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Michael Chabon
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Summerland: A Novel Paperback – April 12, 2016

by Michael Chabon (Author)
4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 412 ratings
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From the Pulitzer Prize winning Michael Chabon comes this bestselling novel that blends fantasy and folklore with that most American coming-of-age ritual: baseball—now in a new edition, with an introduction by the author.

Ethan Feld is having a terrible summer: his father has moved them to Clam Island, Washington, where Ethan has quickly established himself as the least gifted baseball player the island has ever seen. Ethan’s luck begins to change, however, when a mysterious baseball scout named Ringfinger Brown and a seven-hundred-and-sixty-five-year-old werefox enter his life, dragging Ethan into another world called the Summerlands. But this beautiful, winter-less place is facing destruction at the hands of the villainous Coyote, and it has been prophesized that only Ethan can save it. 

In this cherished modern classic, the New York Times bestselling author brings his masterful storytelling, dexterous plotting, and singularly envisioned characters to a coming-of-age novel for readers of all ages.

Previous page
  1. Reading age
    9 - 12 years, from customers
  2. Print length
    528 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Grade level
    Kindergarten and up
  5. Lexile measure
    950L
  6. Dimensions
    1.4 x 5.3 x 7.9 inches
  7. Publisher
    Harper Perennial
  8. Publication date
    April 12, 2016
  9. ISBN-10
    0062418084
  10. ISBN-13
    978-0062418081
  11. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“A ripping yarn.” — Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

“Pulitzer Prize winner Chabon hits a high-flying home run.” — Publishers Weekly, starred review

“Only a grump would not give over to the wonder of Chabon’s otherworlds….The author’s gifts for metaphor and description hold the spiraling fantasy together, the humble giving human shape to the unreal. It’s clear he’s got a truer ear than J.K. Rowling.” — Entertainment Weekly

From the Back Cover

A magical novel for readers of all ages that blends fantasy and folklore with that most American coming-of-age ritual: baseball—now in a new edition, with an original introduction by the author.

For over a century, the people of Clam Island, Washington, have enjoyed barbecues and baseball games at Summerland, on the western tip of the island, where it never rains. The small beings—known as ferishers—who ensure this perfect weather, however, are threatened by an ancient enemy and need a hero—a baseball star, in fact—to vanquish their foe. Summerland is the story of Ethan Feld, the worst ballplayer in the history of the game, recruited by a hundred-year-old scout called Ringfinger Brown, himself a Negro Leagues legend. Accompanied by his determined friend Jennifer T. Rideout and guided by a friendly werefox, Ethan struggles to defeat giants, bat-winged goblins, and one of the toughest ballclubs in the realms of magic to save all the Summerlands—and ultimately the world.

Praise for Michael Chabon

“An immensely gifted writer and a magical prose stylist.”–New York Times

“His work is page-turning and poignant; he is one of the best writers of English prose alive. . . . He wants to move and thrill us both, and he does.”–Washington Post Book World

“A prose magician, Chabon is that rare literary anomaly: a gentle-spirited writer of boundless ambition.”–Village Voice

“A literary swashbuckler.”–Houston Chronicle

“Michael Chabon is an escape artist: his novels are elegant and energetic circus tricks which celebrate, again and again, the joy of release from the constraints of the everyday world.”–Financial Times

“An unstoppable master of the ripping yarn, beautifully told.”–Minneapolis Star Tribune

“Probably the premier prose stylist –the Updike–of his generation.”–Time

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Harper Perennial; Reissue edition (April 12, 2016)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 528 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0062418084
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0062418081
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 9 - 12 years, from customers
  • Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 950L
  • Grade level ‏ : ‎ Kindergarten and up
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 13.8 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 1.4 x 5.3 x 7.9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 412 ratings

About the author

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Michael Chabon

Michael Chabon

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Michael Chabon is the bestselling and Pulitzer Prize-winning author of seven novels – including The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay and The Yiddish Policemen's Union – two collections of short stories, and one other work of non-fiction. He lives in Berkeley, California, with his wife and children.

Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
4.1 out of 5
412 global ratings
How Baseball, Some Kids, and a Few Fantasy Characters Save the World
5 Stars
How Baseball, Some Kids, and a Few Fantasy Characters Save the World
Here we go. 1) Written by a favorite author, Michael Chabon; 2) The story centers on baseball; and 3) At its core, it's a story of good versus evil. Kids get to save the day. So it serves up three powerful hits and each, to me is a home run. Hey, you had me at Chabon."Summerland" is a section of town where Ethan Feld, Thor, and Jennifer T. live. It's the perfect ball field with neatly trimmed grass and where the sun is always shining. But this perfect field is threatened and the ferishers come, looking for a hero. They pick this unlikely trio of players to save baseball. They travel with the ferishers to also save the world as they know it. They are at turns brave, afraid, confused, homesick, and curious. They meet giants, a Bigfoot or two, were beasts, and Coyote, who works trickery and lies to achieve his end. He plans to put an end to all the worlds tied up 'tween the leaves and branches of a 'magic' tree in Summerland.I thought Summerland would be an awfully long book for youngsters to read. I sometimes shirk at reading a book of 500 pages or more. I mean, I do it, but I always hope there won't be a lot of places where I feel like skimming. I believe the magic of the story and the embedded lessons about life are enough to keep reading Summerland. I kept reading because the story was so much fun.I'm thinking Chabon must be a baseball fan. He gave me just about the best description of baseball I've ever heard. Peavine tells Ethan as he is about to make one of the most critical choices in their epic journey: "A baseball game is nothing but a great slow contraption for getting you to pay attention to the cadence of a summer day."Yours truly is an enthusiastic fan of baseball and as I write this, the regular season is only days away. What a relief to me that Ethan met Cutbelly and the other ferishers so they could make the journey across worlds to save baseball. Whew!
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Top reviews from the United States

blooms
5.0 out of 5 stars for anyone who loves baseball
Reviewed in the United States on August 31, 2023
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This book may have been written for 10-14 year old readers but I (77 yrs old) loved it. A perfect combination of baseball, fairy tale, father-son relationship, grief -- and growing up. Chabon is a first rate story teller. I can also imagine reading this outloud to children.
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Joseph J. Truncale
4.0 out of 5 stars A well-written and somewhat compelling story involving baseball and family togetherness.
Reviewed in the United States on January 21, 2022
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I have always loved unusual books involving interesting characters with a compelling story. Though this kind of novel (Summertime: A novel by Michael Chabon) is not my usual reading choice; nevertheless, a friend recommended this book to me, and I purchased it on Amazon for a bargain price.

As most people know, baseball has been called “the American Pastime.” The main character in this novel is Ethan Feld, who lives on Clam Island in Washington State. He loves baseball even though he is not a very good player; however, when he gets asked by a baseball recruiter to help promote baseball on the island, he hesitates but finally accepts the offer.

I never give away too much information when reviewing any novel, but if you like baseball and reading novels by this author you may want to check out this interesting and compelling story.
Rating: 4 Stars. Joseph J. Truncale (Author: Chair/Seated Taichi/Qigong/Yoga stretching for seniors and the physically challenged).
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Quinn Garner
5.0 out of 5 stars Baseball, Faeries & epic battles of Good vs.Evil
Reviewed in the United States on October 2, 2016
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I don't know anything about baseball. I know a lot more now thanks to Micheal Chabon's imaginative and inventive storytelling. The cover grabbed me and wouldn't let me go. The characters kept me coming back again and again to find out what happened next in this story about hope and renewal in spite of evil and imperfect circumstances. I think the book is worth reading for the lengthy prologue and the last paragraph alone, which I am tempted to memorize. Chabon built himself a new fan with this book. Possibly more. About half way through I liked the story so much I bought copies for my 12 year old son and my 12 year old nephew - who's main focus in life is baseball. Finding a story that weaves in so many diverse elements is rare - and in this case - fun and instructive. The character of Coyote was expertly drawn and a good reminder of the true nature of Satan. I thought the last hit in the last inning breaking the windows of Heaven was awesome. Loved the time I spent in this story.
8 people found this helpful
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Perry Beider
3.0 out of 5 stars "Can't anybody here play this game?"
Reviewed in the United States on July 14, 2013
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Chabon's "Summerland" loses a star because it has FOUR of the most egregious, stupid, flat-out MISTAKES I have ever seen in a novel. One would have been bad enough, but FOUR really affected the "willing suspension of disbelief" required of fantasy and the experience of immersion that any good novel should provide.

1. On p. 170, the giant Mooseknuckle John makes a wager that if Ethan can catch three of his fastballs, he will let Ethan and his friends continue on their journey (instead of eating them). On p. 188, after barely surviving the second fastball and realizing he could never handle a third, Ethan solves the dilemma by giving the giant the sign for the change-up (a much slower pitch). The book explains that the catcher's sign is inviolable in the giant's land, so that much is fine. But the terms of the wager specified THREE FASTBALLS--yet somehow, the giant doesn't eat the heroes, nobody makes any comment or observation on it, and the narrator offers no explanation.

2. On p. 231, Jennifer is being held in midair by "a firm grip on her ankles," yet "Her hair hung down in her face." Try as I might, I cannot make that picture work.

3. On p. 338, "Thor was learning to play right field, which was the position they regularly had to fill, being only eight in number, with a player from the opposite team." But in the game described in the previous chapter, the borrowed player was used at third base, and from the drills Thor is practicing, it's clear that he's preparing to play THERE. (He was probably already playing right field, since that's traditionally where the weakest player goes.)

4. On p. 390, "The Man with the Knife in His Boot led off with a slap double, stole second, ..." !!

Obviously, the first of those errors was important to the plot, and it might have worked fine if Chabon had inserted a sentence or two to explain away the inconsistency. The other three didn't need any creative fixes, just an editor reading the book while awake. (I assume the book HAD an editor; I wouldn't think any publisher would put out a 500-page novel by a best-selling author without assigning it an editor, but maybe I'm mistaken.) You can see why I titled my review with the quotation attributed to Casey Stengel, manager of the New York Mets in their first year in the 1960s.

(BTW, according to Wikipedia's entry on Stengel, he actually said "Can't anybody play this here game?" But the other version worked better for the title of Jimmy Breslin's book, and that's the one everybody 'knows.')

Those errors aside, the book's not bad, but you have to get past a little self-conscious preciousness, and swallow the premise that baseball is the universal game at the heart of cultures of giants, elves, and everybody/thing else. (I've been a read-the-box-scores-every-day baseball fan for about 50 years, and even I don't think that the designated hitter is literally the work of the Devil.)

I haven't read any of Chabon's other books, but based on his excellent reputation, my guess is that he's a better writer when he's not trying to appeal to kids. I certainly hope he's at least a more _careful_ one.
2 people found this helpful
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Bill Reich
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Full Stars or Near Enough
Reviewed in the United States on October 13, 2011
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Michael Chabon has created a juvenile fantasy novel that transcends its category and appeals to adults, certainly this adult. By the way, I'm not going to do a plot summary, so you can leave now if that's what you like in a review.

There are life lessons in this book that are usually couched in baseball terms. Some of them, like "if a thrown or batted ball frightens you, become a Catcher," or "A Catcher's first duty is to encourage and nourish his Pitcher" can be easily translated into non-baseball concepts, if one finds non-baseball concepts interesting. However, "a baseball game is nothing but a great slow contraption for getting you to pay attention to the cadence of a summer day," is rather hard to divorce from the game.

Chabon has often been praised for his use of the language and deservedly so.

The baseball in the book is combined with a multi-world adventure among concepts and creatures from Native American and Norse mythology, with a touch of Celtic myth and characters from the mythology that grew up around the North American frontier.

The major characters, from the kids who go on the adventure to the villain of the piece, Coyote, are very colorful and interesting but the people they meet are even wilder.
2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Boiteltoifel
5.0 out of 5 stars Es ist nicht alles Baseball...
Reviewed in Germany on February 4, 2011
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Wie alle Bücher von Michael Chabon läßt sich auch dieses verschlingen. In gewohnt schöner Sprache hat er einen Roman für Jugendliche und jung gebliebene Erwachsene geschrieben. Was im Reich der Märchen und Sagen angesiedelt ist, kann problemlos auf diese Welt übertragen werden: Völkerverständigung durch ein Ein-Welt-Spiel. Hierbei handelt es sich im Buch um Baseball. Mir sind davon die gröbsten Grundbegriffe (Brennball...) halbwegs geläufig. Vielleicht ist das Buch für Menschen, die Baseball verstehen, noch viel genußvoller zu lesen. Auch ohne Vorkenntnisse kann ein Laie aber anhand der Art, wie die Geschichte geschrieben ist, unschwer erkennen, was passiert und ob ein Spielzug erfolgreich war oder nicht. Es sollte sich also niemand von der "Baseball-Drohung" abschrecken lassen. Wer die Spielregeln genauer kennenlernen möchte, kann sich problemlos im Internet schlau machen. Fünf Sterne für die Geschichte, den Schreibstil und den Ausgang des Buches. Noch ein kleiner Hinweis: Ganz zufällig habe ich direkt vorher "The Book Of Lost Things" von John Connolly gelesen. Es ist etwa fünf Jahre jünger und das negative Gegenstück zu "Summerland". Sehr gut lesbar, sehr schön geschrieben, nette Ideen zu deutschen Märchen, aber bis einschließlich zum letzten Satz so düster, daß man es nur als seelisch gefestigter Mensch lesen sollte, weil es einem sonst den Spaß am Leben rauben kann. Wer es denn lesen möchte, sollte "Summerland" griffbereit halten. Als Erste Hilfe und um das eigene Seelenheil zu bewahren!
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Sharan
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in Canada on March 17, 2018
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Enjoyable
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Eitan E. Wugalter
1.0 out of 5 stars Terrible novel !
Reviewed in Canada on March 28, 2024
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Chabon is one of my favourite authors but this novel is a dud. I read about 60% of it and couldn't take anymore. It had no structure. It's like he was just writing the first thing to come to his head.
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