Book Recommendation: Summerlost

Sometimes+the+best+way+to+overcome+sorrow+is+to+find+your+happiest+memories+and+hold+them+tight.

https://www.crackingthecover.com/12320/ally-condies-summerlost-beautiful-story-friendship/

Sometimes the best way to overcome sorrow is to find your happiest memories and hold them tight.

I know, I know. Who would be crazy enough to write an article about books? We already have enough to read from classes and homework. But have you really thought about what you would want to read about? 

When I was younger, I always thought that reading was something you are forced to do, and something I would never do on my own time. However, I soon found out that I have just been looking at the wrong books. Everyone has the potential to like reading; it just matters what books you read. I found out that I like reading realistic fiction, fantasy, and graphic novels! Now that I figured that out, I saw reading as more than just words on paper; it is a whole new world! Characters or places tell their stories and come alive as the author makes a new world for you to enjoy. Whether the story is about a fantastical land or a new species of frogs, you can see the images so vividly in your mind that they almost seem real. Now that I have talked about why you should read, let’s get to what you should read.

This week I recommend a book called Summerlost, by Allie Condie. It is about a girl named Cedar whose father and younger brother died in a car crash a few months ago. She moves to Iron Creek, where her grandparents live, for the summer. There she meets a strange boy called Leo. When she first sees Leo, he is dressed in peasant clothes and riding a bike somewhere. Cedar soon decides to follow him and, to her astonishment, finds out he works at the Summerlost festival. Soon she gets a job working there and gets to know more about her friend, Leo, and about a famous actor who died under mysterious circumstances, Lissette Chamberlain. As she spends more time making happy memories and accepting the bad ones, she notices that she is finding small things that her deceased brother, Ben, would have loved. 

As the summer goes on, she also helps Leo with a (not) very legal tour of Lissette Chamberlain to help him raise money to go to a play. Then she finds another mystery about a certain ring and a certain person. The plot thickens, and mysteries darken with memories that are never forgotten. Sometimes the best way to overcome sorrow is to find your happiest memories and hold them tight. Summerlost is a great book — ⅘ stars! I suggest reading it for all those who like a pinch of mystery and a whole lot of friendship!

 

By Francesca Wilkey ’29, Contributing Writer

29fwilkey@montroseschool.org