The Summer of Letting Go
- Subject
- Social Themes - Death, Grief, Bereavement
- Age
- 9-12 years
- Format
- Trade Paperback
- Pages
- 336
- Publisher
- Algonquin Young Readers
- Size
- 13.7 cm × 20.6 cm
- ISBN
- 9781616204808
Summer has begun, the beach is calling . . .
. . . but Francesca Schnell is going nowhere. Four years ago, Francesca’s little brother, Simon, drowned when she should have been watching. Now she is about to turn sixteen, but guilt keeps her stuck in the past. Meanwhile, her best friend is moving on—with the boy Francesca secretly wants—and her father may be having an affair. Then Francesca begins babysitting Frankie Sky, a four-year-old who bears an almost eerie resemblance to Simon. She even wonders if Frankie could be Simon’s reincarnation. Their surprising friendship helps Francesca think she might begin to forgive herself, grow up, and even fall in love, whether or not she solves the riddle of Frankie Sky.
“Resonates with real feeling.” —The New York Times Book Review
“Haunting, heart-lifting, and impossible to put down.” —A. S. King, author of Please Ignore Vera Dietz
“A beautiful story of heartbreak and hope.” —Daisy Whitney, author of The Mockingbirds
Data provided by BiblioShare.
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What reviewers said
“The genre of sibling-loss fiction is two books richer… [Francesca] learns from Frankie Sky that it’s important to keep on living rather than going through the motions. This is really the emotional heart of the novel… Fran[cesca’s] outpouring resonates with real feeling. Here, Polisner gets her subject exactly right.”
“A touching and beautiful story about life’s beautiful surprises.”
“The Summer of Letting Go is haunting, heart-lifting, and impossible to put down . . . Francesca Schnell is one of the most authentic young adult characters I've read in a long time.” —A. S. King, author of Reality Boy, Ask the Passengers, and Please Ignore Vera Dietz
“With a light, deft hand, Polisner gives Frankie’s world touches of humor, gravitas, and teen-centered reality, as well as multifaceted, sympathetic characters who seem plucked from any typical suburban street . . . [The Summer of Letting Go] deserves a spot beside the hammock.”
“Polisner’s delicate handling of such questions raises this novel above the pack of young-adult novels that deal with loss.”
“Gae Polisner brings joy and sadness to readers every time a page is turned . . . A beautiful novel about unlikely friendship that will put a smile on anyone's face.”
