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Indian Summer
Marcie is guided by the spirit of an Indian girl as she seeks to unlock the secrets of the past in her quest to save the centuries-old forest from development. Her effort is complicated by her growing friendship with the university president's popular daughter and the annual sailboat race, in which Marcie finds herself competing on the team of the wealthy summer house owners against the local residents.
- GenresYoung Adult
209 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2010
9 people are currently reading
218 people want to read
About the author
Tracy Richardson
24 books100 followersTracy Richardson lives in Indianapolis and spends her free time reading - almost any genre, cooking, dancing and making things - usually from yarn or fabric.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
January 8, 2010
Indian Summer
Tracy Richardson
Luminis Books (2010)
Indian Summer is targeted at the YA or “tweener” audience and at 212 pages, this slim paperback should not be intimidating to younger readers. I recently had the opportunity to read and review an advanced copy of this book by Tracy Richardson.
The protagonist, twelve-year-old Marcie Horton, faces a number of conflicts and personal challenges during summer vacation at her grandparents’ cottage along Lake Pappakeechee in Indiana.
What sets Indian Summer apart is Richardson’s approach. Unlike many stories in this genre, Richardson presents conflicts and issues that are subtly shaded with no clear good vs. bad, right vs. wrong. This real world treatment of complex social and environmental issues places Indian Summer a notch above similar stories.
Marcie’s first conflict comes early in the story when she and her friends encounter a group of cliquish girls from school, and she subsequently finds herself thrown together with one of the girls, Kaitlyn Swyndall.
Richardson’s ability to create complex, yet realistic relationships begins to be revealed at this point. Kaitlyn friendship offers access to the lake’s exclusive yacht club and an opportunity to crew in the big regatta. In counterpoint, accepting it could place Marcie at odds with longtime friends. Adding yet another layer, Kaitlyn proves to be a nice, if somewhat shallow, individual.
To add to Marcie’s confused and conflicted feelings, she discovers that Kaitlyn’s father has secret plans to develop James Woods, a wilderness area and long time recreation destination of local residents. Her desire to aggressively fight development of the woods is complicated by the fact that Mr. Swyndall is president of the college where the both of Marcie’s parents work.
Issues of loyalty, personal values, and integrity unfold as Marcie tries to balance the various conflicts. Robertson does an admirable job of presenting balanced views of the issues forcing Marcie to carefully weigh alternatives before acting.
To add additional depth and suspense to the story, Marcie begins to experience paranormal episodes in which she flies, interacts with an ancient Native American girl and senses that a close friend, miles away, is in critical need. This element contributes a dreamlike dimension to the story that is somewhat reminiscent of Robert McCammon’s novel Boy’s Life.
It is worthy of note that the story is written entirely in present tense from a third person, omnipotent point of view. This is an unusual combination and I must admit that it took several chapters to become accustomed to this style.
Overall, Indian Summer is a thoughtfully written story requiring the reader to consider a number of value judgments along the way. For the YA reader, it will be an entertaining and informative read.
Tracy Richardson
Luminis Books (2010)
Indian Summer is targeted at the YA or “tweener” audience and at 212 pages, this slim paperback should not be intimidating to younger readers. I recently had the opportunity to read and review an advanced copy of this book by Tracy Richardson.
The protagonist, twelve-year-old Marcie Horton, faces a number of conflicts and personal challenges during summer vacation at her grandparents’ cottage along Lake Pappakeechee in Indiana.
What sets Indian Summer apart is Richardson’s approach. Unlike many stories in this genre, Richardson presents conflicts and issues that are subtly shaded with no clear good vs. bad, right vs. wrong. This real world treatment of complex social and environmental issues places Indian Summer a notch above similar stories.
Marcie’s first conflict comes early in the story when she and her friends encounter a group of cliquish girls from school, and she subsequently finds herself thrown together with one of the girls, Kaitlyn Swyndall.
Richardson’s ability to create complex, yet realistic relationships begins to be revealed at this point. Kaitlyn friendship offers access to the lake’s exclusive yacht club and an opportunity to crew in the big regatta. In counterpoint, accepting it could place Marcie at odds with longtime friends. Adding yet another layer, Kaitlyn proves to be a nice, if somewhat shallow, individual.
To add to Marcie’s confused and conflicted feelings, she discovers that Kaitlyn’s father has secret plans to develop James Woods, a wilderness area and long time recreation destination of local residents. Her desire to aggressively fight development of the woods is complicated by the fact that Mr. Swyndall is president of the college where the both of Marcie’s parents work.
Issues of loyalty, personal values, and integrity unfold as Marcie tries to balance the various conflicts. Robertson does an admirable job of presenting balanced views of the issues forcing Marcie to carefully weigh alternatives before acting.
To add additional depth and suspense to the story, Marcie begins to experience paranormal episodes in which she flies, interacts with an ancient Native American girl and senses that a close friend, miles away, is in critical need. This element contributes a dreamlike dimension to the story that is somewhat reminiscent of Robert McCammon’s novel Boy’s Life.
It is worthy of note that the story is written entirely in present tense from a third person, omnipotent point of view. This is an unusual combination and I must admit that it took several chapters to become accustomed to this style.
Overall, Indian Summer is a thoughtfully written story requiring the reader to consider a number of value judgments along the way. For the YA reader, it will be an entertaining and informative read.
June 2, 2010
This is the delightful story of Marcie, a 12-year-old who adores the lake and all activities associated with it. She loves the quiet and naturalness of the lake. Torn between making a new friend (Kaitlyn, a popular girl who gathers material things) and her family values, she discovers what is most important to her. Kaitlyn's father is president of the university who employs Marcie's parents. He plans to turn the undeveloped areas into an exclusive area for the wealthy. Marcie's quandary is how to save the area from development and keep her new friend. Characters in this story are complex, have real-life decisions to make and complex personalities. It is a great story for children. This book was provided FREE by goodreads.
April 19, 2010
This is a great book for young readers as it introduces a number of important spiritual concepts and environmental concerns as a natural part of the narrative, in terms that are simple but not condescending. And the storyline is appropriately complicated by practical concerns like holding on to one's livelihood and various divided loyalties.
August 30, 2012
This is a wonderful summer read for young readers (or adults!). I thoroughly enjoyed it. It's a story with many layers that will leave kids thinking well after they close the last page.:)
August 17, 2022
Indian Summer is the story of a twelve-year-old girl Marcie who is spending the summer with her grandparents in a cottage by a lake in Indiana.
The big event of the season is a sailboat race. Marcie joins a racing team that includes Kaitlyn, a sophisticated girl of her own age whom Marcie has always avoided. But as they spend more time together, they become closer and a complex friendship develops between them. In the process, Marcie also gets to know Kaitlyn's wealthy materialistic family and learns about a shady real estate scheme that threatens to spoil the quiet woodsy atmosphere of the region.
In the background, magical things are going on that will change everything.
This book has something for everyone: teen social issues, life at the lake (including a lot of information about sailing), the conflict between modern materialism and a simpler life, Native American culture, and behind it all, magic. Throughout the story, the author does a good job of presenting both sides of issues--a rare phenomenon in today's literature. The writing style is excellent and the characters are nuanced. A fun read.
The big event of the season is a sailboat race. Marcie joins a racing team that includes Kaitlyn, a sophisticated girl of her own age whom Marcie has always avoided. But as they spend more time together, they become closer and a complex friendship develops between them. In the process, Marcie also gets to know Kaitlyn's wealthy materialistic family and learns about a shady real estate scheme that threatens to spoil the quiet woodsy atmosphere of the region.
In the background, magical things are going on that will change everything.
This book has something for everyone: teen social issues, life at the lake (including a lot of information about sailing), the conflict between modern materialism and a simpler life, Native American culture, and behind it all, magic. Throughout the story, the author does a good job of presenting both sides of issues--a rare phenomenon in today's literature. The writing style is excellent and the characters are nuanced. A fun read.
November 3, 2013
Twilight got your tween reading, which is great. But let’s be honest here, it isn’t the best form of literature available out there. And while your tween might not be ready (or willing) to give Shakespeare a try at this point in her life, parents can continue feeding this new-found interest for reading by picking up more books that are not only geared at tweens, but are well written, have an intriguing plot and whose main character is relatable to them.
Tracy Richardson’s Indian Summer is exactly that.
Marcie is a twelve-year old young lady who is facing the prospect of a long, boring summer as she and her brother head out to their grandparents’ lake cottage. But as a development project threatens to limit access to the beautiful shores of Lake Pappakeechee to only a few rich families, Marcie, her older brother Eric and their neighbour, Al, try to rally up the neighbours in a bid to save Lake Pappakeechee.
While they get very little help from a resigned population, there is someone who is trying to help Marcie, if only the latter can figure out what is going on in time to stop construction from starting. Because help is coming from a rather unsettling source: visions that Marcie is having from a time long past, which could hold the key to the one and only way of stopping a century-old forest from being cut down.
Things are all the more complicated that the person leading the development project, Mr. Swyndall, is the father of a new-found friend. Kaitlyn Swyndall is one of popular girls from her middle school; being alone at Lake Pappakeechee with no other companion their age around, Marcie and Kaitlyn develop something of a friendship. Will it survive Marcie’s challenge to Mr. Swyndall’s development project?
The other potential victim of Marcie’s challenge is her parents’ jobs, as both teach at the university where Mr. Swyndall is president. Needless to say, Marcie’s parents are having a hard time balancing their commitment to the environment, their support for their daughter and the importance of keeping relations healthy with their boss. In the meantime, Marcie has a hard time understanding why her parents aren’t more supportive of both her and the project.
Marcie is a good kid, albeit not a perfect one, a reflection of the family that raised her. While a little unreal in a world filled with horror stories about broken families and harsh intra-family disputes, it’s a reminder of what families should be – strong, loving, loyal yet imperfect.
But this is what makes this book particularly interesting, and gives it the strong potential of touching a chord in tweens: it’s realistic while having a touch of the fantastic (i.e. Marcie’s visions).
Indian Summer is also an interesting first glance and timid exploration of inter-class dynamics. Stereotypes are gently addressed, perhaps in a somewhat transparent way, but still realistically so. After all, while twelve-year-olds are extremely intelligent and are actively seeking to understand the world around them with their ever-increasing capacity to analyze, they can’t comprehend the depths of the social class divide. Especially since adults don’t even understand it fully.
If you’re the kind of parent who likes to read what your tween reads, rest assured: Indian Summer is a book you will also like reading. Although you will probably finish it very quickly. While the quality of the writing is high, the style is kept relatively simple, respecting a tween’s intelligence while keeping the story readable.
(First published on Blogcritics and on http://saharsreviews.wordpress.com)
Tracy Richardson’s Indian Summer is exactly that.
Marcie is a twelve-year old young lady who is facing the prospect of a long, boring summer as she and her brother head out to their grandparents’ lake cottage. But as a development project threatens to limit access to the beautiful shores of Lake Pappakeechee to only a few rich families, Marcie, her older brother Eric and their neighbour, Al, try to rally up the neighbours in a bid to save Lake Pappakeechee.
While they get very little help from a resigned population, there is someone who is trying to help Marcie, if only the latter can figure out what is going on in time to stop construction from starting. Because help is coming from a rather unsettling source: visions that Marcie is having from a time long past, which could hold the key to the one and only way of stopping a century-old forest from being cut down.
Things are all the more complicated that the person leading the development project, Mr. Swyndall, is the father of a new-found friend. Kaitlyn Swyndall is one of popular girls from her middle school; being alone at Lake Pappakeechee with no other companion their age around, Marcie and Kaitlyn develop something of a friendship. Will it survive Marcie’s challenge to Mr. Swyndall’s development project?
The other potential victim of Marcie’s challenge is her parents’ jobs, as both teach at the university where Mr. Swyndall is president. Needless to say, Marcie’s parents are having a hard time balancing their commitment to the environment, their support for their daughter and the importance of keeping relations healthy with their boss. In the meantime, Marcie has a hard time understanding why her parents aren’t more supportive of both her and the project.
Marcie is a good kid, albeit not a perfect one, a reflection of the family that raised her. While a little unreal in a world filled with horror stories about broken families and harsh intra-family disputes, it’s a reminder of what families should be – strong, loving, loyal yet imperfect.
But this is what makes this book particularly interesting, and gives it the strong potential of touching a chord in tweens: it’s realistic while having a touch of the fantastic (i.e. Marcie’s visions).
Indian Summer is also an interesting first glance and timid exploration of inter-class dynamics. Stereotypes are gently addressed, perhaps in a somewhat transparent way, but still realistically so. After all, while twelve-year-olds are extremely intelligent and are actively seeking to understand the world around them with their ever-increasing capacity to analyze, they can’t comprehend the depths of the social class divide. Especially since adults don’t even understand it fully.
If you’re the kind of parent who likes to read what your tween reads, rest assured: Indian Summer is a book you will also like reading. Although you will probably finish it very quickly. While the quality of the writing is high, the style is kept relatively simple, respecting a tween’s intelligence while keeping the story readable.
(First published on Blogcritics and on http://saharsreviews.wordpress.com)
January 29, 2010
Spending most of the summer at her grandparents house out at Lake Pappakeechee, Marcie Horton was not sure if her mothers plan for her to spend time with and go sailing with the “popular girl” Kaitlyn Swyndall would be a good idea. Suddenly she started having feelings of flying and being drawn to James Bay and the woods behind it, then finding out that her new friends dad, Mr. Swyndall, was planning on developing the woods into a new gated community of summer homes made Marcie more uneasy about her growing friendship with Kaitlyn. Bonds were forming while training with the Swyndall kids for the Regatta boat race to be held on July 4th, but how would Marcie’s desire to prevent Mr. Swyndall from building in James woods effect their relationship? When the visions of another time and another girl continued to intrigue Marcie, she and her brother join forces with a family friend (Al Depena) to find a way to stop the development and possibly preserve something of import.
A slow start to this cute and inspirational story. While already dealing with several aspects of being a teenager, Marcie encounters some real moral issues. The way she deals with having visions, overhearing a private conversation and deciding how to stop the woods she loves from being lost to a developer, helps to show her what kind of person she is. She could have given in to peer pressure and left the whole issue alone, but instead she figured out what she felt was the right thing to do and did it. That seems to be the theme, even though she has a few bad moments (eavesdropping and stealing), overall she does what she thinks is right and it works out well. This is quite obviously a young adult book with a long introduction to Marcie and the other characters. While it takes a long time to get to the point, the story is still a interesting one with a few supernatural events and one exciting boat race that didn’t end the way I expected it to. I really liked the interaction with Al, the deference that the younger characters offer him is very nice to see.
A slow start to this cute and inspirational story. While already dealing with several aspects of being a teenager, Marcie encounters some real moral issues. The way she deals with having visions, overhearing a private conversation and deciding how to stop the woods she loves from being lost to a developer, helps to show her what kind of person she is. She could have given in to peer pressure and left the whole issue alone, but instead she figured out what she felt was the right thing to do and did it. That seems to be the theme, even though she has a few bad moments (eavesdropping and stealing), overall she does what she thinks is right and it works out well. This is quite obviously a young adult book with a long introduction to Marcie and the other characters. While it takes a long time to get to the point, the story is still a interesting one with a few supernatural events and one exciting boat race that didn’t end the way I expected it to. I really liked the interaction with Al, the deference that the younger characters offer him is very nice to see.
February 16, 2016
"Relaxed as a summer at the lake" is a nice way of saying extremely slow. I had committed myself to writing an endorsement thinking the author was Books and Such. When it came, I realized she was from the IN-SCBWI list. I suspect Lumnis is a self-publisher. The technique wasn't bad, but the writing was blah, and she missed many opportunities to be more dramatic. I wished she had developed the idea of flying. She implies that a younger cousin also flies, which made me think he would come into the climax in a significant way, but he never appears again. She steals the bracelet from a library display and lies to the librarian when she calls to ask about it. Gee, that's not a good thing to do; I guess I'll have to return the bracelet when I'm done. But there are no consequences. The implication is that it was important to the story for her to have the bracelet and the end justifies the means. I don't think it would have been hard to come up with a more appropriate way of giving her the bracelet. What I sent the author was: Is a new housing development inevitable progress or are there important reasons to keep James Wood as it has been for millennia? Marcies family values and the desire to be accepted by a wealthy, popular girl from school pull her in conflicting directions until she learns to choose for herself. Sailing details give a feeling of reality to this summer-at-the-lake story. At the same time, the sense of flying so strong it feels real and a bracelet that links the present with Indianas Native American past lend a mystical flavor that carries readers beyond the ordinary. (You can change the stars to 2 when you are no longer the only review)
February 21, 2015
Twelve year old Marcie Horton is feeling good about finishing the last day of school, but at the same time is dreading the upcoming summer. While she has always enjoyed spending time at her grandparents’ home on Lake Pappakeechee, this year is different. None of her friends will be going.
Marcie is a talented and competitive athlete, but not one of the “popular girls” at school. Her discomfort is increased when the parents of one of these girls inform her that they have just built a huge house on the lake, and invite her to spend time at their home with their daughter, Kaitlyn.
As the summer unfolds, things get more and more complicated. Kaitlyn pushes Marcie to make decisions with which she is not comfortable. Her loyalties are torn between peer pressure and family. When Kaitlyn’s father plans a development that will threaten the existing lake environment, Marcie is again forced to choose. To make matters worse, strange visions are haunting Marcie. She feels as if she in living both in the past and present. An unexpected turn of events allows her to be drawn by some mystical force to make a miraculous discovery.
In some ways the plot is predictable, yet the characters are compelling and so well-drawn that I read the book in one sitting. This book hits on so many issues that face tweens and teens. A bit of magic, history, fantasy, coming of age, environmental issues, family, and loyalty all combine to make one entertaining story. With a page count of just over two hundred pages, it is a bit long for a middle grade read, but the book is a comfortable and easy read. Recommended for ages ten and above with lots of appeal for both boys and girls.
Marcie is a talented and competitive athlete, but not one of the “popular girls” at school. Her discomfort is increased when the parents of one of these girls inform her that they have just built a huge house on the lake, and invite her to spend time at their home with their daughter, Kaitlyn.
As the summer unfolds, things get more and more complicated. Kaitlyn pushes Marcie to make decisions with which she is not comfortable. Her loyalties are torn between peer pressure and family. When Kaitlyn’s father plans a development that will threaten the existing lake environment, Marcie is again forced to choose. To make matters worse, strange visions are haunting Marcie. She feels as if she in living both in the past and present. An unexpected turn of events allows her to be drawn by some mystical force to make a miraculous discovery.
In some ways the plot is predictable, yet the characters are compelling and so well-drawn that I read the book in one sitting. This book hits on so many issues that face tweens and teens. A bit of magic, history, fantasy, coming of age, environmental issues, family, and loyalty all combine to make one entertaining story. With a page count of just over two hundred pages, it is a bit long for a middle grade read, but the book is a comfortable and easy read. Recommended for ages ten and above with lots of appeal for both boys and girls.
February 14, 2016
Indian Summer
BY: Tracy Richardson
PUBLISHED BY: Luminis Books
PUBLISHED IN: 2010
ISBN: 978-1-935462-25-5
Pages: 200
Reviewed by Billy Burgess
Ages: Middle Grade
In “Indian Summer,” Marcie Horton is a twelve-year-old who loves to win competitions, especially bike races. She’s not looking forward to her summer vacation this year. She spending the summer at her grandparent’s lake cottage on Lake Pappakeechee.
Kaitlyn Swyndall is the only other girl she knew there, but Kaitlyn is a rich, snobby girl. Marcia befriends some other kids at the lake, and is looking forward to the upcoming boat race.
The woods, James Woods, surrounding the lake is going to be torn down by a wealthy developer, Mr. Swyndall. He is the president of the university where Marcie Horton’s parents teach, and he is also the father of Kaitlyn. Marcia is starting to like her, so things start to get complicated.
Marcia begins to have strange visions of a mysterious spirit. Could it be Indians?
“Indian Summer,” is a easy, fast read. I read it in one sitting. The author likes to “tell” more often than “showing” in her writing. The plot is simple - a pre-teen girl tries to stop a wealthy developer from destroying the centuries-old forest. I’ve read dozens of similar plots before, this is nothing new. The ending of the book is predictable. The main character, Marcia, is fun, energetic and likeable. Despite the book’s downfalls, I still enjoyed reading it.
Note: I would like to thank the Author for sending me this complimentary copy to review.
BY: Tracy Richardson
PUBLISHED BY: Luminis Books
PUBLISHED IN: 2010
ISBN: 978-1-935462-25-5
Pages: 200
Reviewed by Billy Burgess
Ages: Middle Grade
In “Indian Summer,” Marcie Horton is a twelve-year-old who loves to win competitions, especially bike races. She’s not looking forward to her summer vacation this year. She spending the summer at her grandparent’s lake cottage on Lake Pappakeechee.
Kaitlyn Swyndall is the only other girl she knew there, but Kaitlyn is a rich, snobby girl. Marcia befriends some other kids at the lake, and is looking forward to the upcoming boat race.
The woods, James Woods, surrounding the lake is going to be torn down by a wealthy developer, Mr. Swyndall. He is the president of the university where Marcie Horton’s parents teach, and he is also the father of Kaitlyn. Marcia is starting to like her, so things start to get complicated.
Marcia begins to have strange visions of a mysterious spirit. Could it be Indians?
“Indian Summer,” is a easy, fast read. I read it in one sitting. The author likes to “tell” more often than “showing” in her writing. The plot is simple - a pre-teen girl tries to stop a wealthy developer from destroying the centuries-old forest. I’ve read dozens of similar plots before, this is nothing new. The ending of the book is predictable. The main character, Marcia, is fun, energetic and likeable. Despite the book’s downfalls, I still enjoyed reading it.
Note: I would like to thank the Author for sending me this complimentary copy to review.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 28, 2010
This book deals with teenage angst, spirituality, family values, pressure of fitting in, growing up, etc. A very enjoyable read for teens as well as adults. A great book to read this summer.
Read
May 24, 2010Won in a first reads giveaway.
August 31, 2014
Enjoyed the story, but felt the fact that it was written in present tense proved too distracting.
September 8, 2014
12 yr old + Indian ghost save Lake from development
March 3, 2015
It was a slow read considering how short it was and it ended rather abruptly. But it was still a pretty good read.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews