Cold Summer - Softcover

Cole, Gwen

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1510729941 ISBN 13: 9781510729940

Publisher: Sky Pony, 2018

Synopsis

Today, he’s a high school dropout with no future.

Tomorrow, he’s a soldier in World War II.

Kale Jackson has spent years trying to control his time-traveling ability but hasn't had much luck. One day he lives in 1945, fighting in the war as a sharpshooter and helplessly watching soldiers friends die. Then the next day, he’s back in the present, where WWII has bled into his modern life in the form of PTSD, straining his relationship with his father and the few friends he has left. Every day it becomes harder to hide his battle wounds, both physical and mental, from the past.

When the ex-girl-next-door, Harper, moves back to town, thoughts of what could be if only he had a normal life begin to haunt him. Harper reminds him of the person he was before the PTSD, which helps anchor him to the present. With practice, maybe Kale could remain in the present permanently and never step foot on a battlefield again. Maybe he can have the normal life he craves.

But then Harper finds Kale’s name in a historical article and he’s listed as a casualty of the war. Is Kale’s death inevitable? Does this mean that, one of these days, when Kale travels to the past, he may not come back?

Kale knows now that he must learn to control his time-traveling ability to save himself and his chance at a life with Harper. Otherwise, he’ll be killed in a time where he doesn’t belong by a bullet that was never meant for him.

About this title

From the Author

Gwen Cole grew up in upstate New York and then moved to Virginia, where she did not graduate college. Instead she played bass guitar in a hardcore band and later married the lead guitarist. She enjoys large jigsaw puzzles, playing Xbox, and watching movies. Her newest novel, Ride On, releases in May, 2018. Gwen now lives in Richmond with her husband, daughter, and very large dog, but she longs to live in the country again.

From School Library Journal

Gr 8 Up—Since he was seven, Kale Jackson has been intermittently yanked into the past. Convulsive and uncontrollable time-hops have taken him around the world, but after a decade of concealing his ability, he has dropped out of school and become alienated from his family. Worse, since his parents' divorce, he's been warping to a World War II battlefield. Enter Harper, Kale's ex-neighbor. The two share halcyon memories: playful dips in the nearby river, summertime adventures in the bucolic forest, and a childhood friendship that was really an inchoate romance. Their renewed and newly steamy relationship gives the traumatized Kale an emotional purchase on the present. It's a connection that may even prove strong enough to keep him from skidding back into World War II. Readers seeking the usual fruits of the time-hopping genre (such as historical commentary or insights into the perspectives of people in the past) will be disappointed. If not for the wintry weather, the narrative bursts of 1945 might just as well have been Waterloo or Antietam. Kale's ability could have been explored more creatively, and its explanation seems desultory. However, those looking for a believable romance will be gratified by well-executed chapters that alternate between Kale's and Harper's perspectives. VERDICT Thanks to solidly developed characters and a plot propelled by romance and supernatural powers, this will fit comfortably in most YA collections. Though lacking the philosophical flair or historiographical vigor that flavors the best time-travel books, it's recommended as a strong secondary purchase.—Blake Holman, Whitefish Bay Public Library, WI

Edition details

• Publisher: Sky Pony
• Publication date: 2018
• ISBN 10: 1510729941
• ISBN 13: 9781510729940
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 340