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  • Summer of the War
  • Cindy Welch
Whelan, Gloria Summer of the War. HarperCollins, 2006 [176p] Library ed. ISBN 0-06-008073-6$16.89 Trade ed. ISBN 0-06-008072-8$15.99 Reviewed from galleys R Gr. 5-7

The war in the title refers not only to World War II but also the war between fourteen-year-old Mirabelle, known as Belle, and her fifteen-year-old cousin Caroline. Newly arrived from France, Caroline is spending the summer of '42 on Turtle Island because her widowed father has been assigned wartime duties in London. Belle and her siblings, who have always spent summers on the island, are annually recaptured by its magic, but sophisticated Caroline finds the rustic scene less than enchanting and instantly starts looking for excitement. She fixes on Ned, a year-rounder, on whom Belle has a newly developing crush, but Ned is too grounded to be taken in by Caroline, who continues to cause friction in the household. Later a telegram arrives with news that Caroline's father has been killed in the London bombings, an event that marks the beginning of a change in her attitude. Caroline's effect on the Turtle Island clan is the scaffolding for this nostalgic, comfortable novel with straightforward dialogue that adds accessibility to the reassuring, old-fashioned atmosphere. Siblings get along, kids obey authority figures, and, although Caroline loses her remaining parent, it happens away from the island, preserving its image as a haven of warmth and security. The scenery, both familial and natural, will be familiar to readers who have heard family stories of vacationing at shores or beaches or who have done so themselves, and there is a rhythm to the story that faithfully reflects the slow, warm summers, interrupted by thunderstorms but settling quickly down to harmony once again.

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