The Summer of the Pike

Anna, Daniel, and Lucas seem to be living a dream. While their parents take care of a castle, they have the run of the grounds and the beautiful surrounding countryside. Their only concern is how best to catch the mysterious pike that lurks in the deep water of the moat. But when Daniel and Lucas's mother first begins to seem tired all the time, and then loses her hair, Anna wonders what is going on. It is cancer, she is told, but Daniel and Lucas must not know. As the summer days grow shorter and the colors of the fields and flowers change, the boys eventually learn of their mother's illness. Daniel becomes convinced that catching the pike will bring luck -- that it might even cure his mother. But as her condition worsens, these three true friends can only wish that they could stop the destructive march of time. Jutta Richter's powerful prose makes this sensitive story set during a summer idyll an unforgettable one.

Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Milkweed Editions
Published: 10/25/2006
ISBN: 9781571316721
Pages: 132
Weight: 0.26lbs
Size: 7.94h x 5.30w x 0.31d

Review Citations: Kirkus Review - Children 10/15/2006 pg. 1078
School Library Journal 12/01/2006 pg. 152
Publishers Weekly 12/11/2006 pg. 70
Booklist 01/01/2007 pg. 104
Hornbook Guide to Children 01/01/2007 pg. 81 - Recommended, Satisfactory

Accelerated Reader Quiz #/Name: 126674 / Summer of the Pike
Reading Level: 4.5 / Interest Level: Middle Grade / Point Value: 3