Rating: 
Summary: Great story - TERRIBLE editing
Review: My husband and I started reading this book to each other as a bedtime story once the kids were asleep. Listening is a great way to catch some of the humor (as opposed to just reading it). While the story was clever, & the writing talented... the editing had us stumbling when reading aloud. Will read paperback versions in the future in hopes the editing errors have been fixed.
Rating: 
Summary: Baseball saves the world! Michael Chabon hits a Grand Slam!
Review: Imagine "the idea of the fate of the universe coming down to the bottom of the ninth" (p.450, Coyote). Wouldn't it be something if the conflicts of the world could be resolved through a good game of baseball? They want the West Bank? Don't bomb innocent civilians! Simply send Mr. Arafat up to the plate! Sadam? Osama? Just strike 'em out, President Bush! Wishful thinking? Perhaps. Yet, Michael Chabon created such a reality in the magical, fantastical SUMMERLAND.I first became interested in this book while reading a magazine article in the waiting room of my doctor's office. The article discussed how many adult fiction writers have followed J.K. Rowling's lead and started writing novels geared to the pre-adolescent and adolescent age group. SUMMERLAND caught my attention because I was, at that time, reading some of his other work and I thought it would be interesting to see how Mr. Chabon made the transition to the new genre. More importantly, I saw that the book's theme revolved around baseball which is my passion. What a I discovered was a wonderful book for a baseball-a-holic/fantasy-fiction lover suffering from suffering from severe WBWS - "Winter Baseball Withdrawal Syndrome"! This is the story of 11-year-old Ethan Feld, a mediocre ball-player at best, who was chosen to use his skills and determination to prevent the end of the world. He is joined in his adventures by some amazing characters - from friends from home to werefoxes, ferishers, giants and a Sasquatch - in his quest to defeat the satanic Coyote and his destructive Rade. Although any lover of fantasy should consider reading this, an appreciation of baseball would probably be helpful. I hope to see this in movie theaters - it would translate really well on the big screen if it is done right
Rating:
Summary: Not bad, but a little too male oriented
Review: Summerland was a pretty good book, but its baseball themes made it a little too male-oriented for me. If your a male baseball fan, this is the book for you. If you are looking for strong female and male characters in a fantasy that everyone can relate to, you might want to check out books like King Fortis the Brave or the Chronicles of Narnia instead of this book.
Rating:
Summary: The Houseboat On The Styx meets Wrinkle In Time
Review: This is a light and playful book. No, it does not quite create the moral light and darkness of LOTR or WIT (tho' the themes are there), and some will fault it for that. What stands out is the almost arbitrary freedom Chabon has taken with a slew of folk traditions which revolve around common themes, and unites them in the character's imagination. The lighter touch lends a kind of sweetness to the occasional wisdom or moral insight that sneaks up on the reader in the midst of the very cartoon-like fun.
Rating: 
Summary: A grave disapointment
Review: In looking for versions of unabridged books on tape to entertain myself and my 6 year old, we looked into the Summerlands. The collection of tapes seemed reasonably priced (compared to other very expensive books on tape), and the introduction intrigued us. However, throughout the incredibly drawn out text (approximately 16 hours), we couldn't help but wonder exactly what the point was. At times we wondered if we were just incredibly confused - and whether the author had attempted to bewilder the reader purposfully in order to allow the story to culminate to a surprise ending. Not so! Not only were the characters underdeveloped, the story was confusing, dull, and uncompelling, and the ending could not have left more to be desired (yet was the highlight of our experience - being that we were both thankful that it was finally over).
You cannot credibly add this book to the list of classics that captivate young readers. Please do yourselves a favor and make your purchase worth your time and money - buy anything by C.S. Lewis, the Harry Potter series, the "Series of Unfortunate Events", or L'engles Time Quartet - anything but the Summerlands.
(And, oh yes, we are baseball fans - however, this alone could not possibly have kept us involved with the storyline.)
Rating:
Summary: Aswome
Review: This quite possibly the best book ever written. Awesome. Outstanding. Completly unique. This is a must buy for all baseball and nonbaseball fans alike. Buy it now.
Rating:
Summary: Great Imaginative Novel!
Review: Summerland was a very good book! Michael Chabon has a great talent for writing. The book is so well written, I felt like I was actually living the story! There are all kinds of creatures, from sasquatches to werefoxes. It is a great adventure for people of all ages, in my opinon, kids to adults! I encourage people who love imaginative novels to read it!
Rating: 
Summary: Maybe a Double, but no home run.
Review:
In Summerland, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Michael Chabon uses baseball as a metaphor for existence itself and pins the fate of everything on the outcome of a single, fateful game played by the most unlikely of teams. To carry that imagery over into this review, reading Summerland was like watching the Babe come to bat. You love the Babe. You have all the expectations of seeing him one out of the park, so anything less than a home run-a single or even a double-tends to be a disappointment. I wanted-I expected-to read a great book, but instead, I discovered a good book, which would not, and should not, be a disappointment if it were not for the stature of the author. Summerland is not great children's literature. It's 500 pages are filled to the brim with characters, gadgets, fantasy worlds, and situations derived from a wealth of sources from Native American and European mythology to American Tall Tales. And that may be why this book is not a home run. Like so many power hitters, Chabon is so determined to hit knock the cover off that he uses his power when maybe a finesse blooper over the shortstop's head would be best. Chabon crams so much "stuff" into this book that he lacks focus-on the storyline and particularly on character development. Chabon doesn't write consistently from point of view of our baseball-hating hero, Ethan Feld. Therefore, Ethan is not the focus of our attention or our emotional attachment as this child of destiny should be. He becomes just one of many characters in an adventure story. If we become attached to Ethan, we will, by extension care for those close to him and dislike those who want to do him harm. J. K. Rowling accomplishes this with great success by staying focused on Harry Potter's point of view. But other authors have successfully incorporated multiple points of view in their works. The Lord of the Rings and Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy are two fantasy masterworks. Tolkien leaves Frodo and the Ring for many, many pages at a time to tell the stories of multiple sets of characters and Pullman leaves his Lyra to follow happenings in multiple universes. So why doesn't Summerland rise to this level? Summerland's story just doesn't have the weight of "reality" great fantasy needs. We believe in Middle Earth, we believe in Hogwarts, and in Philip Pullman's multiple universes. Chabon doesn't focus on making the world of the book feel real. Rather, his narrative voice contains the wink and nod of a person telling a tall tale, bringing the book to the level of a Fairy Tale rather than a full-fledged fantasy adventure. And, to me, that is difference between a home run and a double. But there is nothing wrong with a good solid double, and Summerland is an entertaining, if somewhat long, tall tale. - K. B. SHAW, Publisher -
Rating:
Summary: A Slow Contraption To Get You To Pay Attention to a Story
Review: I don't think I'd much like anyone who couldn't enjoy this book. I hate baseball, so I dipped in with trepidation. I needn't have worried. This amazing book is at once beautiful, fun and meaningful. There just aren't words to describe how elegant Summerland is. If you love a good, light-hearted, old-fashion adventure, as I do, you have to read Summerland. It's one of the best.
Rating:
Summary: Norse mythology and baseball!!
Review: I just finished reading this to my son. It seems as though none of the other reviewers (including the "editorial reviews") noticed that most of the mythology is Norse -- from Ragged Rock (Ragnarok, the destruction of the gods) the Ash tree that is at the center of the world (Yggdrasil); Murmury well (spring of Mimmer); old Mr. Wood, (Wotan); Coyote/Exu/Loki, the god of the crossroads... and doubtless others I missed. This is a wonderful combination of old and new, a delight in legend and story telling.
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