Summerland: A Novel

Baseball is America's pastime and a game loved by many devoted fans. Ethan Feld is not one of those people. Every at-bat is another begging for a walk. His baseball obsessed father tries to encourage him but Ethan has no love for the game, or does he? One morning, Ethan wakes up to find a fox-like creature on his stomach. This "shadowtail" takes him to the Summerlands, one of the four worlds on the lodgepole, a tree that holds them all up. All of the creatures in these lands are obsessed with baseball, and they play as often as possible. Ethan brings along his two friends, Thor and Jennifer T. Jennifer has a true obsession for the game and can throw some heat on the ball. Thor is the unique one of the trio. He is always speaking in scientific terms and claims that he is from another planet. We soon find out that he is not human at all, but a changeling, a unique creature in the Summerlands. The nemesis, Coyote wants to destroy the universe and end life for all eternity, with the help of Ethan's captured father, Bruce Feld. Ethan and his friends Thor and Jennifer T. are the only ones that can stop his tormenting conquest and save his father.

Michael Chabon brings a mature approach to a classic hero versus villain novel. I was brought into a world of mystical creatures and endless games of baseball. This book gave me a whole new look on baseball and how life progresses. The first 100 pages were a bit slow, but after that I became much more content. Soon conflicts arose that puzzled me, as well as fantasy theories that dazzled my brain. One theory that interests me is that the creatures can perform magic using "Grammers." It is a kind of magic where they only use their brain to do it, and they don't have to say any silly enchantments. They use "Grammers to do everything from floating to keeping people bound to them for life. I would recommend this one for teens and adults who are young at heart. This is a terrific fantasy novel and is one of the best I have read. So pick up the bat, and have a ball with this fantastic read!

SUMMERLAND has all the elements of classic adventure fiction: a reluctant hero, an impossible quest, strange and wonderful settings, helpful creatures, and a father (two fathers, actually) badly in need of rescue. If these are cliches -- as some reviewers suggest -- it's because they're eternal pieces of the human story, as familiar to us as our own brothers and sisters. Michael Chabon tells a great story that should appeal to all ages; along the way he appropriates bits of most of the world's great myths, and those who scold him for it are missing the point.

This is my second novel by Michael Chabon. The first was "The Amazing Adventures of Cavalier and Clay" and I enjoyed that one so much I decided to pick up this one. It is marked as a "childrens" book but I think it will appeal to the child in all of us. This amazing tale includes creatures of all shapes and sizes and a harrowing tale of love that never ends. You MUST MUST MUST read this book. You will be glad you did.

My sister in law recommended this book for me and my sons (at the time, ages 8 and 12). I truly think it's one of the great baseball novels, but a child would have to be rather sophisticated to get it. Nevertheless, I've recommended it, always to acclaim, to any number of parents and children. It shares much with baseball - the sense of tradition, the requirement to be willing to let things play, and the relaxed, easy pace.

This book is labeled for children from the get-go. This is understandable, but how do you classify a book that uses easy to understand language, and yet heavily takes from Norse mythology (not to mention the plethora of names thrown at the reader in quick succesion)? If you know anything about Norse mythology, you know exactly where Chabon is coming from. It's funny at times the way he matches up old charactors with new faces that represent the previously serious with stupidity and things of that nature.

This is a book you read when you're young, then re-read again to catch it all. I can see where some people are coming from when they claim the book takes too long to start, but I dont share these opinions. The book was put together that way for a reason. It lays the foundation for the understanding of the more complex concepts of the book. I personally wish he'd explained more thoroughly. This book was written for children with the best intentions, but i think Chabon lost his original purpose in writing this. I loved this book, but I believe it is mislabeled.

My eight year old daughter and I approached this book with such eagerness, as we both love baseball and magic. On page 115 we made the mutual decision to give up. Michael Chabon is a talented writer for adults but he has no clue how to structure a story for young minds. Characters are fuzzy, the plot is hard to follow, and there's a lot of overwriting. (We kept saying, "Who is he again? Who are the bad guys again? What do they want?" and paging back to find out. By page 115 we still weren't clear, and ceased to care.) The more I read other writers of fiction for young people, the more I appreciate J.K Rowling.

One book I suggest you to read is Summerland. You might think it is a little long, but the book is so good you won't even care. You will like Summerland especially if you like fantasy and baseball. You should not try to read this book if you are not in middle school or fifth grade, because you might not understand the book and will not enjoy it. I am not done reading the book yet, but it is great.You will definetly enjoy this book

I loved this book. I read it twice, originally getting it for my kids to read. I loved the imaginary world, the baseball stuff, the characters and the wackiness of the plot. "Summerland" falls into the category of books that includes "His Dark Materials" trilogy, "Holes," or "Wrinkle in Time," where the fantasy element is closely tied to character development. It won't appeal to everyone, but that's how books are.

Going into this book with the foreknowledge that it was aimed at adolescents, I was, of course, skeptical. I've been a Chabon fan since the release of Kavalier and Klay, and with his writing style of extravagance I wasn't sure how he would come off as a children's writer. Well, as the stars suggest, I was not disappointed. The masterful prose transformed me from the cynic I am today into the innocent I was of childhood, and made me realize, even if only for a short while, that those really are the best years of your life. Mixing fantasy, baseball, and growing up for the kids, but also underlining with a Chabonesque philosophy on the importance of the little things in life, this novel is one that I will read to my own children, and then hope they read it to their children. Just another step toward Chabon's inevitable title as one of the greatest writers of the past 20 years.

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay is one of my favorite novels, so I tackled Summerland with much anticipation. Unfortunately, it does not live up to Chabon's previous work. The novel is horribly paced and the American mythologies, the use of which others have lauded, are poorly integrated. Save on rare occasions, Summerland fails to grasp the magic of such children's novels as The Wizard of Oz and Harry Potter. As an adult novel, it is a near-complete failure. I can't help but think that this novel was written before any of Chabon's previously published work and could be published only now that its author is famous. I would only recommend it to a Chabon completist.

Ethan Feld is perhaps the worst baseball player ever. Not a problem if you don't have to play but a big problem when the world depends on you playing it. Ethan has been scouted by Old Ringfinger Brown since he was a boy. Ethan and his crew must save the tree of life before the Coyote can kill it and everthing else in the four worlds. I liked the book but it was a little slow at parts. If you are willing to stick it out you will see how good the book really is.

Summerland by Michael Chabon was a very good book. It had great elements of fantasy and reality coming together. Also there is a moving part in the book with Ethan feelings about his mother who had dies before the book begins. Chabon has an amazing feel for all the fantasy that goes on in the book. If these types of characters were real (like giants, ferishers and everyone else) Chabon would be describing them perfectly. The great thing about Summerland is that the elements of reality are perfect. With baseball season and Ethan's friends tie in with the fantasy part. Having the tough, but smart Jennifer T. and brainniac Thor it helps the flow of the book. It is a great story and a shocking outcome that I won't reveal. Hope you enjoy it.

This book is a little frustrating. It has all the right pieces to be a fine book, for kids and adults. Baseball. Mythology. American legends like Paul Bunyan and John Henry. A battle between the forces of good and the forces of evil.

But despite all of these, or maybe because of these, subjects and characters and plot devices, the book is a little bit hollow. Chabon sounds too many notes. The characters are charming, but not touching, if that makes any sense. I kept wanting to dive into the imaginative space of Summerland. At the same time, the confusion of all the bric-a-brac allusions to Norse mythology, then Native American mythology, then American Legend, graft upon graft, kept my feet planted firmly on the edge of the pool.

An okay read for a lazy summer's day, but one that probably won't be read again.

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This is an absolute delicious (if there is such an adjective to describe books) book. It is up there on my all-time favorite books along with Harry Potter. It is about the worst baseball player in the history of Clam Island, Washington, Ethan Feld. But Ethan must answer the call of destiny and save not only his universe but others. A must read for any reader.

I initally picked up Summerland based on its glowing review in Publisher's Weekly. As both an avid fantasy and children's literature fan, it sounded like something I would enjoy. I was disappointed. I actually would rate this more a two-and-a-half star book, but I can't.
I found this book to be mediocre. The writing itself was beautiful at times. Chabon's knowledge of various folklore and legend was impressive, although I found his mix of them sometimes confusing. The four worlds was an interesting element, particularly given how Chabon used them to explain phenomena in our own. And of course, Chabon's love of baseball shone through brightly. Not being a baseball fan myself, I didn't find those parts particularly compelling, but the passion in them was undeniable.
The story, however, is why I hesitate rating this book higher. Many of the characters were fun and memorable - Ethan, Jennifer T., Cutbelly - but the "bad guys" were rather one-dimensional. I expected much more out of Coyote given the vibrant set of legends surrounding him. Many of his minions, too, were much too black-and-white for my tastes. The progression of the story chiefly annoyed me. The characters often seemed to advance more thanks to a series of fortunate circumstances than through any action of their own (Thor just happens to be a shadowtail, Pettipaw conveniently shows up at the right moment, the stick Ethan finds happens to be magical). It seemed heavy-handed.
All in all, I'd say that this book is probably pure magic to a baseball fan, but in terms of fantasy, it's nothing to write home about.

Summerland was a very good book! Michael Chabon has a great talent for writing. The book is so well written, I felt like I was actually living the story! There are all kinds of creatures, from sasquatches to werefoxes. It is a great adventure for people of all ages, in my opinon, kids to adults! I encourage people who love imaginative novels to read it!

Summerland by Michael Chabon
If I had to describe this book in 5 words, it would probably be a spin- off of the Harry Potter series. This book was not one of the best books I have read to say the least. I mean, sure it was "ok" and it did have some originality into it, but it didn't live up to its praise by Publisher's Weekly review stating that "Pulitzer Prize winner Chabon hits a high- flying home run." I wasn't impressed by Chabon's writing; the book didn't hold my attention; the most attention-grabbing parts were the color less pictures at the beginnings of each chapter. This book took me a lot to get into it and nothing to get me out of it. I highly anticipated this book when my 7th grade language teacher told me that after reading "Time Magazine" article on the adult author, Chabon is going to be the next J.K Rowling. But obviously, Chabon should go back to being an adult writer. Chabon is an adult writer so maybe adults would like to read a children's book written by an adult writer, I presume why the ratings for this book are so high. I would find it to be an insult to J.K Rowling's work because her work was being compared to his. Summerland is about a boy, Ethan, who lost his mother at a very young age, (like Harry Potter) and is having trouble playing baseball in which he is forced to play by his father. His Father is an inventor and invented a flying car. At this point the author doesn't clarify if this is in the future, past or present. From there, Ethan meets a creature by the name of Cutebelly and tells him of the other secret worlds in, which he lives in, that nobody knows of which might be vanished by an evil dictator named Coyote. Then Ethan discovered his father mysteriously disappeared (who was really kidnapped by Coyote). Along goes Ethan and friends to stop the evil Coyote from ruling the world(s) and possibly killing his Father by traveling through the worlds using his Father's old flying car and winning baseball games to defeat enemies that cross their path. This book is filled with morals, adventure and sickening amount of baseball games, so many that it makes you literally want to jump out of your chair and get a bat in order to play baseball using the book as a baseball. On a more serious note, I enjoyed how the author incorporated the metaphor of summer having its own world since during the summer it feels like a whole different place. I enjoyed his various and descriptive characters that he put in the book, but it may be overwhelming to some people. This book is arguably bad or good considering the person. My opinion on this book when recommending it would be not to read it, but if you enjoy Michael Chabon as a writer and have an obsession with baseball I would definitely recommend it.

This was a wonderful work of Fantasy Fiction. A 21st century Wizard of Oz or Lord of the Rings. It was a gutsy move for Chabon to follow-up his Pulitzer Prize winning "Adventures of Kavalier & Clay" with a book geared towards kids. In my opinion that move has paid off. I will make sure that all three of my children read this one in their pre-teen years.

This is nothing groundbreaking, but it is a good, fun read. Chabon weaves together Norse mythology, Native American myth, and elements from the fiction of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien to make an interesting story centered around summer and baseball. Definitely recommended for those who like the aforementioned authors. I feel like if C.S. Lewis were American and loved baseball he would have written this exact story.

One book I suggest you to read is Summerland. You might think it is a little long, but the book is so good you won't even care. You will like Summerland especially if you like fantasy and baseball. You should not try to read this book if you are not in middle school, because you might not understand the book and will not enjoy it. I am not done reading the book yet, but it is great.

I thought Summerland was only a fair fantasy, a fair baseball novel, a fair children's book with too many pointless interludes that did not contribute sufficiently to theme, rhythm, musical language, insight.
In fact, I wouldn't write this book up at all except to point out the title story in Chabon's earlier book of short stories, "Werewolves in Their Youth," to readers, particularly young readers, who liked Summerland a lot. The two principal characters in that story (which, despite the title, is not a fantasy) resemble "Ethan" and "Thor" of Summerland in a completely different context.
Another the store reader-reviewer wrote: "'Werewolves in Their Youth' captures at once the magical imagination of youth--playing super-hero, android, or werewolf--and the harrowing, confusing reality that insists on breaking in when those childish fantasies go too far."

As the other reviewers mention, this book is over written. Perhaps there is a marvelous story that Chabon is trying to tell us in Summerland, but I was hard pressed to find it. Telling the tale of a mystical island in the Northwest, this book fails to integrate a sports story, fantasy/tall tale of the Holes variety, with that of a family drama. There is superior work in each genre and the interested young reader should turn their attention to the superior and more accessible books found with-in those genres. The ambitious young adult reader should read Chabon's adult literature, much of which is truly excellent.

Summerland by Michal Chabon is an excelent book and I would advise every reader of 11 years of age and older to read this wounderful and exciting book. This amazing book will take readers to whole new worlds and exciting adventures. Michal Chabon creates a whole new way to look at the universe.

Flash : boy saves world! With baseball...?
A Wrinkle in Time is the only book that comes to mind to compare this one to.
And I think in technical terms to it holds up to the comparison.
Michael Chabon is just very good!

I absolutely loved this book. You should read it too. It is about baseball and magic and includes mythical creatures such as Sasquatch. The main characters are Ethan Feld, Jennifer Rideout and (definitely), Coyote. If you have not read this book, I have three words for you. READ THIS BOOK!!!

I usually don't write reviews, but after reading Summerland by Michael Chabon, I have to let one go. This is probably one of the worst books I have ever read. And I've read alot of 'em. This Harry Potter wanna' be reads more like a cross between a poorly written Steven King and a Douglas Adams novel that doesn't make any sense at all. Although, the plot is quite simple, Chabon complicates our journey through Summerland by confusing us with character, objects and places that are given names so complicated, or the reverse, so simplistic, that they become ridiculous and confusing. As Chabon got caught up more and more into the creation of this ridiculously confusing world the reader becomes less and less interested in finishing the novel. I forced myself to finish it, just to see if it got any better; it didn't!

Description sounds good, eh? I read this aloud to the kids. About a hundred pages in I started having misgivings. I did not enjoy this book. But the kids would've been out of sorts had I not finished it (they'll listen to almost anything). I don't really have anything good to say about this book. While I've read other books by the author and really liked them, this one counts as a FAIL. (For the record, my wife really enjoyed it.) Here's what I didn't like about it:

a) the writing style: too flowery; hard to read aloud; choppy sentences that went all over the place
b) the story: take a bunch of folklore, myth, and baseball and mix it all up into a miasmic stew. And I couldn't follow it very well. New things seemed to be added willy-nilly. Tangents would shoot off in mid-sentence so that I'd lose track of what the subject was supposed to be. Didn't get any sense of suspense either. The climax was anti.
c) the length: 500 pages! what a mess.

Do yourself a favor and read the other 1-star reviews. They're spot on.

Chabon's portrayal of Native American "little people" truly defies belief. First, he took legends from at least ten sources and mixed them up. Then he simplifies them and gives them downright stereotyped roles.
This is one of the most disturbing pieces of European colonialism of Native American ideas that I have read in years. If you liked this book, but wanted portrayals of Native American "fairies" that resemble realistic, I highly suggest you read the books of Canadian author Charles de Lint. While most of his stories are meant for adults, many of his short stories are understandable to children if you wish to spend a little time explaining these things to them, and several of his published books are collections of short stories.

Having read and loved Kavalier and Clay, I was hoping, early in the book, Chabon would be trying to make another stab at creating a magical realist America (there is even a character named Buendia). Although I liked the book overall, I was a little annoyed when it descended into pure fantasy of a decent, but not exceptional sort. Everything seemed considerably more interesting before the booked switched from something reminisicent of Marquez to something reminiscent of the entire fantasy section of the bookstore. Also, seemed a little long and dense for a kid's book. That being said, it's a nice, light read, and good for any Chabon fans.

After reading Rowling's Harry Potter and Chabon's Cavalier and Clay, I eagerly awaited Summerland. Boy, was I disappointed. This overlong, show-offy and tension-free barge of a book was just, plain dull. Wanting to write a children's book and actually doing it well are two vastly different things.
This is the literary equivalent of Bill Buckner's play at first base in the sixth game of the '86 World Series. I hope Chabon learns from his error and goes back to writing for adults, which he does fabulously well.

I read this book because I thought it might interest my grand-kids who play soft ball. It took me a long time to get into the complex narrative, and to become familiar with the amazing characters. Maybe if I'd read it to them aloud? In the end I I decided not to buy it for them.

I loved Kavalier&Clay. I enjoy the Harry Potter books. I love books about baseball. This story tries hard but has little cohesion, and never develops a reason to love these characters. It reads as if Chabon just starting writing one morning and wrote 700 pages. Then turned it into his editor without rereading it.
I had hoped it would be a book I could read my son when he's about ten years old, but it's too confusing and convoluted for kids to enjoy.

A great book about the four different worlds: Summerland,The Middling (where we live), Winterland and the Spirit World which Coyote has sealed off.Our hero has to stop Coyote from killing the tree,which supports the four worlds.You have to read this book!

There is a wealth of young adult novels being put out now, and Michael Chabon's attempt to jump on the bandwagon is one of the more well-conceived. The characters are lively and, providing you share Chabon's love for baseball, the plot keeps you turning the pages. He drops the ball a couple of times, getting bogged down in useless detail, but overall, despite a couple of minor errors, he plays a pretty good game. While this book isn't quite in the same league as the Harry Potter books and King Fortis the Brave, it's still a pretty good read.

I got the book Summerland as a gift. This person who got me the book, is one who I love and respect dearly. She read in an article that Michael Chabon had written this book and would have read when he was 11 year old, close to my age. I am usually a fast reader, so I thought that this was going to be easy and that I could finish it quickly. We were going to Hawaii soon so I decided to take Summerland with me. When I started reading the book, it took me half of an hour to read 13 pages. Since I respect this person, I tried and tried to get into it. On page 100, which took me several hours to get there, I told the person that I could not get into the book and that maybe I should try another. The person asked me to try a little farther; that maybe it was the kind of book that is not so good at the beginning and gets better in the middle or end. Knowing that, I read a little farther. A month later, I was on page 323. I STILL could not get into it. I talked with the person who got me the book and she said that it was ok to stop. A month after that, a magazine came out with a list of books. Most over-rated book-- Summerland by Michael Chabon.

Summerland was a pretty good book, but its baseball themes made it a little too male-oriented for me. If your a male baseball fan, this is the book for you. If you are looking for strong female and male characters in a fantasy that everyone can relate to, you might want to check out books like King Fortis the Brave or the Chronicles of Narnia instead of this book.

Yes, I loved Kavalier and Clay, and yes, I looked forward to Summerland with an almost unbearable enthusiasm. Had I known that this alleged "children's book" would turn out to be a freely cannibalized mishmash of heterogenous folklore cobbled together in a thinly-veiled attempt to cash in on America's sudden thirst for feel-good tripe, I would have saved myself the 23 bucks and re-read The Hobbit.
I suppose I can understand an author needing to take a break from his craft in order to cash in on an easy opportunity, but shouldn't there be a warning label somewhere to alert serious readers about impending literary vaccuums?

I got this CD from the library and throughly enjoyed it! The author should have a second career as a voice-over artist! He was great! I don't get why people had issues with this book; I'm 27 and I love'd it! I'm hoping to get a copy for my brother who's in high school...for anyone who enjoys baseball & fantasy (I'm a cubs fan and well acquainted with both! :) It's perfect!)

trite, reminds me of highschool art class full of earnest drawings attempting to tackle the great subjects- religion, peace, love by using a crucifix, a peace sign, and a heart all in the same picture.

Michael Chabon brings his marvellous gifts to the age 10 and up market. The results enchanted both my 10 year old son and his 40-something dad. He mixes appealing well-known ingredients -- baseball, Indian lore, and otherworldly fantasy -- and comes up with a truly original and riveting story.

The requisite metaphor here would be something about hitting it out of the park - instead I'll simply say that this wonderfully told yarn enthralled not just me but also two daughters, all of us knowing next to nothing about any of the finer points of baseball. The mix of boy's (and girl's) own paper kind of hero-tale and rather cleverly hidden philosophy of life made the novel addictive on at least two levels (I'm pretty sure I missed some others...).

I highly recommend the audio book format, read by the author. Chabon's voicing of the dialogue provides further texture to the story that would be absent in print alone.

I have two boys 7 and 8 who enjoyed this book. The audio book made some long car trips pass quickly.

I'm almost through reading this wonderful novel to my 9 year old. He cannot get enough and neither can I of this wonderful mix of fantasy, adventure and folklore. Narnia, Middle Earth, Hogworts and Wind In the willows all mixed together.
Michael Chabon has written a classic. Looking forward to discovering his other works.

Many readers are comparing this to Harry Potter, but it's really an American "His Dark Materials". (If you haven't read the Phillip Pullman series, do yourself a favor and buy them!) I'm 32 and not a baseball fan, but I read this in the space of a weekend. Great characters and high adventures.

Good fantasy/childrens' authors (Rowling, Tolkien, L'Engle, Ende, Lewis, etc.) twist or bend reality to reveal new worlds. In contrast, Chabon uses a blunt force trauma approach.
For example, there is a special creature (Cutbelly) who can travel from "Summerland" to "Winterland" and other worlds. Cutbelly can take the protagonist (Ethan) with him. Cutbelly dies or gets injured (reader can't tell) and Ethan simply picks up a really smart/nerdy grade school classmate to perform the complex task of navigating between worlds/dimensions. No explanation given as to how this seemingly normal gradeschool child without magical abilities can do this.
Characters, save one or two, did little to endear themselves to the reader.
The Ultimate Fatal Flaw: Chabon rather randomly creates characters, plot points, situations and worlds without adequate grounding, explanation, or motivation.
Unfortunately, I rarely read fiction (almost always reading work-related nonfiction) --- so this book was to be my "Summer" treat.
Avoid the dissapointment.

I "read" the audio version of "Summerland" narrated by the author, and found it fascinating. The characters come alive as the author creates voices and personalities. The storyline unfolds with surprising twists in the plot. A truly enjoyable tale told by an excellent storyteller.