood, and the young boy who mysteriously appears each time she plays it. A beautifully rendered portrayal of grief, family and leaving things behind, The Other Side of Summer is a welcome addition to the shelves of Australian middle fiction. Emily Gale’s book gives her audience the respect they deserve—recognising that younger teens need a place in literature where they too can explore the parts of their life that are challenging or sad. This perfectly pitched piece is a beauty. Bec Kavanagh is a Melbourne based writer and reviewer. She is the schools coordinator for the Stella Prize and chair of LoveOzYA