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Binding: Hardcover
ISBN: 978-1-57131-671-4
Pages: 132
Publish Date: Dec, 2006
Genre: Young Readers
The Summer of the Pike
BY Jutta Richter
The story of three friends, a castle, and the loss of innocence.
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, along with the beautiful countryside that surrounds it. 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 slowly 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 friends must come together and find courage to face the future.
Anna realizes that the fading summer days may not be the only thing fading away.
OTHER BOOKS BY THIS AUTHOR:
Beyond the Station Lies the Sea
Two misfits embark on a journey to realize their dreams in this timeless tale
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The Summer of the Pike
The story of three friends, a castle, and the loss of innocence. Anna, Daniel, and Lucas seem to be living a dream. . .
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“Children’s literature is often thought of as a kind of kid sister in the literary world. But when they avoid the simplistic didacticism that so often haunts the genre, books for young readers occasionally discover greatness in the seemingly smallest detail. This is the achievement of The Summer of the Pike.”
—Die Zeit (Germany)“There is a good deal of wisdom in this heartwarming story of loss and the enduring power of friendship. An extraordinary book that stays with the reader long after it is finished.”
—Tagesspiegel (Germany)
