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Cicada Summer
Something flickered at the top of the stairs. Eloise heard a voice call, I'm coming! , and a girl in a pale dress and a big sunhat came running, her fingertips slipping down the curve of the slim iron railing.
Eloise went cold all over. She couldn't move, or breathe; her mouth was dry.
At the bottom of the steps, the girl in the pale dress faltered, then stopped. For a fraction of a second she stood motionless, as if she were listening. Then all at once she turned and stared straight at Eloise.
And suddenly the foyer was empty. The ghostly girl was gone.
When Eloise's get-rich-quick dad moves them back to his home town to turn the derelict family mansion into a convention centre, Eloise feels an immediate bond with the old house. She begins spending all her time there, ignoring her strange grandmother and avoiding the friendly boy next door. Then Eloise meets a 'ghost girl' who may or may not be from the house's past, and events take a strange - and ultimately dangerous - turn. Beautifully written, poignant and gripping, this is a charming and atmospheric story of personal growth, overcoming grief and the true nature of friendship and family.
'A deserted house, a grieving girl; the perfect ingredients to take you on a journey between reality and fantasy. Cicada Summer makes you believe that anything is possible. My skin prickled, my pulse raced and I couldn't put the book down until I'd finished.' - Glenda Millard'
A treasure of a story, a story to slip into your pocket like a feather or a perfectly round stone - for keeps. Reminiscent of the old-fashioned storytelling I loved as a child, like Tom's Midnight Garden , but with a contemporary flavour.' - Penni Russon
Eloise went cold all over. She couldn't move, or breathe; her mouth was dry.
At the bottom of the steps, the girl in the pale dress faltered, then stopped. For a fraction of a second she stood motionless, as if she were listening. Then all at once she turned and stared straight at Eloise.
And suddenly the foyer was empty. The ghostly girl was gone.
When Eloise's get-rich-quick dad moves them back to his home town to turn the derelict family mansion into a convention centre, Eloise feels an immediate bond with the old house. She begins spending all her time there, ignoring her strange grandmother and avoiding the friendly boy next door. Then Eloise meets a 'ghost girl' who may or may not be from the house's past, and events take a strange - and ultimately dangerous - turn. Beautifully written, poignant and gripping, this is a charming and atmospheric story of personal growth, overcoming grief and the true nature of friendship and family.
'A deserted house, a grieving girl; the perfect ingredients to take you on a journey between reality and fantasy. Cicada Summer makes you believe that anything is possible. My skin prickled, my pulse raced and I couldn't put the book down until I'd finished.' - Glenda Millard'
A treasure of a story, a story to slip into your pocket like a feather or a perfectly round stone - for keeps. Reminiscent of the old-fashioned storytelling I loved as a child, like Tom's Midnight Garden , but with a contemporary flavour.' - Penni Russon
194 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 1, 2009
About the author
Kate Constable
24 books284 followersKate Constable was born in Sangringham, Melbourne (Victoria, Australia). When she was six-years-old, her family moved to Papua New Guinea where her father worked as a pilot.
Constable got her Arts/Law degree at Melborne University, then got a job at Warner Music. She started writing during these years.
She wrote several short-stories before becoming an author and after her first attempt at writing a novel she fell in love with the man that is now her husband. They have a daughter.
Constable's first official novel was The Singer of All Songs, in a trilogy called The Chanters of Tremaris. It was published in 2002, a few weeks after Constable's daughter was born.
Constable got her Arts/Law degree at Melborne University, then got a job at Warner Music. She started writing during these years.
She wrote several short-stories before becoming an author and after her first attempt at writing a novel she fell in love with the man that is now her husband. They have a daughter.
Constable's first official novel was The Singer of All Songs, in a trilogy called The Chanters of Tremaris. It was published in 2002, a few weeks after Constable's daughter was born.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
April 13, 2009
This is a wonderful children's novel in the tradition of classics like The Secret Garden and Tom's Midnight Garden. Eloise is grieving for her dead mother, while her father runs after one get-rich-quick scheme (and bad girlfriend) after another, eventually dumping Eloise with a grandmother she doesn't know. When Eloise meets Anna, a girl in the summerhouse of a derelict house, she thinks she's travelling in time. By the end of the summer, Eloise realises just who Anna is and shy she's so important to her. Highly recommended!
March 29, 2026
My favourite childhood book. So special to me that I still remember vividly, the world I imagined, the words that were written, and the way it made me feel.
March 20, 2018
Cute. Lovely. Dreamy.
November 13, 2015
This book is awesome I loved it!
December 22, 2022
A gorgeously written story for tweens involving grief, hope and time travel. Check it out.
July 7, 2019
Extremely emotional for sensitive people, is very detailed and is recommended to people looking for suspense, time travel, or emotion
July 22, 2022
Read this to check it was suitable for my 12 year old daughter. It’s a rather lovely tale about a girl who is struggling to come to terms with the loss of her mum and finds safety in a beautiful old house that her dad has inherited. It does contain death and ghosts/spirits but it isn’t scary and gently tackles the issues the girl faces with optimism. Suitable for age 8 plus, I really enjoyed reading it.
December 11, 2017
I don't remember a lot of this book, but I remember how it made me feel. I couldn't tell you what that emotion was, only that it was so incredibly strong I still feel it whenever I think about this book. I could tell you how a specific scene made me feel and what it looked like in my head, it made such an impact on me when I was younger.
January 3, 2023
a book i read (and re-read) in my childhood that i will never forget.
i loved this book as a quiet and sentimental child & felt so connected to the story, one of my favourite if not favourite books. I’d happily re read it today as an adult & i can’t wait to read it to my future daughter
i loved this book as a quiet and sentimental child & felt so connected to the story, one of my favourite if not favourite books. I’d happily re read it today as an adult & i can’t wait to read it to my future daughter
July 20, 2018
Absolutely luminous - adored this book from the very first page. Suitable for the upper primary...and even students who are in Grade 4 and need extending. This is a perfect book for the gifted reader.
January 14, 2021
My all time favorite book from childhood. I did so many art and English projects based on this book, one I will hand down to my daughters
July 19, 2021
first read 2013
reread 2021, still holds up
reread 2021, still holds up
November 9, 2021
This was one of my favourite books growing up and it still holds up today. If you like the film Marnie and Me, you will enjoy this book.
December 15, 2025
Cosy and touching, reclaimed family and a sweetness and understanding of different types of people and what trauma does to their lives.
December 30, 2023
Cute Cute Cute!
Great Australian YA writing!
Could easily gift to my Girls and Re Read myself. Beautiful Story and Themes.
Great Australian YA writing!
Could easily gift to my Girls and Re Read myself. Beautiful Story and Themes.
June 11, 2020
This whimsical story was almost as good as I remembered. I first read it when I was back in primary school and I had absolutely loved it. This time round, it didn't hit me quite as hard, though it was still enjoyable.
How Eloise and her father cope with grief is explored alongside Eloise's own personal growth. After forming a fierce friendship through a time-slip, Eloise re-discovers her voice and the importance of family.
A lovely story that leaves you with a warm fuzzy feeling and a sense of hope.
How Eloise and her father cope with grief is explored alongside Eloise's own personal growth. After forming a fierce friendship through a time-slip, Eloise re-discovers her voice and the importance of family.
A lovely story that leaves you with a warm fuzzy feeling and a sense of hope.
October 25, 2014
Eloise's father has a lot of grand schemes - and his latest one is building a convention centre in his old hometown. But after moving around for the past years after her mom has died, Eloise has been going quiet. But even in this little town with her grandmother and friendly neighbors, Eloise is scared. So when she finds herself traveling back in time to play with a girl named Anna, she is cautiously trying to find her voice again.
I picked up this book because I quite enjoyed Constable's Chanters Trilogy and was looking for something with that tone. It's all about a quiet, uncertain girl who slowly comes into her own. It's soft and wistful and dreamy with strong moments.
It's a very easy read, but so lovely.
I think the title doesn't fit this book, but the inner contents of this book are worth reading.
I love, love, love the ending. The perfect way to wrap things up.
3.5 rounded down.
I picked up this book because I quite enjoyed Constable's Chanters Trilogy and was looking for something with that tone. It's all about a quiet, uncertain girl who slowly comes into her own. It's soft and wistful and dreamy with strong moments.
It's a very easy read, but so lovely.
I think the title doesn't fit this book, but the inner contents of this book are worth reading.
I love, love, love the ending. The perfect way to wrap things up.
3.5 rounded down.
May 5, 2020
As beautiful as I remembered it all those years ago! Still a solid 4/5 stars!
I am all out of library books to read in quarantine and so I am on a new mission to re-read all the books on my own beloved book shelf. It has been about 5 weeks since I have read a book and iso has meant far too much time on my laptop/phone and sitting in front of the tv, so it is about time I picked up a book again.
Cicada Summer was as adorable as I remembered it. Eloise is the sweetest little girl and I adored the time travel aspects of this story. I loved her relationship with the mystery girl in the summer house. I loved the character development and the ending. All in all, super endearing and I would lovingly read this book over and over again :)
I am all out of library books to read in quarantine and so I am on a new mission to re-read all the books on my own beloved book shelf. It has been about 5 weeks since I have read a book and iso has meant far too much time on my laptop/phone and sitting in front of the tv, so it is about time I picked up a book again.
Cicada Summer was as adorable as I remembered it. Eloise is the sweetest little girl and I adored the time travel aspects of this story. I loved her relationship with the mystery girl in the summer house. I loved the character development and the ending. All in all, super endearing and I would lovingly read this book over and over again :)
October 8, 2011
At 8 this book definitely challenged Fred, but she really enjoyed it and loved the time-slip tricksiness employed by the author. She especially loved Anna, who was Fred's anchor in the book and grew very fond of Mo - will be interested to see how her relationship to the characters change as she rereads the book in the years to come (as I am sure she will).
We progressed from this to Charlotte Sometimes.
We progressed from this to Charlotte Sometimes.
August 24, 2010
Well written time slip story about a girl who after losing her mother is taken to stay with her grumpy gran while Dad hatches a new scheme. The time slip element wasn't particularly original, nor was the coming to terms with grief and other issues, which pretty much makes up the entire plot (even got a in a good plug for immigration). All in all a nice story - though no more deserving of a CBC short-listing than many others out there.
April 5, 2011
The first half of Cicada Summer is promising; the introduced themes have great potential, the characters are engaging, the setting has a wonderful ghostly/atmospheric feel to it. But somewhere along the way this book lost me a little bit – I just feel that the story didn’t really go anywhere; it didn’t grab me emotionally and all the conflict was resolved in a kind of by-the-numbers way.
Full review at:
http://bookgrotto.blogspot.com/2011/0...
Full review at:
http://bookgrotto.blogspot.com/2011/0...
October 19, 2021
This book will always be a favourite, if books were people this book would be me. I first read and loved this book when I was nine, at the time I was so much like Eloise. Reading this book again thirteen years later I still get hit with the beauty and depth of this book. This book helped me with healing from grief and showed me a way of expressing emotions through art. I just love this book so much and will read and reread it again and again for the rest of my life.
October 7, 2010
A very happy book. Thought it could of had something else about it caus nothing unexpexted happened. It was quite intresting and I havent really read a book like it before. I would reccomend it for very happy readers :)
September 8, 2013
This book is my all time favourite book. It's amazing. The secrets that get shared, the intense friendship between two girls, the love and care shared between the two families, it's fantastic.
10/10
10/10
July 18, 2009
This book is good, no doubt, but I felt the time-travel part was a bit formulaic. I liked the real live people better.
July 17, 2010
loved this book. was a bit sad though but good(:
A must read.
A must read.
July 27, 2010
This is such a cute book!
January 17, 2016
This was excellent. Good for young teens.
July 29, 2012
A simple read but one of the best chapter books I've ever read!
March 15, 2013
A great book. I really enjoyed it!! I loved the excitement of the secrets that were told, the characters were wonderful, loveable people.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews