Module 7: Umbrella Summer

Book Cover Image

Summary

Annie's brother died in the most unexpected way. One day he came home from getting hit by a hockey puck and just a few days later he is dead from an unseen heart disorder. Annie now is doing everything in her power to stay alive. She is reading every medical book she can get her hands on, she is wearing a helmet while walking down the street. Everyone except Annie thinks she is being a little extreme, even her best friend has had enough. The house across the street from Annie is about to be occupied again by an older lady. Annie and her best friend have always wondered if the house is haunted, but now that her best friend is out of the picture, it's up to Annie to solve the mystery. In the end, Annie finds a friend, Mrs. Finch who helps her dig herself out of the I-am-going-to-die-at-any-moment phase. 

APA Reference

Graff, L. (2009). Umbrella summer. New York, NY: HarperCollins Children's Books. 

My Impressions

This was a tear jerker for me. In fact, I laughed and I cried. The sadness of Annie losing her brother is very relatable to a young child who may have lost a sibling or a friend. It shows the many sides of trying to cope with death. Everyone deals and adjusts to it differently. This is another book where a child finds a friend in an adult, much like Frindle and Dead end in Norvelt. The wisdom of Mrs. Finch seems to strike a chord with Annie. It also helps that Mrs. Finch is struggling with the loss of her husband and the two find that variable to bring them closer. 

Professional Review

Nine-year-old Annie knows that bad things can happen even if you’re careful. Her older brother Jared died even though he went to the doctor. So now she is extra careful. Annie pores over a medical encyclopedia, wears a helmet in the car, preemptively wraps her ankles for bike rides, and never roller-skates down the hill with one eye closed the way she and Jared loved to do. A fight over the funeral of her best friend’s hamster leaves Annie even more alone, but she finds an unlikely friend in the new neighbor, Mrs. Finch, who lends her Charlotte’s Web, reveals that she is a recent widow, and helps her learn to “close the umbrella” that she has put up to shield herself since Jared’s death. Annie grapples with what to do to mark Jared’s approaching birthday, and together with his best friend, Tommy, they find a fitting tribute to joyfully remember Jared. This tender book about love and loss benefits from Annie’s quirky personality, which lightens the serious tone.
— Heather Booth

Booth, H. (2009). Booklist. 

Library Uses

Umbrella Summer is an excellent book to recommend to students who have recently dealt with death. The message of the umbrella could be moving for a child who has been putting up walls in order to deal with a problem.