Reviews

Gr 7-10-Fifteen-year-old Rachel finds her much anticipated summer turning increasingly disturbing when her cousin Julia comes to live with the Bryant family after the deaths of her parents in a car crash in this popular novel by Lois Duncan (BDD, pap. 1977). Julia's looks and personality enchant Rachel's parents and brothers, but Rachel is uneasy about her mysterious cousin who seems to bewitch everyone she meets, including Rachel's boyfriend Michael. Only the family dog, Trickle, shares her immediate dislike of the stranger in their midst. When Trickle dies shortly after Julia arrives, his death serves to increase Rachel's distrust and suspicion. How can she prove to her parents that Julia is both more, and less, than she appears? Can she stop Julia before she kills again. Ruth Ann Phimister's voice captures Rachel's character and helps the listeners understand and empathize with Rachel's initial confusion and uncertainty as well as her anger and determination once she discovers Julia's true nature. Filled with suspense and questions about the nature of evil in the world around us, Summer of Fear will cast a spell over both teens and adults.-Cindy Lombardo, Orrville Public Library, OH