Shadowed Summer

by Saundra Mitchell

Book Overview

Iris is ready for another hot, routine summer in her small Louisiana town, hanging around the Red Stripe grocery with her best friend, Collette, and traipsing through the cemetery telling each other... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0385735715
• ISBN13: 9780385735711
• Release Date: February 2009
• Publisher: Delacorte Press
• Length: 183 Pages
• Weight: 0.74 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.7" x 8.3"
• Age Range: 12 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 7 and higher

Customer Reviews

A haunting, memorable ghost story

When was the last time you read a book that grabbed you right from the very first sentence--and didn't let go until you got to the last? It happened to me last week when I read Shadowed Summer, an atmospheric, suspenseful, and compact (183 tightly crafted pages) novel about 14-year-old Iris, who likes to cast spells (at least that's what she thinks they are) in the graveyard with her best friend, Collette. Neither of them are prepared when a ghost actually appears, setting them off on a ghost hunt that involves a long-ago death and plenty of family secrets. Shadowed Summer perfectly evokes the lazy, thick heat of summer, as well as those emotionally charged teen years when you and your best friend took your first steps toward adulthood. I didn't grow up in Louisiana, where the book is set, but there was something about the sense of place in this book that settled within me and reminded me, deeply, of my own summers as a teen. The long, empty stretches of nothing to do; the desire for mystery when it might have been wiser to be content with what existed; the frustrating feeling that adults knew so much more than what they were telling me, combined with a kind of youthful blindness to what that might actually mean. For those who might not normally read books with main characters who are 14, let me tell you that the story it told worked a spell on me. For queer readers especially, this book is bittersweet and compelling.

Shadowed Summer Review

There are books that I love for the intricate plots and books that I love for the beautiful prose. And then there are the books that have both. Shadowed Summer is one of these. I wanted to race through the book to find out why the ghost of a boy named Elijah is haunting 14-year-old Iris, and to find out the truth about what happened to him. But I also wanted to linger over the little vivid details, beautiful and funny and precise and real. This is a ghost story that will be haunting me for a while yet.

wonderful debut by mitchell

mitchell drew me with her first sentence in shadowed summer, and i was sucked in all the way until the end. this debut is a story like nothing i have read before in young adult, with voice spot on, incredible dialogue (not surprised mitchell also happens to be a screenwriter) and interesting yet complicated relationships. as an author myself, i loved mitchell's prose--her use of imagery. iris is the perfect heroine, and i was with her all the way. the mystery of eli's murder gripped me to the very end, to a conclusion that stunned, was heartbreaking, yet made so much sense. i highly recommend this read...

A story for anyone

Saundra Mitchell has done a fantastic job of drawing the reader into the story. The setting and scenes are so vividly written, that you can almost feel the hot sun on the back of your own neck when reading it. Iris and her friends aren't a grown ups idea of kids. They are made real with their actions, their flaws and most importantly their voice. From the moment I started reading the book, I feel in love with it. It's listed as Young Adult, which may be the category... but it's a work of art in writing. It's true literature that has been masterfully crafted. I was so glad that I got to go to her signing! She's such a sweety. I look forward to seeing many more books from this up and coming author.

Ghostly goodness

When Iris calls up a ghost on one too-long, too-hot summer day, she hardly expects one to actually appear--or for the one who does to be so frightening. Maybe if she can solve the mystery of his death, he'll stop haunting her. But that mystery may lead her closer to home than she imagined... SHADOWED SUMMER is a spooky and suspenseful read, with a main character whose voice is so distinctive you'll have trouble getting it out of your head and heaps of Southern small town atmosphere. The mystery is a page-turner and the ghost truly haunting, but the best part of this book is how real the characters and their relationships feel. Iris, her father, and her friends will stick with you a long time after. Highly recommended for readers of all ages!