Rating: 
Summary: The first book I cried over
Review: I read this book a very long time ago--about third or fourth grade. I remember sitting at home reading it among the noise of my family going on with their nightly routines. But most of all I remember breaking into tears in the middle of the book. This book is excellent, not only because it handles a delicate and scary subject so well, but because the characters are so expertly created that you feel you know them. I read this book many, many times. If I remember correctly, the girls in my class used to fight over it during library, with the lucky winner gaining the right to check it out for a week. I'm almost 22 years old now, and if I can still remember how this book affected me as a child, you know it has to be a very special book!
Rating: 
Summary: ANOTHER TEENAGE WEEPIE
Review: Well,the title tells you what to expect, so have your hanky handy! In this story told in the first person, a 13-year-old girl finally realizes that her older sister is dying. The family of 4 has moved to an old house in the country, so Dad can finish writing his book; yet our young and plain heroine is disgusted that she has to share a bedroom with her pretty and popular older sister. Meg experiences many emotions towards her sister that year, until Molly becomes seriously ill. Meg also makes friends with unusual new, hippy-type neighbors and a kindly, bachelor photographer. That summer she learns a lot about herself, her talents (for they exist, but are not like Molly's) and her own, innate value as a human being, a sister and a daughter. In these 11 short chapters Ms Lowry offers great insight into the complexity of adolescence, as well as the acceptance of the death of a family member.
Rating:
Summary: Compelling, though I don't know why
Review: Even though Meg had a non-exsistant relationship with peers, and her close relationship with an older neighbor and a young couple was odd, I found myself unable to put this book down. It was beautifully written and the details caused me to read this book over and over.
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Summary: Prepared me for life in ways I never imagined
Review: I read A Summer to Die nearly twenty years ago. I remember wanting to have had a sister, even if it meant losing her like Meg did. I loved the quilting ideas, Meg's photography, and the quirky couple who's delivery she is asked to photograph. I also remember being as shocked as Meg when that couple show Meg where they would bury their baby if it dies. I thought this was a horrible concept, as did Meg. But Maria and David's honesty stayed with me. I pondered my own denial of the way life can be after my onw baby, Marie, was stillborn in 1993. We read, and we remember, and we realize that there are others who understand in this world. And then we write about it so that still others will someday understand. A Summer to Die will always be one of my all-time favorite books. I'm a quilter now,and I think that came from Lois Lowry too!
Rating:
Summary: It will tug on your heartstrings!
Review: I read A Summer to Die about 5 or 6 years ago, but I can still remember how much it made me cry! I recomend it to anyone. Good job Lois Lowry!
Rating:
Summary: simply wonderful!
Review: I first read this nearly 20 years ago, and I still have my dog-eared, falling-apart hardcover copy. It's exquisitely written, heartwarming, heartbreaking, and ultimately inspiring. An eloquent depiction of a young girl's reliance on her family, her unconventional friendships, and above all, her own strength in the face of the death of her only sister.
Rating:
Summary: It was a good book.
Review: I thought it was a good book with a lot of feeling. The author did a good job describing and there was always new charachters popping up. The ending was expected but not to obvious. I thought it was a good book.
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Summary: STILL REMEMBER AFTER ALL THESE YEARS!!
Review: When I first read this book about 10 years ago I finally undertood my sister's point of view at how she looked at me. My sister is the youngest of the girls and has always envyed me because of the friends, beauty, and popularity just like Meg did of Molly. After I read the book, I made my sister read it and she felt exactly like Meg. We ended up talking about EVERYTHING that the book talked about. We got all of our hurts, angers and fears out into the open and our relationship has gotten 200% better. This book has really improved our sisterly relationship and we bring up the books name once in a while to remember that we only have each other...and we never know when it's going to be just one.
Rating:
Summary: A Must read...even as an adult
Review: I first read this book when I was in grade school..it has been about 15 years, and I still remember how that book changed my views of beauty and social ideals. My mother told me not to stay up and read too late, but was not surprised when I appeared in her room hours later...with puffy eyes a runny nose and a completely changed attitude about my own beauty. This book still does it for me. Read it and recommend it to any kid (young or old!) you know. Hooray for Lois Lowry...may she still be writing books when I have my own children....
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Summary: You will never forget Meg and Molly....
Review: It has been almost twenty years since I first read A Summer to Die. More than Molly's tragedy and Meg's fight to deal with her conflicting feelings about her sister, it is a passage I recall from the very end which effects me the most to this day. I remember not feeling special or beautiful pretty often when I was about 8 or 9 and when her friend says "You were beautiful all along" I just bawled. (Please excuse my paraphrasing, I haven't read the actual line in over ten years.)
Sometimes people see their own faults all too clearly and fail to see the wonderous, special and beautiful things about themselves at all. Creating a healthy and balanced opinion of yourself-- learning to appreciate your good qualities while working on those things that could use work-- is a terrific step toward being a happier person. Just imagine the fun and good times Meg missed out on with her sister because she was so caught up in worrying about measuring up. I think about a Summer to Die when I am feeling not-so-beautiful and it always makes me feel a little better.
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