Last Days of Summer

Rating:
Summary: One of my favorite books!!!
Review: This is a GREAT book!It's hilarious, smart, and is written in a very unique way!This is a book about friendship and has meaning, but it pulls this off without being a annoying/dramatic teen novel. This is a ww2 story but it talks about ww2 from a totally different perspective.I recommend this book for people who like baseball stories, or people who like a good story that provides good laughs.I've read this book 3 times and i still think it's HILARIOUS!

Rating:
Summary: Don't read this. Buy the book. You won't regret it!
Review: This is one of two books that have succeeded in making me not notice the budding tap-dancer seated behind me on a plane (and the other was by JRR Tolkien, so that says something). The "sports book" label is a misnomer; the baseball is really secondary to the friendships.

This book is about a boy and a man who change one another's life. It is laugh-out-loud funny, it is moving, and contrary to other reviews I found it completely believable--Joey Margolis is so unusual that his exploits seem completely within his abilities, but at the same time he has very human flaws. The time you've spent reading this review could have been put to better use reading the book!

Rating:
Summary: fine summer reading
Review: _Last Days of Summer_ is a fun and easy read, though not without substance. Author Steve Kluger balances intelligence and humor well - the banter between baseball player Charlie Banks and 13-year-old Joey Margolis is priceless, the telling of the story via correspondance and news clippings is very clever, and there is just enough period detail to paint a vivid picture without being overbearing. The ending will be apparent to most readers well before they reach it, but thankfully Mr. Kluger doesn't dwell overly long on the story's weightier aspects - ultimately, this book is really more about the journey than the destination.