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تابستان قوها
متنِ پشت جلد:
سارا دختری که تابستان چهارده سالگی، یا به قول خودش «مزخرفترین» تابستان عمرش را میگذراند، پس از گم شدن برادر عقب ماندهاش، بینشی نو نسبت به خود و خانوادهاش پیدا میکند. رمان لطیف و عاطفی «تابستان قوها» داستان دل نگرانیهای نوجوانان در دوران بلوغ است.
خانم بتسی کرومر بایارس، نویسندهٔ نام آشنای آمریکایی کارش را با حرفهی روزنامهنگاری آغاز کرد و تاکنون کتابهای بسیاری برای کودکان و نوجوانان نوشته است. از ویژگیهای آثار او پرداختن به مسایل روانشناختی نوجوانان و درک عمیق عواطف و احساسات این گروه است.
سارا دختری که تابستان چهارده سالگی، یا به قول خودش «مزخرفترین» تابستان عمرش را میگذراند، پس از گم شدن برادر عقب ماندهاش، بینشی نو نسبت به خود و خانوادهاش پیدا میکند. رمان لطیف و عاطفی «تابستان قوها» داستان دل نگرانیهای نوجوانان در دوران بلوغ است.
خانم بتسی کرومر بایارس، نویسندهٔ نام آشنای آمریکایی کارش را با حرفهی روزنامهنگاری آغاز کرد و تاکنون کتابهای بسیاری برای کودکان و نوجوانان نوشته است. از ویژگیهای آثار او پرداختن به مسایل روانشناختی نوجوانان و درک عمیق عواطف و احساسات این گروه است.
156 pages, Paperback
First published March 30, 1970
111 people are currently reading
4901 people want to read
About the author
Betsy Byars
131 books157 followersBetsy Byars was an American author of children's books. She wrote over sixty books for young people. Her first novel was published in 1962. Her novel Summer of the Swans won the 1971 Newbery Medal. She also received a National Book Award for Young People's Literature for The Night Swimmers and an Edgar Award for Wanted ... Mud Blossom!!
Daughters Betsy Duffey and Laurie Myers are also writers.
Daughters Betsy Duffey and Laurie Myers are also writers.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 724 reviews
January 31, 2021
Slow, boring, completely forgettable. I read this because it's a Newbery winner but am struggling to come up with anything positive to say about it. 😕
The biggest takeaway for me is that unfortunately, this is an all too realistic depiction of life, both then and even yet today, for many households with a mentally handicapped child. The stresses and worries for the parent, the additional responsibilities and emotional burden shouldered by siblings, and the confusing and scary world that often overwhelms the child. All of this is touched on too briefly and too shallowly in this short book. An underwhelming and lethargic read.
The biggest takeaway for me is that unfortunately, this is an all too realistic depiction of life, both then and even yet today, for many households with a mentally handicapped child. The stresses and worries for the parent, the additional responsibilities and emotional burden shouldered by siblings, and the confusing and scary world that often overwhelms the child. All of this is touched on too briefly and too shallowly in this short book. An underwhelming and lethargic read.
February 24, 2022
I have a particular weakness for novels that focus on the sibling dynamic, and this middle grades novel, which is not much more than a novella in size, definitely made my legs turn to rubber.
I'm a middle child, like the protagonist, Sara, and we share something else in common: an older sister and a younger brother (we're all even the same age differences apart).
I couldn't relate more to the sometimes playful, sometimes painful dialogue between the sisters here, nor to the overprotective feelings that Sara has toward her younger brother, Charlie.
This story has landed, with great affection, on both my “sister act” and “he ain't heavy, he's my brother” shelves.
The plot is simple; the dialogue, character development and writing is not.
I love this Newbery Medal winner from 1971, and I wish I had written it.
I'm a middle child, like the protagonist, Sara, and we share something else in common: an older sister and a younger brother (we're all even the same age differences apart).
I couldn't relate more to the sometimes playful, sometimes painful dialogue between the sisters here, nor to the overprotective feelings that Sara has toward her younger brother, Charlie.
This story has landed, with great affection, on both my “sister act” and “he ain't heavy, he's my brother” shelves.
The plot is simple; the dialogue, character development and writing is not.
I love this Newbery Medal winner from 1971, and I wish I had written it.
August 1, 2021
Set in small town West Virginia during the 1960s (and basically a tale of family, friendship and yes, not always being so quick to jump to wrong, to erroneous conclusions), I first encountered Betsy Byars' 1974 Newbery Award winning Summer of the Swans in German translation (probably in 1976 when I was ten years old, but it might in fact have been a year earlier, in 1975). And I do well remember that I absolutely loved Summer of the Swans as a child (or Als die Schwäne kamen as the novel is known in German), that I read the novel three times in a row the first time I encountered it, that I most definitely felt very emotionally close and connected to especially main protagonist Sara Godfrey, and although she at the age of fourteen was perhaps a bit too mature and teenager-like for a nine or ten year old like me, I did indeed find Als die Schwäne kamen absolutely relatable, approachable and both heartbreaking and also extremely loving and encouraging at the same time.
And yes most certainly, I do still as an older adult rereading so much love and appreciate the realism of Betsy Byars' family dynamics depictions, how in The Summer of the Swans, Sara's relationships and her dealings, her rapport with her aunt Willie (Wilhelmina), her older Sister Wanda and her physically and emotionally challenged younger brother Charlie are portrayed as realistic, as both positive and indeed sometimes strained and quite negative (and while everyone in the family, while Aunt Willie, Wanda and Sara obviously clearly and dearly love little Charlie, that sometimes, he is also more than a handful, that sometimes, one needs a lot of patience and self discipline to deal with him, to not become too annoyed at and frustrated with him, but that of course, all this becomes totally secondary when Charlie wanders off alone early one morning to look for the swans which Sara had shown him and that had obviously very lastingly enthralled him, and cannot be located, is lost somewhere in the deep woods).
Now like many teenagers, Sara at fourteen feels very much unsure of herself, often moody, unhappy and in particular not at all satisfied with regard to her physical appearance, with regard to her looks, especially because her older sister Wanda is considered by everyone as very beautiful and graceful, so much so that Sara actually often feels somewhat left behind, that she feels as though she will never catch up to Wanda, that she will always be a mousy and unimportant proverbial ugly duckling so to speak, and that first and foremost, her supposed (in Sara's mind) lack of physical grace, charm and beauty will also prevent her from ever being able to catch, let alone hold on to a steady boyfriend (thus naturellement, Sara also cannot and will not believe that her classmate Joe Melby has not been bullying and tormenting her little brother Charlie, until Charlie gets lost and Joe helps Sara find him and Sara finally realises her mistaken belief that Joe had been amongst the bullies harassing her little brother, that he actually might be friend or perhaps even potential boyfriend material, someone who cares for her, someone who accepts her little brother's physical and emotional challenges and someone with whom she might indeed enjoy spending more quality time).
And finally, what I have indeed always much if not most enjoyed and appreciated with regard to The Summer of the Swans is how for one Betsy Byars focusses mainly on realistic, every-day happenings, scenarios and occurrences (well, perhaps with the exception of Charlie getting lost) and on realistic family dynamics (both positive and negative, even occasionally quite painful) and that for two, the author's writing style is also and appreciatively imbued with that same type of realism and understatement, with natural sounding dialogues, with vocabulary choices that feel unexaggerated and truthful, that are not overwrought and extreme in expressivity and emotionality (and thus, even though emotions are raw and immediate in Summer of the Swans, they are in my opinion naturally depicted, they, like the author's description of family, of small town life read and feel true and actually very much like scenarios that can and do occur in real life, and not in fantasy land).
Now while I do have to admit that with regard to personal nostalgia, I still somewhat prefer the German translation that I read as a nine/ten year old, that I do in fact enjoy Als die Schwäne kamen a tiny and trifling bit more than the original, I can and will most certainly very highly and warmly recommend Summer of the Swans (but with the caveat that since Summer of the Swans was penned in 1970 and thus more than forty years ago, especially some of the words used to describe little Charlie, his challenges and limitations might not really be what one would call entirely politically correct by today's standards, albeit that Betsy Byars definitely and yes very fortunately and happily always points out that the word "retarded" is pejorative and bigoted and should not in ANY manner be used to depict and describe Sara's little brother, who is also first and foremost portrayed as a little boy, even though he is a youngster with challenges and someone who can thus also at times be challenging to and for his nearest and dearest).
And yes most certainly, I do still as an older adult rereading so much love and appreciate the realism of Betsy Byars' family dynamics depictions, how in The Summer of the Swans, Sara's relationships and her dealings, her rapport with her aunt Willie (Wilhelmina), her older Sister Wanda and her physically and emotionally challenged younger brother Charlie are portrayed as realistic, as both positive and indeed sometimes strained and quite negative (and while everyone in the family, while Aunt Willie, Wanda and Sara obviously clearly and dearly love little Charlie, that sometimes, he is also more than a handful, that sometimes, one needs a lot of patience and self discipline to deal with him, to not become too annoyed at and frustrated with him, but that of course, all this becomes totally secondary when Charlie wanders off alone early one morning to look for the swans which Sara had shown him and that had obviously very lastingly enthralled him, and cannot be located, is lost somewhere in the deep woods).
Now like many teenagers, Sara at fourteen feels very much unsure of herself, often moody, unhappy and in particular not at all satisfied with regard to her physical appearance, with regard to her looks, especially because her older sister Wanda is considered by everyone as very beautiful and graceful, so much so that Sara actually often feels somewhat left behind, that she feels as though she will never catch up to Wanda, that she will always be a mousy and unimportant proverbial ugly duckling so to speak, and that first and foremost, her supposed (in Sara's mind) lack of physical grace, charm and beauty will also prevent her from ever being able to catch, let alone hold on to a steady boyfriend (thus naturellement, Sara also cannot and will not believe that her classmate Joe Melby has not been bullying and tormenting her little brother Charlie, until Charlie gets lost and Joe helps Sara find him and Sara finally realises her mistaken belief that Joe had been amongst the bullies harassing her little brother, that he actually might be friend or perhaps even potential boyfriend material, someone who cares for her, someone who accepts her little brother's physical and emotional challenges and someone with whom she might indeed enjoy spending more quality time).
And finally, what I have indeed always much if not most enjoyed and appreciated with regard to The Summer of the Swans is how for one Betsy Byars focusses mainly on realistic, every-day happenings, scenarios and occurrences (well, perhaps with the exception of Charlie getting lost) and on realistic family dynamics (both positive and negative, even occasionally quite painful) and that for two, the author's writing style is also and appreciatively imbued with that same type of realism and understatement, with natural sounding dialogues, with vocabulary choices that feel unexaggerated and truthful, that are not overwrought and extreme in expressivity and emotionality (and thus, even though emotions are raw and immediate in Summer of the Swans, they are in my opinion naturally depicted, they, like the author's description of family, of small town life read and feel true and actually very much like scenarios that can and do occur in real life, and not in fantasy land).
Now while I do have to admit that with regard to personal nostalgia, I still somewhat prefer the German translation that I read as a nine/ten year old, that I do in fact enjoy Als die Schwäne kamen a tiny and trifling bit more than the original, I can and will most certainly very highly and warmly recommend Summer of the Swans (but with the caveat that since Summer of the Swans was penned in 1970 and thus more than forty years ago, especially some of the words used to describe little Charlie, his challenges and limitations might not really be what one would call entirely politically correct by today's standards, albeit that Betsy Byars definitely and yes very fortunately and happily always points out that the word "retarded" is pejorative and bigoted and should not in ANY manner be used to depict and describe Sara's little brother, who is also first and foremost portrayed as a little boy, even though he is a youngster with challenges and someone who can thus also at times be challenging to and for his nearest and dearest).
February 27, 2009
We finished Summer of the Swans the other day (amazing how long it takes for us to read such a teenie little book). I was...underwhelmed. All the teachers who recommended it raved about it, but I didn't see what the big deal was. It centers around the relationship between a sister and her mentally challenged younger brother, who gets lost in West Virginia mine country. The idea itself was good, but the story was slow, and then it ended very abruptly. I would have prefered it better if the story had focused more on the innocent Charlie, who was forever stuck in the mind-set of a three year old, instead of his self-absorbed, horribly self-conscious sister Sara, who was in the middle of self-discovery and puberty.
My students liked it, which I guess is the most important thing, but I'm not sure I want to read this one to next year's class. There wasn't a lot of action, there wasn't a lot of character development, and the bulk of the story was Sara talking about how she wasn't good enough for anyone to like her. I don't understand why it won so much acclaim, because the writing is confusing to follow at times (if you're a 6th grader, which was my prime audience). I guess it's because it dealt with the touchy issue of mental handicaps?
To me, it was bland, boring, beige.
My students liked it, which I guess is the most important thing, but I'm not sure I want to read this one to next year's class. There wasn't a lot of action, there wasn't a lot of character development, and the bulk of the story was Sara talking about how she wasn't good enough for anyone to like her. I don't understand why it won so much acclaim, because the writing is confusing to follow at times (if you're a 6th grader, which was my prime audience). I guess it's because it dealt with the touchy issue of mental handicaps?
To me, it was bland, boring, beige.
March 24, 2025
I re-read this book that I loved so much as a child. Basically, this book is perfect. The trend in children's books now is that you have to grab the reader by the throat in the opening line and have non-stop action. But this gentle, contemplative book is of its time (the '70s) and is essentially character-driven. I remember as a nine-year old thinking this book was really "deep"--and I still think so! Also, I was really amazed at Betsy Byears' dead-on portrayal of autism, even though she doesn't call it that because people didn't usually receive that diagnosis back then. (Charlie had a high fever as a baby, then stopped speaking, and now stims on beautiful objects, has poor fine-motor skills, has trouble with transitions, and needs his routine.) Charlie and Sara are both very lovable characters and their small-town world is so real.
August 12, 2023
داستان دختر چهارده سالهای به نام سارا که برادر معلولی به نام چارلی دارد. کتاب منو به دورانی برد که نوجوان بودم و با دوستام خیلی دغدغهی ظاهرمون و لباس و خیلی چیزای دیگه داشتیم. کلی در موردشون حرف میزدیم و باهمونها کلی میخندیدیم. برام یادآور خاطرات اون دوران بود.😁👌🏻
این کتاب رو با صدای شهرزاد کمالزاده گوش دادم.
برندهی جایزهی نشان نیوبری سال ۱۹۷۱
این کتاب رو با صدای شهرزاد کمالزاده گوش دادم.
برندهی جایزهی نشان نیوبری سال ۱۹۷۱
October 3, 2022
What do you do in a situation where someone you love is missing and is unable to communicate as you do? Wanda, Sara, and Charlie Godfrey live with their guardian, Aunt Willie. Charlie's intellectual condition is categorized as mentally retarded (this book is copywritten in 1970, thus refers to the term is not clinically used today). Upon reading descriptions of Charlie's behavior, he seems autistic or intellectually disabled. Sara is the sibling who mostly looks after and understands Charlie (who is nonverbal) better than anyone.
One night, Charlie wanders off by himself in search of the swans Sara took him to the park to see earlier. Of course, he gets lost, and a search party is out looking for him the next day. Sara is offered help from an unlikely person she despises, Joe Melby. She has accused Joe of stealing Charlie's watch and holds a grudge against him. Joe explained what really happened to Charlie's wrist watch although he was not involved in the prank, he thought it was the right to do to get Charlie's watch back to him. Joe offers to help Sara search for Charlie since he was very familiar with the dense area they think he wandered off to. Sara eventually apologizes to Joe for falsely accusing him of the theft.
As Sara and Joe climb the mountainous area near the mine, Sara and Joe continue to call out for Charlie. Sara is exhausted after continuously calling out Charlie's name, thinking she heard his wailing cry. She listens again, hears the direction of the cries, and after heading to that area, finds him a few minutes later. They embrace, and Charlie does not want to turn her loose. While this book is an easy read, it has an endearing, heartfelt, and warm message that touches your emotions. There are many unanswered questions that you may have at the end of the book, like what happens between Sara and Joe, or Charlie. Yet, you believe the characters have a better understanding of relationships, kindness, listening, awareness, and humanity, all due to a missing boy.
May 16, 2017
I'm sorry, but this was just a dumb book. The protagonist is completely shallow and unlikable and the story and themes were hardly developed. This is a classic tale of "you don't know what you've got till it's gone" (to quote Joni Mitchell), but it's so straightforward and simple that I really don't see what distinguishes this story. Also, a minor peeve: I would expect a story called The Summer of the Swans to take place over more than two days' time.
February 28, 2025
من چقدر دوست داشتم این کتاب رو.
همه چیزش به جا بود، شروعش و پایانش واقعا به جا بود، اصلا توضیحهای اضافه���ای نداشت و جزئیاتش کاملا اندازه بود.
تا به حال یک کتاب رو اینقدر "صدا دار" نخونده بودم.
علاوه بر اینکه همهی جملات رو جز به جز تصور میکردم همه رو به وضوح میشنیدم.
در عجبم که چطور تا به حال نه اسم این کتاب رو شنیده بودم نه خونده بودمش.
همه چیزش به جا بود، شروعش و پایانش واقعا به جا بود، اصلا توضیحهای اضافه���ای نداشت و جزئیاتش کاملا اندازه بود.
تا به حال یک کتاب رو اینقدر "صدا دار" نخونده بودم.
علاوه بر اینکه همهی جملات رو جز به جز تصور میکردم همه رو به وضوح میشنیدم.
در عجبم که چطور تا به حال نه اسم این کتاب رو شنیده بودم نه خونده بودمش.
April 25, 2016
Yes, it won a major book award and it must have been a VERY bad year for children s' books for this to win. This was such a disappointment after enjoying Betsy Byars' The Winged Colt of Casa Mia.
Color me nutty, but if a book is titled The SUMMER of the Swans, perhaps swans should somehow be part of a whole summer instead of just two friggin' days.
I guess this was one of the first books to deal with an autistic child (long before the word "autism" was coined). The child gets lost in the woods at night. Too bad every other character in the book didn't get lost, too.
If you want to read about kids getting lost in the woods, try The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King. Skip this.
Color me nutty, but if a book is titled The SUMMER of the Swans, perhaps swans should somehow be part of a whole summer instead of just two friggin' days.
I guess this was one of the first books to deal with an autistic child (long before the word "autism" was coined). The child gets lost in the woods at night. Too bad every other character in the book didn't get lost, too.
If you want to read about kids getting lost in the woods, try The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King. Skip this.
November 27, 2017
This was a very good read aloud. We didn’t want to wait to find out what happened. Such a sweet book.
July 19, 2023
کتاب صوتی را با کتابخوانی شهرزاد کمال زاده از نشر صوتی سماوا گوش دادم. روایت خانم کمال زاده بسیار دلنشین و آرامش بخش بود.
به هر کسی که دلش برای آن احساسات سینوسی نوجوانی تنگ شده و همچنین به کسانی که همین الان نوجوانند و حس میکنند کسی درکشان نمیکند این کتاب را معرفی میکنم.
به هر کسی که دلش برای آن احساسات سینوسی نوجوانی تنگ شده و همچنین به کسانی که همین الان نوجوانند و حس میکنند کسی درکشان نمیکند این کتاب را معرفی میکنم.
March 12, 2024
Tried it, not for me. 2 ⭐
October 5, 2024
Sara is not enjoying her summer. She feels like she is on the other end of a teeter-totter, with a companion determined to jerk her here and there. Her family is difficult and she can’t seem to get along with them, especially her troubled brother, Charlie. It is only when Charlie gets lost while searching for the beautiful swans on the lake that Sara learns what is really important and how to deal with problems.
The conversations in this book felt tied to their time period and, at first, I didn’t think I was going to like the book. But the search for Charlie completely changed my feelings about the book. The author could have easily turned the book into a movie-of-the-week, but she stayed away from that. Instead, she used the situation to help all her characters grow.
The conversations in this book felt tied to their time period and, at first, I didn’t think I was going to like the book. But the search for Charlie completely changed my feelings about the book. The author could have easily turned the book into a movie-of-the-week, but she stayed away from that. Instead, she used the situation to help all her characters grow.
June 19, 2022
Great
This is a terrific story. I loved how it shows the preciousness of life, especially the life of a 10 yr old mentally handicapped young boy.
The writing is very well crafted and one is drawn to the main characters.
A great one!
This is a terrific story. I loved how it shows the preciousness of life, especially the life of a 10 yr old mentally handicapped young boy.
The writing is very well crafted and one is drawn to the main characters.
A great one!
May 27, 2017
This review also appears on my blog, Read-at-Home Mom.
Fourteen-year-old Sara Godfrey lives with her Aunt Willie, older sister, Wanda, and younger brother, Charlie, who has some disabilities resulting from an early childhood illness and does not speak. This summer, Sara is feeling very unsure of herself. She is certain that Wanda is much more beautiful than she is, and therefore much more desirable to boys, and she is concerned that her life may have peaked in third grade. Sara's superficial concerns take a backseat, however, when Charlie wanders off, possibly to see the swans that have recently appeared on the lake, and becomes lost.
I foolishly avoided this book for years because I had it mixed up in my mind with Lois Lowry's A Summer to Die and assumed it was a story about a child dying of a rare disease. (I can't bring myself to read books about people who are dying, especially children.) It turns out, though, that this book is similar in both style and substance to Betsy Byars's Blossoms series, which I thoroughly enjoyed a few years ago. As in her other books, Byars's writing in The Summer of the Swans is straightforward, but distinctive. The events she describes are mostly mundane, everyday occurrences, but she makes them interesting by introducing compelling characters, believable dialogue, and genuine emotion. Some realistic fiction titles are set in the real world, but include events which are very unlikely to occur in the reader's own life. This book, by contrast, sticks to reality and conveys the truth about families, sibling relationships, and early teenhood. Any young reader can relate to Sara, even if they haven't had her exact experiences, because she comes across as a real person.
The preferred terminology surrounding disabilities has changed since the writing of this book, but despite the use of outdated descriptions for Charlie's limitations, there is an understanding throughout the book that "retarded" is a pejorative term not to be used to describe him. If this book were written today, it would probably also include a more specific diagnosis for Charlie, but it didn't bother me that much that he didn't have a label since he and his specific behaviors were described quite clearly. Overall, this is a very sensitive book. It is sensitive to the tumultuous emotions of puberty, to the needs of a young boy with disabilities, and to the ways in which siblings, with and without disabilities, influence, love, and care for each other.
Fourteen-year-old Sara Godfrey lives with her Aunt Willie, older sister, Wanda, and younger brother, Charlie, who has some disabilities resulting from an early childhood illness and does not speak. This summer, Sara is feeling very unsure of herself. She is certain that Wanda is much more beautiful than she is, and therefore much more desirable to boys, and she is concerned that her life may have peaked in third grade. Sara's superficial concerns take a backseat, however, when Charlie wanders off, possibly to see the swans that have recently appeared on the lake, and becomes lost.
I foolishly avoided this book for years because I had it mixed up in my mind with Lois Lowry's A Summer to Die and assumed it was a story about a child dying of a rare disease. (I can't bring myself to read books about people who are dying, especially children.) It turns out, though, that this book is similar in both style and substance to Betsy Byars's Blossoms series, which I thoroughly enjoyed a few years ago. As in her other books, Byars's writing in The Summer of the Swans is straightforward, but distinctive. The events she describes are mostly mundane, everyday occurrences, but she makes them interesting by introducing compelling characters, believable dialogue, and genuine emotion. Some realistic fiction titles are set in the real world, but include events which are very unlikely to occur in the reader's own life. This book, by contrast, sticks to reality and conveys the truth about families, sibling relationships, and early teenhood. Any young reader can relate to Sara, even if they haven't had her exact experiences, because she comes across as a real person.
The preferred terminology surrounding disabilities has changed since the writing of this book, but despite the use of outdated descriptions for Charlie's limitations, there is an understanding throughout the book that "retarded" is a pejorative term not to be used to describe him. If this book were written today, it would probably also include a more specific diagnosis for Charlie, but it didn't bother me that much that he didn't have a label since he and his specific behaviors were described quite clearly. Overall, this is a very sensitive book. It is sensitive to the tumultuous emotions of puberty, to the needs of a young boy with disabilities, and to the ways in which siblings, with and without disabilities, influence, love, and care for each other.
July 10, 2008
This probably would be better if it was longer; as is, it feels like an overlong short story. Underdeveloped all around, and terribly dated. Compared to this, RULES is a masterpiece.
Incidentally, I notice that a disproportionate number of Newberys take place in West Virginia, which is pretty odd.
Incidentally, I notice that a disproportionate number of Newberys take place in West Virginia, which is pretty odd.
April 27, 2023
اتمام
۷/اردیبهشت/۰۲
پنج شنبه
14:00
۷/اردیبهشت/۰۲
پنج شنبه
14:00
March 26, 2017
A standalone fictional novel for young adults revolving around fourteen-year-old Sara, just hitting puberty with all the angst of it.
In 1971, The Summer of the Swans won the Newbery Medal.
My Take
Puberty is hitting Sara hard, and Byars is absolutely brilliant in her depiction of the angst and drama of a young teen with the frustrations about her father and her impatience with her little brother — this rings so true of sibling relationships! Her intense sense of right and wrong as well as her desire to protect along with that so-very-thin skin.
It's the mid-1960s, and in just a few pages, Byars gives us a quick peek into a few days of the Godfrey family's life with the focus primarily on Sara, and then Charlie, providing us with a lifetime of information and still leaving us wanting to know more.
I want to know why Aunt Willie is helping the family like this? What is her past? Why does their dad work out of town? What was the illness? What will happen with Charlie? How does their dad feel about them all? What is his perspective? How does Sara fare at the party?
The Story
This summer is just awful. Nothing is going right. Sara knows it's the same as last summer…it's just…something is different this year.
Then Aunt Willy forces Sara to take her brother along to see the swans, for it causes an awakening in Charlie in the night. A need to see the swans again. And Charlie disappears.
That next morning is frantic as the family panics with Sara rushing out to search. A search aided by her enemy where she learns the truth.
The Characters
Sara Godfrey is 14 in this summer, and she's bored, angry, and obsessed with how horrible she looks…especially her h-u-g-e feet. Mary Weicek is her best friend…she has must be, as endlessly patient as they are with each other's quirks!
Wanda is her older sister. Charlie is their 10-year-old mentally challenged brother, damaged by a traumatic illness when he was very young. Aunt Willy lives with the three children while their father Samuel works out-of-town during the week.
Frank is Wanda's boyfriend and arrives to take Wanda down to the lake to see the swans. On his motor scooter!! Joe Melby is a boy in her class. A boy whom Sara despises for what he has done.
The Cover and Title
The cover seems to be a cream net on top of a cream background with a 1960ish, soft Peter Max quality to the ethereal purple and blue swan skimming across the cover around and through the sketched and patchy watercolor of Charlie and Sara who appear to be sitting in mid-air. The green wake as it splits at the swan's breast is repeated in Charlie's trousers with the purples and blue repeated in Sara's pants. Charlie's horizontally-striped T-shirt is in creams, a lavender purple and a deep purple-violet. Sara's tennis shoes are the bright orange that had cheered her so.
The title reflects The Summer of the Swans that has enthralled Charlie and left Sara so restless.
In 1971, The Summer of the Swans won the Newbery Medal.
My Take
Puberty is hitting Sara hard, and Byars is absolutely brilliant in her depiction of the angst and drama of a young teen with the frustrations about her father and her impatience with her little brother — this rings so true of sibling relationships! Her intense sense of right and wrong as well as her desire to protect along with that so-very-thin skin.
It's the mid-1960s, and in just a few pages, Byars gives us a quick peek into a few days of the Godfrey family's life with the focus primarily on Sara, and then Charlie, providing us with a lifetime of information and still leaving us wanting to know more.
I want to know why Aunt Willie is helping the family like this? What is her past? Why does their dad work out of town? What was the illness? What will happen with Charlie? How does their dad feel about them all? What is his perspective? How does Sara fare at the party?
The Story
This summer is just awful. Nothing is going right. Sara knows it's the same as last summer…it's just…something is different this year.
Then Aunt Willy forces Sara to take her brother along to see the swans, for it causes an awakening in Charlie in the night. A need to see the swans again. And Charlie disappears.
That next morning is frantic as the family panics with Sara rushing out to search. A search aided by her enemy where she learns the truth.
The Characters
Sara Godfrey is 14 in this summer, and she's bored, angry, and obsessed with how horrible she looks…especially her h-u-g-e feet. Mary Weicek is her best friend…she has must be, as endlessly patient as they are with each other's quirks!
Wanda is her older sister. Charlie is their 10-year-old mentally challenged brother, damaged by a traumatic illness when he was very young. Aunt Willy lives with the three children while their father Samuel works out-of-town during the week.
Frank is Wanda's boyfriend and arrives to take Wanda down to the lake to see the swans. On his motor scooter!! Joe Melby is a boy in her class. A boy whom Sara despises for what he has done.
The Cover and Title
The cover seems to be a cream net on top of a cream background with a 1960ish, soft Peter Max quality to the ethereal purple and blue swan skimming across the cover around and through the sketched and patchy watercolor of Charlie and Sara who appear to be sitting in mid-air. The green wake as it splits at the swan's breast is repeated in Charlie's trousers with the purples and blue repeated in Sara's pants. Charlie's horizontally-striped T-shirt is in creams, a lavender purple and a deep purple-violet. Sara's tennis shoes are the bright orange that had cheered her so.
The title reflects The Summer of the Swans that has enthralled Charlie and left Sara so restless.
March 10, 2019
اول باید بگم خداروشکر که افق این کتاب رو برام فرستاد، چون خیلی بعید میدونم که هیفده هزار تومن برای یه کتاب صد و بیست صفحهای میدادم😬.
خب، کتاب قشنگی بود، دوستش داشتم.
فضای داستان پراحساس بود، هرچند که کاملن با محیط زندگیم فرق داشتم نویسنده خیلی هنرمندانه تونسته بود فضاش رو ملموس بکنه و چیزی گنگ نبود.
شخصیتپردازیها ساده و دوستداشتنی بودن، میشناختم آدمهاش رو.
جریان داستان هم کاملن قابلپیشبینی و آروم بود و در عین حال لطافت خودش رو هم داشت.
ولی یه بدی اینجور کتابایی چیه؟ یه ضربالمثلی هست که یادم رفته دقیقن چی بود، منتها مفهومش این بود که کسی که از چیزای شیرین خبر نداره همون چیزای بدمزه هم براش شیرین خواهند بود.
با خوندن اینجور کتابا بیشتر از قبل احساس کمبود میکنم، و بعد به یه جایی میرسم که خودم رو بین کلی کمبود میبینم که واقعن هم نمیتونم تشخیص بدم که کدومشون واقعیه و باید یهجوری برطرفش کنم، و کدومهاشون کاذبه و اگه بخوام برطرفش کنم هم دردی ازم دوا نمیشه، تشخیصشون واقعن سخت میشه و اونموقع تو اولویتهام برای سبک زندگیم دچار مشکل میشم.
واقعن نمیدونم، مثلن اگه آدم یه مامانمهربون داشته باشه نیازهای عاطفیش باید برطرف بشه، یا در نهایت همهی ما نیاز به یه "دوست خوب" داریم؟
خب، کتاب قشنگی بود، دوستش داشتم.
فضای داستان پراحساس بود، هرچند که کاملن با محیط زندگیم فرق داشتم نویسنده خیلی هنرمندانه تونسته بود فضاش رو ملموس بکنه و چیزی گنگ نبود.
شخصیتپردازیها ساده و دوستداشتنی بودن، میشناختم آدمهاش رو.
جریان داستان هم کاملن قابلپیشبینی و آروم بود و در عین حال لطافت خودش رو هم داشت.
ولی یه بدی اینجور کتابایی چیه؟ یه ضربالمثلی هست که یادم رفته دقیقن چی بود، منتها مفهومش این بود که کسی که از چیزای شیرین خبر نداره همون چیزای بدمزه هم براش شیرین خواهند بود.
با خوندن اینجور کتابا بیشتر از قبل احساس کمبود میکنم، و بعد به یه جایی میرسم که خودم رو بین کلی کمبود میبینم که واقعن هم نمیتونم تشخیص بدم که کدومشون واقعیه و باید یهجوری برطرفش کنم، و کدومهاشون کاذبه و اگه بخوام برطرفش کنم هم دردی ازم دوا نمیشه، تشخیصشون واقعن سخت میشه و اونموقع تو اولویتهام برای سبک زندگیم دچار مشکل میشم.
واقعن نمیدونم، مثلن اگه آدم یه مامانمهربون داشته باشه نیازهای عاطفیش باید برطرف بشه، یا در نهایت همهی ما نیاز به یه "دوست خوب" داریم؟
July 13, 2018
I had high hopes for this little novel for young people, but came away really disappointed. I couldn't get into the story and found the pacing of the plot sorely lacking. It was slow and plodding, making me wish there was some sort of action other than arguing with the aunt and going to see some swans on the lake. If you don't grab my attention in the first three chapters, I don't hang around for much more of the book. The father of the children in the story seems to be absent except in name, and the aunt isn't much of a caring caregiver for her nieces and nephew. I wanted to like the characters in this book, but aside from Charlie there weren't many characters worth liking or caring about. This is one of those "award winner" books that teachers rave about and kids describe as boring. I couldn't get through the whole book. I had to just give up and move on to something else.
February 26, 2010
I read this one as a child; I am sure I did. I am certain because I was as obsessive as a youngster as I am now. I set out to read every Newbery Award winning book when I was about ten, and this 1970 award winner was on the list in 1979. The problem is that I couldn't remember whether I liked it or not. After reading it today, it became clear why: it is about as memorable as vanilla ice cream. It's not bad, it just isn't great. My fifth grade girls who read it for their literature circle enjoyed it, and I will say that it beats Pony Pals and Babysitters Club books in all categories. I just wouldn't seek it out.
February 12, 2016
The ending was disappointing, & the dialogue seemed very odd. I didn't even like the main character most of the time. I'm not really sure why it was a Newbery winner, unless it was the fact that it dealt with the subject of mental disabilities.
July 4, 2013
Overall I enjoyed the story, I just would have wished for a deeper character development.
March 11, 2022
از متن کتاب:
خدا کند هرگز بابات را گم نکنی، فقط همین را میتوانم بگویم! خدا کند هیچوقت پسرکت را گم نکنی! خدا کند هیچکدامتان عزیزتان را توی جنگل... یا معدن... یا هرجای دیگر گم نکنید!
خدا کند هرگز بابات را گم نکنی، فقط همین را میتوانم بگویم! خدا کند هیچوقت پسرکت را گم نکنی! خدا کند هیچکدامتان عزیزتان را توی جنگل... یا معدن... یا هرجای دیگر گم نکنید!
November 2, 2025
With time, it gets easier to forget how painful or lonely adolescence was for some of us. The journey we take into adulthood, shedding the innocence of childhood, opens up the entire world to independent, subjective scrutiny, which brings in both wonder and confusion.
In The Summer of Swans, Betsy Byars tells a story of three siblings in a secluded 1970s American mining town. Over the course of a summer where the swans come to visit a local lake, the siblings wrestle with feelings of hope, disappointment, and responsibility. Byars interlaces the local events with the tragedies of the past, enriching the story with multi-layered characters and narratives. Through Charlie, we see an empathetic portrayal of a neuroatypical child and how their upbringing shapes the lives of their family. Under dire circumstances, rays of love and support shine through, reminding us that small, fleeting moments are worthy of cherishing.
In The Summer of Swans, Betsy Byars tells a story of three siblings in a secluded 1970s American mining town. Over the course of a summer where the swans come to visit a local lake, the siblings wrestle with feelings of hope, disappointment, and responsibility. Byars interlaces the local events with the tragedies of the past, enriching the story with multi-layered characters and narratives. Through Charlie, we see an empathetic portrayal of a neuroatypical child and how their upbringing shapes the lives of their family. Under dire circumstances, rays of love and support shine through, reminding us that small, fleeting moments are worthy of cherishing.
September 21, 2023
Short coming of age story. Learns perspective, perseverance, appreciation.
Newbery Medal winner 1971.
Newbery Medal winner 1971.
June 3, 2022
Вот бы со всеми пропавшими детьми все было так
April 6, 2020
This is a beautiful book for kids and teens! It tells the story of a young teen who is at sixes-and-sevens with herself. She hates her life. She helps her little brother and it changes her world!
May 17, 2015
Simple story. Typical teenage girl beginning to face uncertainty about herself although her life has been full of challenges. Not a very fast paced book but it's short so it doesn't take long to read. Not the most uplifting book, but offers a small silver lining at the end. I'm surprised it won the Newbery Award since it seemed fairly simple. The swans play a fairly small role despite the book's title. There is no foul language or use of God's name. No sexual references, not even kissing. There is the death of a parent at the beginning, but it is an event that happened in the past to set the stage for the book. There is use of the word "retard" and "retarded" early on, but the author clearly considers it to be name-calling, ugly and inappropriate. Later the phrase "mentally handicapped" is used instead, which would serve as an acceptable description for 1970 when the book was written. The description of the child sounds more like an autism diagnosis today. Even though it is simple and not an in-depth book, it is wonderful to be able to read a children's book that is clean, descriptive and age appropriate unlike many of the new books for this same age today.
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