The Summer of the Pike

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1571316728 ISBN 13: 9781571316721

Publisher: Milkweed Editions, 2006

Anna, Daniel, and Lucas seem to be living a dream. While their parents take care of a castle, they have the run of the grounds and the beautiful surrounding countryside. Their only concern is how best to catch the mysterious pike that lurks in the deep water of the moat. But when Daniel and Lucas’s mother first begins to seem tired all the time, and then loses her hair, Anna wonders what is going on. It is cancer, she is told, but Daniel and Lucas must not know. As the summer days grow shorter and the colors of the fields and flowers change, the boys eventually learn of their mother’s illness. Daniel becomes convinced that catching the pike will bring luck — that it might even cure his mother. But as her condition worsens, these three true friends can only wish that they could stop the destructive march of time. Jutta Richter’s powerful prose makes this sensitive story set during a summer idyll an unforgettable one.

From School Library Journal:

Grade 6-9–Anna's single mom and Daniel and Lucas's parents work for the earl of a castle in Germany. They live across the courtyard from one another and have been friends forever. Now, Anna's carefree life romping about the castle and dashing across the courtyard to visit her buddies is shifting as the boys' mother is losing her battle with cancer. Anna observes her friends fishing the murky moat waters for an illusive and legendary pike and the three youngsters cling to a childlike mindset of one of those summers that goes on forever. Anna longs for normal life to resume–spending time with the boys or, maybe, establishing friendships with girls. She is out-of-sorts with the brothers' determination to capture the pike, and she is angry with her mother's single focus toward Gisela, who is bedridden, yet is a vital spiritual presence. This allegorical tale is eloquent and poignant. Anna is able to accept the death of her guinea pig, But it's really not asking too much for mothers to hold off dying at least until their kids are grown. For Anna, Daniel, and Lucas, the romance of living in a castle under the forever dome of summertime slips away, as do the victorious feelings of catching the pike.–Alison Follos, North Country School, Lake Placid, NY
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From Booklist:

Anna, Daniel, and Lucas have grown up on a manor where their families live and their mothers work, though now that Gisella (the boys' mother) has become sick, she spends her days resting. The boys tell themselves that she will get well if they can catch an enormous pike that swims in the moat. The progression of Gisella's cancer is evident primarily through the observations of the children and Anna's discussions with her mother, who finds it difficult to give Anna gestures of affection. First published in Germany, this short novel is sensitive and unflinching in its depiction of children and adults who are dealing with a terminal illness. Anna narrates the story and readers come to know her through her reflections as well as her honest reactions to Gisella, the boys' magical thinking, and an unfeeling neighbor child who repeats her parents' gossip. Illustrated with six full-page pictures, not seen in finished form, this well-told story will introduce children to a German writer with many books to her credit. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved