Summer Tunes: A Martha's Vineyard Vacation - Hardcover

McMahon, Patricia

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1563975726 ISBN 13: 9781563975721

Publisher: Boyds Mills Press, 1996

Synopsis

Every summer the Healy family heads to Martha's Vineyard for vacation. Everyone in the family has his or her own favorite thing to do each year. But for ten-year-old Conor, the highlight of the trip is a visit to WMJV, the radio station on the island. Conor loves music and can name the singer and title of most anything he hears. Conor also has cerebral palsy, and spending time on the island presents its own unique set of challenges for him. Author Patricia McMahon spent time with the Healy family on a recent vacation, and long-time Vineyard resident Peter Simon captures wonderful moments of the family together in a well-known and well-loved setting.

About this title

About the Author

Patricia McMahon is the author of Chi-Hoon: A Korean Girl and Listen for the Bus: David's Story, both published by Boyds Mills Press and named by Booklinks among the best books published in the last five years. Ms. McMahon lives in Houston, Texas.

Peter Simon is the photographer of nine books for adults, including On the Vineyard and Reggae Bloodlines: In Search of the Music and Culture of Jamaica. He lives on Martha's Vineyard.

From Publishers Weekly

Inventively balancing the particular and the near-universal, this warmhearted photoessay documents a family's summer vacation on Martha's Vineyard. The very likable Healys?two parents, two girls, one boy and a dog?have the same interests as most families: they like spending the day at the beach or in a boat. The Healy son, 10-year-old Conor, has cerebral palsy, and is confined to a wheelchair. McMahon (Listen for the Bus) matter-of-factly explains CP in age-appropriate language, and gracefully shows how only a few modifications enable Conor to participate in everyday activities. Conor's older sister, Carrie, wants to be a writer, so she thinks up stories; Conor loves music, and the highlight of his summer is a visit to the Vineyard radio station. McMahon's conversational narrative moves fluidly and often humorously from notes on Vineyard history to lighthearted descriptions of family outings to explorations of darker feelings, such as Conor's anger at the patronizing actions of those who feel sorry for him, or Carrie's occasional resentment of the extra attention Conor receives. Positioned scrapbook-style around the text, Simon's (On the Vineyard) artfully composed photos include postcard-like scenes of the island as well as shots, some very affecting, of this close-knit, supportive family. The only wrong note here is the misleadingly dull, textbook-style jacket. Ages 7-10.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Boyds Mills Press
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 1563975726
• ISBN 13: 9781563975721
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 48