Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining fantasy romp
Review: Okay, you won a Pulitzer. Where do you go from there? If Michael Chabon is any indicator, then you venture into the jungle of kids' fantasy. Written because his daughter isn't yet old enough to read his previous works, Chabon's first kids' book is an entertaining blend of fantasy, folklore, and... well, baseball.Ethan Feld doesn't like baseball, and he's about the only person in the idyllic Clam Island who doesn't. So he's more than slightly confused with a bushbaby-like werefox called Cutbelly takes him through the Tree that connects all the worlds, to the Summerland. There, a race of American-Indian-like "ferishers" are being threatened by the villainous Coyote, who is trying to destroy the Tree -- and everyone on it. And a giant clam (yes, you read correctly) has predicted that Ethan will be the one to help the ferishers. (And somehow it involves baseball) Then the hideous graylings massacre the ferishers, leaving only the chieftain Cinquefoil behind. And Ethan's father is kidnapped by Coyote, who wants Mr. Feld's airship secrets to help him, well, destroy the world. With the help of his best friend Jennifer T., Cinquefoil, a pleasant Sasquatch and others, he sets out to be the baseball-playing hero they all need. Chabon manages to create a book with a warm edge, despite the poignant spots and grim storyline. Very, very weird material such as the ferishers, the giants, werefoxes, baseball saving the world, and the giant prophetic oyster is somehow made quite normal and believable. But tossing fantasy elements at the readers isn't why the book is appealing; rather, it is Chabon's ability to make us laugh, cry or shiver. Between the more comical moments are things such as a ferisher mourning her beloved baby brother, who became a faceless rag doll, or the introduction of the hideous, head-pitching graylings (which, as disfigured ferishers, show anunderstanding of what made J.R.R. Tolkien's Ringwraiths so hideous -- ordinary creatures transformed into something intensely evil and hideous). Ethan is the oddball kid, the quiet one who doesn't want to doggedly pursue something he isn't good at, and can't possibly imagine himself a hero. Jennifer T. is a tough girl, but her own vulnerabilities are shown in her dislike of failure, even if it wasn't the other person's fault. And Coyote rises above most fantasy villains as he is presented as evil, but we get some insights into his hideously twisted thought processes. Some of the characters, such as Taffy the Sasquatch, are a little harder to swallow, but Cinquefoil is a very human, very likeable guy. While this book is fairly wordy, it's a deft wordiness that fans of "Hobbit" will probably enjoy. Chabon's dialogue is realistic, and his descriptions are detailed but not overly so. Because of Chabon's Pulitzer win, some readers may be expecting an incredibly in-depth classic for the ages. That will only yield disappointment. It's merely a good book, with all the elements of a good book that kids, and most probably adults as well, will enjoy. Not to mention die-hard baseball fans.
Rating:
Summary: This tale will delight both younger and older readers alike
Review: P>SUMMERLAND begins where most baseball stories begin, and where many of them end --- the Little League field. We are introduced to Ethan Feld, age eleven, reserve right fielder on the Ruth's Fluff-N-Fold Roosters, stuck in the second division of the Mustang League on Clam Island, Washington. Ethan is as glum as the overcast Pacific Northwest skies, depressed over his team's record and his own inadequate skills in the field and at the plate. He is about ready to quit the team --- and break his poor father's heart in the process --- when he is summoned from the dugout and told to prepare for a great adventure. The adventure that follows is sprawling enough and colorful enough that it ought not to be summarized in one paragraph of a book review. SUMMERLAND is a vast, extravagant tale, combining the mythic nature of baseball with mythic elements from Norse and Native American culture. The combination of deft storytelling and creative dash will delight younger audiences and intrigue older readers. If SUMMERLAND were nothing more than a collection of tales featuring a dizzying array of mythological characters barnstorming their way through a land of eternal summertime, it would still be a good and honorable piece of work. But it is more consequential than that, looking past adventure and fun to deeper themes of love and loss and reconciliation. The villain in SUMMERLAND is Coyote, the trickster in both Native American and Norse mythology, and his goal is to end existence as we know it. To this end, he recruits Ethan's father, a dirigible engineer, and brings him on a parallel journey through the Winterlands, braving ice and snow and angry, hungry frost-giants while constructing the material that will cause the end of the world. The great theme of SUMMERLAND is reconciliation; fathers with sons, worlds with neighboring worlds, pitchers with catchers. And most importantly, it reconciles the world of children's literature with the world of literary fiction, creating a work that anyone can enjoy and that anyone who is a true lover of baseball will cherish.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent, But Could Have Been Better
Review: This book was truly great. Since I have never read any Micheal Chabon books before, this gave me a good first impression about his writing. I thought all the characters were interesting and important in their own way. This book was confusing to me at times, though. Someone or something would be mentioned in the beginning and then mentioned again at the end or middle, and by then you would have totally forgotten about it.
I think that this book is a new fantasy classic. The way everything in it all ties into real life was amazing. I personally would have enjoyed it more if there were more suspense, because at times I just didn't feel the urge to keep going.
I thought the book was fairly easy to read. I enjoyed reading something where I totally understood all of the vocabulary. Probably my favorite part of the book was the ending. I liked how the epilogue tied everything together, and I found the ending satisfying and almost inspiring. It was inspiring reading about Ethan, and how he went from a boring life of sitting on the bench to being the hero of the universe. Sure, the whole "hero of the universe" thing was a little far-fetched, but it's fantasy. One other thing I liked about the book was how there was no romantic plot involved. Sometimes when authors put in romance, it gets old. So I loved how there was no romance and a whole lot of adventure.
This book taught me (who knows absolutely nothing about sports) about baseball and helped me realize what a great game baseball is. I recommend this book to anyone who likes the Harry Potter books or baseball.
Rating:
Summary: Wow! Chabon shows his range
Review: This was a wonderful work of Fantasy Fiction. A 21st century Wizard of Oz or Lord of the Rings. It was a gutsy move for Chabon to follow-up his Pulitzer Prize winning "Adventures of Kavalier & Clay" with a book geared towards kids. In my opinion that move has paid off. I will make sure that all three of my children read this one in their pre-teen years.
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Summary: Mommy, please read to me before bedtime...
Review: Summerland is a new classic - an unabashedly American fairy tale for grown-ups to savor with or without the kids. I lucked into an advance copy over the summer and am now re-reading it with/to my eight year old. The story flows magically when read out loud. Michael Chabon follows in the footsteps of Ursula K. LeGuin and Marge Piercy to bring us a modern fantasy with true literary merit, not just the stuff of a feature motion picture. The heroes are young and thus naively determined to save the universe from total destruction. The characters are as multi-dimensional as the amazing map they find to guide them. Suddenly, I can't wait to take my daughter to another baseball game!
Rating:
Summary: Summerland...Let's Eat!
Review: Reading Michael Chabon is like eating a full, delicious, hearty, comforting and totally original gourmet 7 course dinner with a bottle of very expensive, well aged, Cabernet. Mr. Chabon is completely satisfying to read, and like a great meal, when I finish one of his jouneys, I feel happy, full, and satisfied. In his newest novel, Summerland, Chabon has created in-depth, colorful and moving characters, twisting and enthralling plotlines, and he has crafted such gorgeous sentences and that I often find myself re-reading them out of pure admiration for his writing abilities. Mr. Chabon has taken me back to the classic stories of my childhood, and while he pays homage to a certain genre of story, this is like no other I have read before. Summerland posseses an essence of The Hobbit or Tales of Narnia, but Chabon is a new breed of writer, and the freshness with which he approaches the genre is outstanding. Summerland is a book that will be remembered. It will leave a mark on children's literature. It will be the book our kids talk about in 20 years when they reminisce about growing up and the things that affected and changed their lives. Michael Chabon is clearly one of the best writers in America today, and it is with great appetite I await his next book. Why Potter around with fast food, when a full Summerland meal awaits you?
Rating:
Summary: an instant classic
Review: SUMMERLAND has all the elements of classic adventure fiction: a reluctant hero, an impossible quest, strange and wonderful settings, helpful creatures, and a father (two fathers, actually) badly in need of rescue. If these are cliches -- as some reviewers suggest -- it's because they're eternal pieces of the human story, as familiar to us as our own brothers and sisters. Michael Chabon tells a great story that should appeal to all ages; along the way he appropriates bits of most of the world's great myths, and those who scold him for it are missing the point.
Rating:
Summary: Fun in the Summer
Review: This was a great story for children as well as adults. My first impression was that it was a book that would appeal to my male students. But as I continued to read, I could see where my girls would enjoy it as well. The author has a great abiltiy to tell an enchanting story. Chabon has a wonderful knack of making a humorious story appeal to the young and young at heart. Some review mention Chabon's unrealistic portrayal of Native American folklore, but that is not the point. The point is, it is a fantasy book, with unrealistic characters. Let's leave it at that.
Rating:
Summary: Fantasy baseball
Review: I loved this book. It's about a young boy named Ethan Feld and his battle to save the world. It's got ferishers (fairies, but they don't like to be called that), werecreatures, a Sasquatch, giants, and more. But, most of all, it's got baseball. I can't begin to describe this book to you...it's an adventure story on a grand scale. It was written for children, but like Lewis's Narnia Chronicles, adults will find it wonder-full too. My favorite quote in the book (and I'll probably misquote it here, since I'm doing it from memory) is that "a baseball game is nothing but a great slow contraption for getting you to pay attention to the cadence of a summer day." How true. I can't wait to read this to my baseball-loving son.
Rating: 
Summary: Not quite right for children or adults....
Review: Welcome to Clam Island. The weather is always perfect, even if the people are a little strange. Baseball is considered top priority by everyone except Ethan Feld. But on one faithful day, the sun goes behind the clouds and the rain begins to fall. It is then up to Ethan Feld and his group of friends to save the "Summerland", (through baseball) and all who inhabit it. I have put off writing a review for Michael Chabon's "Summerland" since finishing it a couple of weeks ago. The writing and characters have stuck in my mind, which really says something for Chabon. But, as far as the story goes, I am really not sure where I stand. While it is being promoted as a children's book, I agree with many of the reviewers that it is perhaps too ambitious for a child. At 500 pages, it took me some time to get through. As for adults, it seems that too much as been taken from other fantasy works, such as "Lord of the Rings" and "Chronicles of Narnia", as well as drawing from folk lore and mythology. It just didn't seem to contain much originality. That is the only way I see this being sold as a children's book, assuming they haven't read much else. However, "Summerland" still has its moments. Chabon has a way with words and characters that make you want to continue on. Next time, I hope he can deliver something more in league with "Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay".
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