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Summary
Summary
Every year a rented pink cottage full of family, swapping stories, and riding waves mean Summerhouse Time for Sophie. Best of all is sharing a room with her favorite cousin and laughing and trading secrets like two happy peas in a cousin pod. Sophie can't wait! But when she asks the now-a-teenager Colleen if she's looking forward to their time together, Colleen just says "I guess so."
What? It's the best time of the year, the time they both love. In just a little bit, they will all be together in the cottage on the beach. Will this year be just as wonderful, just like always?
Accompanied by charming black-and-white illustrations, classic growingup experiences radiate throughout the pages of this sunny, anytime story.
Author Notes
Eileen Spinelli was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on August 16, 1942. After high school, she worked as a waitress at a local diner, a secretary, and answered phones at an airplane factory. She eventually became the author of children's books. Her picture books include Thanksgiving at the Tappletons, Do You have a Hat, While You are Away, When Mama Comes Home Tonight, Wanda's Monster, Here Comes the Year, A Big Boy Now, and Hug a Bug. She is also the author of several short novels including Lizzie Logan Wears Purple Sunglasses, Lizzie Logan Gets Married, and Lizzie Logan, Second Banana. She received the Christopher Award for Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (4)
Horn Book Review
The best time of the year is Summerhouse Time, when eleven-year-old Sophie and her cousins get together at the Jersey Shore. But Sophie just met a cute boy at home and worries he won't write while she's away. Then her super-cool fourteen-year-old cousin ignores her. Rich characters and realistic family dynamics unfold in this gentle story told in rhythmic verse. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
Eleven-year-old Sophie loves Summerhouse Time. That's when she, her parents, and their extended family meet at a beach house to spend the month of August, made up of morning trips to the donut shop, fish fry dinners, swapping stories. Sophie is a bit reluctant to leave home this year because of her crush on a neighbor boy, and once she gets to the summer cottage, things aren't as much fun as she remembered. For one thing, her older cousin, Colleen, is going through the terrible teens and isn't speaking to her. Then her aunt loses her job. Using simple free verse, Spinelli is still able to pack a lot of story into short sentences. Most of the characters are efficiently realized, and the book makes clear that though reality is never quite as perfect as memory, even hard moments can be rich. The ease of reading makes this a solid choice for children starting to feel comfortable with longer books. --Ilene Cooper Copyright 2007 Booklist
School Library Journal Review
Gr 4-6-Eleven-year-old Sophie can't wait for her family's annual vacation at the summerhouse on the beach. But this year, her favorite cousin isn't talking to her and won't come out of her room, her dad is mysteriously aloof, and her cat runs away. Writing in short free verse chapters entirely from Sophie's perspective, Spinelli has nonetheless created well-developed characters. The family dynamics are believable, even if a large extended family whose members all more or less get along and vacation together every year might seem idyllic to today's children. Readers will enjoy Sophie's first crush and her wise handling of her cousin's crisis. Spinelli even throws in a smattering of Italian (Sophie is learning the language because the object of her affections has an Italian name), and some arcane information about American history that will keep readers amused and allow them to impress their friends with their knowledge. This is a fun breezy read, perfect for a preteen summer.-Nancy Brown, Fox Lane High School, Bedford, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
All year, Sophie eagerly anticipates the month of August, aka summerhouse time, when her extended family rents a house by the beach. Unfortunately, this year's vacation is not off to the best start. For one thing, 11-year-old Sophie is in love for the first time, and she is not exactly happy to be leaving her almost-boyfriend behind. Plus, her favorite cousin Colleen is barely speaking to her, her cousin Cooper is afraid to go into the water, some of her aunts and uncles are fighting and her cat, Orange, plays a disappearing trick. Finally, while Sophie can't quite put her finger on it, she knows that something is not quite right with her father. Nonetheless, summerhouse time is full of warmth and magic, ice cream and walks on the beach, so as the month unfolds, despite the turmoil--and sometimes because of it--there are many moments to savor. Sophie's humorous outlook, combined with Spinelli's lyrical blank prose, makes for a book that's as light and satisfying as a summer breeze. (Fiction. 7-10) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Excerpts
Excerpts
First Saturday in June _Fifty-nine days to go. I can't find my purple beach towel. I can't even get to my closet without walking across a sea of dirty socks. Mom pokes her head into my doorway, says: "Time to clean your room, Sophie." And I have to admit she's right. And it's not that cleaning my room is the worst thing to do. It's just that there are so many other better things to do, like-- painting my toenails Strawberry Pink, eating a huge stack of Uncle Joe's pancakes, dreaming of riding the Ferris wheel, thinking up a story to tell around the campfire on Scary Story Night, painting shells, riding waves_._._._ all the fun, wonderful, sandy, sunny things we do at Summerhouse Time. Excerpted from Summerhouse Time by Eileen Spinelli All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
