Kaela Valdez

Ms. Roche-Reading Class

3rd period

Umbrella Summer

Lisa Graff was born on 1981 in a town called Big Bear, a tiny ski resort in Southern California. She moved to L.A. and studied Linguistics and Cognitive Psychology at ULCA but changed and entered the MFA Program writing for children at the New School in Manhattan. She started an editorial job at Society of Children’s Book Writer and Illustrator. She is also the author of another famous “The Thing About Georgie.” Among her other books are “The Life and Crimes of Bernetta Wallflower,” and the latest, “Double Dog Dare.” Aside from writing, she loves reading and board. She currently lives in Brooklyn with her cat, named Henry.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Umbrella Summer is a story of a 10 yr old girl, named Annie Richards, who has an older brother named Jared. Jared died unexpectedly after he got hit by a hockey puck playing in Cedar Lake and they found out he had a rare heart condition called aortic dissection, which caused him to die. After her brother’s death, she became extra cautious worrying all the time about her health. It affected her friends and family. Will Annie go back into a fun loving girl and start being happy again? Will she be able to close totally her umbrella? Read and find out.

SUMMARY

CHARACTERS Annie Richards- a 10 yr old girl who is the main character of the

book. She has a brother named Jared who died unexpectedly of heart disease. She used to be a fun-loving girl, but after her brother’s death, she started worrying about her health.

Rebecca Young- blonde hair, loves ballet, Annie’s friend, whose dad is a doctor

Mrs. Finch- Annie’s new neighbor who bought “ the haunted house.”

Mrs. Harper- Annie’s next door neighbor.

Tommy- Jared’s best friend.

Mr. and Mrs. Richards- Annie’s parents

PLOT

Introduction:

Meet Annie Richards, her family and friends

Setting

Cedar Haven, CA

Rising Action

Annie’s older brother died unexpectedly. Annie became extremely cautious about her healthAnnie stopped hanging out with Doug Zimmerman Annie stole a book called Preventing Everyday Illness Mrs. Finch moved to the haunted house. Annie refused to go to Rebecca’s hamster’s funeral. Mrs. Finch and Annie became good friendsMrs. Finch’s husband also died recently.

CLIMAX Mrs. Finch help Rebecca and Annie become friends again.

Annie talked to her parents about her brother’s death. Annie helped her mom finally go to Jared’s room.

Mrs. Finch was able to hang her husband’s fish pictures with Annie’s help.

Annie stopped reading Preventing Everyday Illness. They celebrated Jared’s birthday by posting a paper and writing

things Jared liked to do.

FALLING ACTION

Annie and her family was able to move on. Annie’s mom is planning to give away some of

Jared’s clothes and finally cleaned up his room Annie started playing obstacle courses with her

friends Annie and Mrs. Finch helped each other by closing

their own “umbrella.”

CONCLUSION

VOCABULARY Despondent- in low spirits, from loss of hope or courage. Pg 49 “She looks despondent when she saw the result of her exam.” Cautious-adj; attentive to potential problems or dangers pg 49 “I am very cautious when I cross the street.” Gnawed-v; to bite, chew on, or erode with the teeth pg 73 “The mouse gnawed my little brother’s new shoes.” Stupefied-v; make someone unable to think or feel properly, astonish or

shock pg 170 “I was stupefied about the news of my friend’s moving to another school.” indestructible-adj; not able to be destroyed pg 233 “I made a toy that is indestructible.”

STARRING ACTORS: ANNIE RICHARDS PLAYED BY: DAKOTA FANNING

STARRING ACTORS: REBECCA YOUNG PLAYED BY: PEYTON LIST

STARRING ACTORS: DOUG ZIMMERMAN PLAYED BY: COLE SPROUSE

STARRING ACTORS: MRS. FINCH PLAYED BY: PATRICIA BELCHER

STARRING ACTORS: MR. AND MRS. RICHARDS PLAYED BY: NICOLE KIDMAN AND TOM CRUISE

SOUND TRACK TUNES:TEARS IN HEAVEN-BY ERIC CLAPTONWould you know my name if I saw you in heaven? Would it be the same if I saw you in heaven?I must be strong and carry on‘Cause I know I don’t belong here in heaven

Would you hold my hand if I saw you in heaven?Would you help me stand if I saw you in heaven?I’ll find my way through night and day.‘Cause I know I just can’t stay here in heaven.

Time can bring you down, time can bend your kneesTime can break your heart, have you begging please, begging pleaseBeyond the door there’s peace, I’m sureAnd I know there’ll be no more tears in heaven

Repeat paragraph 1.

MY RATING:

I gave my book a 5 star rating for Umbrella Summer because the characters are very realistic, and this story reminded me of losing my grandfather a couple yrs ago, and it helps you learn to cope with sadness and grief of losing someone. I recommend this book because I really enjoyed reading it and at the same time, it helped me learn how to deal with life’s realities, like death.