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Remembrance "Mem" Nye
Frozen Summer
It's 1816 and Remembrance "Mem" Nye and her family are going through a cold, hard summer in their new home in western New York. There's barely any food since Papa's crops were destroyed by the late season frosts. Mem's mama has never gotten used to their new home. It's even harder for her to cope after she gives birth to baby Lily. Papa puts Mem in charge of caring for the baby, her younger brother, and their sick Mama. Though Mem struggles, it's hard to do the chores and watch them every moment. Then the worst happens . . . one stormy night Mama and Lily are gone.
208 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1998
8 people are currently reading
211 people want to read
About the author
Mary Jane Auch
48 books70 followersMary Jane Auch also writes as MJ Auch.
The thought of becoming a writer never occurred to MJ Auch as a child. Her only literary efforts in those days were the plays which she and her girlfriend, Noreen, wrote for their marionettes. They produced these extravaganzas in Noreen’s garage and organized the neighborhood boys into a sales force to sell tickets and refreshments.
Summer visits to both of MJ’s grandmothers led to her fascination with chickens. One grandmother had a small backyard flock and the other grandmother and two bachelor uncles had a large farm that supplied eggs to half of Long Island. MJ learned that a flock of chickens had almost the same range of personalities that could be found in a classroom, from the quiet, shy chicken to the big bully.
MJ loved books and read constantly. She wrote stories, drawn in comic book style with speech balloons for the dialog. Her interest in drawing continued through high school, and she went on to become an art major at Skidmore College. After graduation, MJ headed for New York City to seek fame and fortune, but after a year of designing prints for men's pajamas, she decided she wanted to do something more meaningful with her life. She enrolled in the Occupational Therapy program at Columbia University, which led to some wonderful years of working in a children's hospital near Hartford, Connecticut.
On a brief stop home to visit her parents before transferring to a new job in Denver, she met Herm Auch, a graphic artist and editorial cartoonist for the Rochester newspaper. It was love at first sight, and MJ never made it to Denver. They were married in 1967 and within a few years had produced a daughter, Katrin and a son, Ian. They moved from the city to a small farm, complete with chickens, ducks, and geese. Armed with a huge collection of Mother Earth News and absolutely no practical experience, they tackled farm life with gusto, gaining much comedy material for books MJ’s future books.
As the children grew older, MJ began to look for work in her original field of art. Like Jenna's mother in Mom Is Dating Weird Wayne, she had a brief stint as a “zit zapper” at a school picture factory. Then she started illustrating for Pennywhistle Press, a national children's newspaper, and this sparked her interest in illustrating children’s books.
In the summer of 1984, MJ took a week-long children's writing conference on Cape Cod. She tried to write a picture book manuscript to take to the conference, but instead found herself writing a middle-grade novel. When her instructor, Natalie Babbitt, told of starting out as an artist and finding she could paint better pictures with words, something clicked. MJ finally knew that she wanted to a writer.
She started sending manuscripts to publishers, writing four full-length novels before she sold the first one. Then she sold a second book to another publisher that same week. It had taken two years and thirteen rejections, but MJ had finally reached her goal!mShe continued writing books for older kids and abandoned her dream of illustrating for a while. Then, after nine books, she wrote and illustrated The Easter Egg Farm. This set in motion a series of picture books featuring poultry involved in the arts.
The Auchs have now become a family of artists. Their children are grown and pursuing art careers of their own. Kat, a graphic artist, is now working as Associate Art Director for Scrapbook Answers Magazine in San Francisco. Ian has been a graphic artist and 3-D animator and is now Assistant New Media Editor for the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle newspaper. Ian is also a metal artist and created the chicken-sized beauty parlor chair for [b:Beauty and the Beaks|1918127|Beaut
The thought of becoming a writer never occurred to MJ Auch as a child. Her only literary efforts in those days were the plays which she and her girlfriend, Noreen, wrote for their marionettes. They produced these extravaganzas in Noreen’s garage and organized the neighborhood boys into a sales force to sell tickets and refreshments.
Summer visits to both of MJ’s grandmothers led to her fascination with chickens. One grandmother had a small backyard flock and the other grandmother and two bachelor uncles had a large farm that supplied eggs to half of Long Island. MJ learned that a flock of chickens had almost the same range of personalities that could be found in a classroom, from the quiet, shy chicken to the big bully.
MJ loved books and read constantly. She wrote stories, drawn in comic book style with speech balloons for the dialog. Her interest in drawing continued through high school, and she went on to become an art major at Skidmore College. After graduation, MJ headed for New York City to seek fame and fortune, but after a year of designing prints for men's pajamas, she decided she wanted to do something more meaningful with her life. She enrolled in the Occupational Therapy program at Columbia University, which led to some wonderful years of working in a children's hospital near Hartford, Connecticut.
On a brief stop home to visit her parents before transferring to a new job in Denver, she met Herm Auch, a graphic artist and editorial cartoonist for the Rochester newspaper. It was love at first sight, and MJ never made it to Denver. They were married in 1967 and within a few years had produced a daughter, Katrin and a son, Ian. They moved from the city to a small farm, complete with chickens, ducks, and geese. Armed with a huge collection of Mother Earth News and absolutely no practical experience, they tackled farm life with gusto, gaining much comedy material for books MJ’s future books.
As the children grew older, MJ began to look for work in her original field of art. Like Jenna's mother in Mom Is Dating Weird Wayne, she had a brief stint as a “zit zapper” at a school picture factory. Then she started illustrating for Pennywhistle Press, a national children's newspaper, and this sparked her interest in illustrating children’s books.
In the summer of 1984, MJ took a week-long children's writing conference on Cape Cod. She tried to write a picture book manuscript to take to the conference, but instead found herself writing a middle-grade novel. When her instructor, Natalie Babbitt, told of starting out as an artist and finding she could paint better pictures with words, something clicked. MJ finally knew that she wanted to a writer.
She started sending manuscripts to publishers, writing four full-length novels before she sold the first one. Then she sold a second book to another publisher that same week. It had taken two years and thirteen rejections, but MJ had finally reached her goal!mShe continued writing books for older kids and abandoned her dream of illustrating for a while. Then, after nine books, she wrote and illustrated The Easter Egg Farm. This set in motion a series of picture books featuring poultry involved in the arts.
The Auchs have now become a family of artists. Their children are grown and pursuing art careers of their own. Kat, a graphic artist, is now working as Associate Art Director for Scrapbook Answers Magazine in San Francisco. Ian has been a graphic artist and 3-D animator and is now Assistant New Media Editor for the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle newspaper. Ian is also a metal artist and created the chicken-sized beauty parlor chair for [b:Beauty and the Beaks|1918127|Beaut
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
February 28, 2008
Frozen Summer continues the story of Remembrance (Mem) Nye and her family. After building a cabin and planting crops Mem is beginning to accept that this is now her home. Now in the spring of 1816, Mem’s mother is about to give birth. Immediately following the successful birth of a beautiful girl, Mem realizes that her mother is not well. Though her mother becomes physically stronger, she shows no interest in the new baby and demonstrates little awareness of what is going on around her. Gradually Mem must takeover the running of the household and the care of the new baby whom Mem names Lily. Life might have been tolerable were it not for the bizarre weather that destroys the crops so desperately needed. Mem’s father is so taken up with trying to find food for his family that he ignores the deterioration of his wife’s mental health. Mem’s mother takes Lily and wanders off into the frost-covered wilderness. Lily survives but Mem’s mother does not.
Mem’s struggle to care for her family demands all of her energy and wit. The harshness of life in this time of catastrophic destruction leaves Mem discouraged and frightened. Her father demonstrates little ability to help in practical ways. Mem’s story is filled with fascinating, heart-wrenching details. Snow actually fell in June 1816 across the upper Northeast and many people fled west in hopes of finding food.
Like Journey to Nowhere Mem demonstrates courage and resourcefulness in the face of grave crises. Her story however is best suited for students in Middle School.
Mem’s struggle to care for her family demands all of her energy and wit. The harshness of life in this time of catastrophic destruction leaves Mem discouraged and frightened. Her father demonstrates little ability to help in practical ways. Mem’s story is filled with fascinating, heart-wrenching details. Snow actually fell in June 1816 across the upper Northeast and many people fled west in hopes of finding food.
Like Journey to Nowhere Mem demonstrates courage and resourcefulness in the face of grave crises. Her story however is best suited for students in Middle School.
May 20, 2013
A very interesting story of frontier life in 1816, the year without a summer. Killing frosts in June and July made it so food was scarce, and a mother with "spells" where she can't do any of the tasks necessary including caring for a newborn daughter. 12 year old "Mem" ends up in charge of everything, including the baby and her five year old brother while also providing most of the food for the family.
A dramatic and quick tale of another time.
A dramatic and quick tale of another time.
February 24, 2014
Great! Great! Great! Book that you have to read because its a true story and its great for people who like adventure, sad, and happy book.
April 23, 2011
I read this book because I came across it while weeding the library. Liking historical fiction, it looked interesting. I liked the book. It is part of a trilogy which I didn't realize until after I started the book, it is the second in the trilogy. The book can be read without reading the first. The story gives a good feel of life in the wilderness in the early 1800s New York. I liked the dialogue and the way the author made you feel like you were in the story. I especially like the author notes in the back of the book which gives historical perspective to the story. Good read if you like historical fiction.
September 29, 2008
Favorite book of the trilogy, but it is sad.
February 1, 2010
great historical fiction
June 6, 2013
A truly touching and inspiring story.
August 8, 2013
A tragic tale that you won't forget.
August 15, 2015
I loved this story and want to read more from the author. It kept my interest through the whole story
October 14, 2017
It is June of 1816, and twelve year old Remembrance “Mem” Nye lives with her Papa Jeremiah, Mama Aurelia, and five year old brother Joshua, in a one room cabin in the Genesee Country of western New York. Having come from Connecticut the year before, the family is going through a cold, hard summer in their new home because there is barely any food since Papa’s crops were destroyed by the late season frosts. Mem’s Mama has never gotten used to their new home, and after she gives birth to baby Lily, it is even harder for her to cope as she becomes depressed. Papa sees that something is mentally wrong with his wife, so he puts Mem in charge of caring for the baby, her younger brother, and their sick Mama.
Then one frigid, stormy night the worst happens. Mem returns home from a chore in town to find that Mama and Lily are gone. Can the two be found? How will Papa react? And what will happen to Mem and the family as a whole? As to language, there are a few colloquial euphemisms (tarnation, blasted), and some profanity (“what in God’s name” and “Good Lord” as exclamations), but no cursing. Some might feel that the book is realistic by giving “attention to the unromantic details of pioneer life,” and apparently it is rich in historical accuracy. However, the mother’s instability and the father’s angry reaction in slapping Mem may be rather unsettling for some younger children. There is also the religious element. All the religious people are portrayed as whack jobs. Granted, there are and always have been religious whack jobs, but a little real “Christian charity” from someone might have been nice too.
Mem sums up the tone of the book when she whispers to her baby sister, “You feel safe in my arms, but what you don’t know is that our family is completely falling apart.” If you find reading stories about a family falling apart to be entertaining, then you should like this book. However, one reviewer called it “really bleak and depressing!” It is amazing how Auch can take such a downer of a story and still come up with a little ray of hope at the end. This book is said to be a “sequel to Journey to Nowhere” (1997), which tells how in the spring of 1815, eleven year old Mem and her family set off in a covered wagon from their farm in Connecticut to the western New York wilderness. Another reviewer wrote, “I found both this book and The Journey to Nowhere quite morose with little joy to redeem them.” The third volume of the trilogy is The Road to Home, in which thirteen year old Mem and family are returning to her grandmother’s house, but her father joins the crew that is digging the Erie Canal, and she soon realizes that he will not take them back to Connecticut.
Then one frigid, stormy night the worst happens. Mem returns home from a chore in town to find that Mama and Lily are gone. Can the two be found? How will Papa react? And what will happen to Mem and the family as a whole? As to language, there are a few colloquial euphemisms (tarnation, blasted), and some profanity (“what in God’s name” and “Good Lord” as exclamations), but no cursing. Some might feel that the book is realistic by giving “attention to the unromantic details of pioneer life,” and apparently it is rich in historical accuracy. However, the mother’s instability and the father’s angry reaction in slapping Mem may be rather unsettling for some younger children. There is also the religious element. All the religious people are portrayed as whack jobs. Granted, there are and always have been religious whack jobs, but a little real “Christian charity” from someone might have been nice too.
Mem sums up the tone of the book when she whispers to her baby sister, “You feel safe in my arms, but what you don’t know is that our family is completely falling apart.” If you find reading stories about a family falling apart to be entertaining, then you should like this book. However, one reviewer called it “really bleak and depressing!” It is amazing how Auch can take such a downer of a story and still come up with a little ray of hope at the end. This book is said to be a “sequel to Journey to Nowhere” (1997), which tells how in the spring of 1815, eleven year old Mem and her family set off in a covered wagon from their farm in Connecticut to the western New York wilderness. Another reviewer wrote, “I found both this book and The Journey to Nowhere quite morose with little joy to redeem them.” The third volume of the trilogy is The Road to Home, in which thirteen year old Mem and family are returning to her grandmother’s house, but her father joins the crew that is digging the Erie Canal, and she soon realizes that he will not take them back to Connecticut.
May 17, 2020
3.5
1816, western New York
Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote glowing stories where all the adults are perfect, knowledgeable, and capable. Here, we're shown a family where neither parent deals well with hard times. The children feel the impact.
This is from the Author's Note:
In April 1815, Tambora, a huge volcano, erupted in the southern Indonesian islands. It wiped out all but 26 of the 12,000 people living on Sumbawa Island and spewed 100 times more ash into the atmosphere than Mount Vesuvius in A.D. 79 or Mount Saint Helens in 1980. [spoiler] ... The volcanic dust was carried through the high stratosphere and reduced the sunlight enough to cause the year that settlers later referred to as "Eighteen hundred and Froze to Death."
1816, western New York
Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote glowing stories where all the adults are perfect, knowledgeable, and capable. Here, we're shown a family where neither parent deals well with hard times. The children feel the impact.
This is from the Author's Note:
In April 1815, Tambora, a huge volcano, erupted in the southern Indonesian islands. It wiped out all but 26 of the 12,000 people living on Sumbawa Island and spewed 100 times more ash into the atmosphere than Mount Vesuvius in A.D. 79 or Mount Saint Helens in 1980. [spoiler] ... The volcanic dust was carried through the high stratosphere and reduced the sunlight enough to cause the year that settlers later referred to as "Eighteen hundred and Froze to Death."
March 14, 2022
This was a fascinating and intriguing story about an event in history of which I had no idea! The summer of 1816 in New York, snow and cold weather keeps plaguing the pioneer villages and destroying their crops. This book is told from the point of view of Mem, age 12, and it is just so sad to read of their hardships in the wilderness of New York. Her mother is clearly suffering from PPD, which was an unknown diagnosis at that time. And it doesn’t help that Mem’s mother is desperately homesick for their old home near family in Connecticut. It definitely reads like a middle grade book but I really enjoyed it.
August 16, 2013
ALWAYS TIME FOR NEIGHBORS
Twelve-year-old Remembrance Nye (Mem to her family) seems clumsy and more a burden than a helper when Mama gives birth to a baby sister in their primitive one-room cabin in the wilderness of Western New York State in 1816. But Mama is terribly homesick for her family in Connecticut; she all but ignores the pitiful baby in her private anguish. Gradually Mem realizes that her mother's mind is at risk; Mrs. Nye wanders in and out of reality and sobs in loneliness because her pioneering husband forced her to sacrfice all the comforts of home for the loneliness and social desolation of the Genesee Valley.
The odd weather with sudden freezing spells and even snow in June echoes the family's sense of doom. Many pioneers assume that blame God is meting out just punishment for sinners everywhere, thought a few suggest it was Ben Franklin's tampering with the flow of electricity which precipitated such disaster, as crops are lost and famine looms as a grim possibility. How can Mem balance caring for an infant sister whom her mother seems to reject, assume all the woman's chores of tending house and go to school as well--for she wishes to become a school teacher herself someday?
Not all strangers are as dangerous as the local busybody, but the worst threat to the family proves to be the instability of Mrs. Nye. Mem comes of age that frozen summer, when the crops fail and she loses the benefit of maternal contact. As one kind neighbor explains it: the only way to survive in a frontier settlement is through cooperation and charity toward one's neighbors, even those you don't really know. It truly takes a community to raise one child. At the conclusion of this solemn historical novel the author explains how she came to write this story, sharing her research into the causes and reactions to the frozen summer of 1816. A sobering read for anyone studying the early American Eastern frontier.
(November 4, 2012. I welcome dialogue with teadchers.)
Twelve-year-old Remembrance Nye (Mem to her family) seems clumsy and more a burden than a helper when Mama gives birth to a baby sister in their primitive one-room cabin in the wilderness of Western New York State in 1816. But Mama is terribly homesick for her family in Connecticut; she all but ignores the pitiful baby in her private anguish. Gradually Mem realizes that her mother's mind is at risk; Mrs. Nye wanders in and out of reality and sobs in loneliness because her pioneering husband forced her to sacrfice all the comforts of home for the loneliness and social desolation of the Genesee Valley.
The odd weather with sudden freezing spells and even snow in June echoes the family's sense of doom. Many pioneers assume that blame God is meting out just punishment for sinners everywhere, thought a few suggest it was Ben Franklin's tampering with the flow of electricity which precipitated such disaster, as crops are lost and famine looms as a grim possibility. How can Mem balance caring for an infant sister whom her mother seems to reject, assume all the woman's chores of tending house and go to school as well--for she wishes to become a school teacher herself someday?
Not all strangers are as dangerous as the local busybody, but the worst threat to the family proves to be the instability of Mrs. Nye. Mem comes of age that frozen summer, when the crops fail and she loses the benefit of maternal contact. As one kind neighbor explains it: the only way to survive in a frontier settlement is through cooperation and charity toward one's neighbors, even those you don't really know. It truly takes a community to raise one child. At the conclusion of this solemn historical novel the author explains how she came to write this story, sharing her research into the causes and reactions to the frozen summer of 1816. A sobering read for anyone studying the early American Eastern frontier.
(November 4, 2012. I welcome dialogue with teadchers.)
February 18, 2020
I enjoyed this book. Read it as a kid originally and liked it back then. After reading this I discovered it was a trilogy and read the other two later. You can read this before the first one. There are some references to the events in book 1, but nothing really essential to the plots of either book.
I found Mem's and her mother's stories to be genuinly heartbreaking. The husband/father takes the family far away from the mother's relatives while she's pregnant with their new daughter to live in the middle of nowhere with no one familiar.
Neither adult seems to really care about the new baby once they realize she's a girl, to the point where one parent actually apologizes and they can't even be bothered to name her. The mom explains they were waiting to see if she survived the cold weather, but she consistently has trouble expressing any emotion at all towards the baby, as does the father. Big sister Remembrance steps up to care for her, likely saving her sister from dying due to neglect and indifference. She also gives her her name, secretly starts calling her Lily, and in the end it sticks.
When I was a kid I didn't understand why the mother or father didn't seem to care about their new child, but now that I'm older, I'd guess the mom was suffering from some kind of post partum depression, exacerbated by her not knowing or really interacting with anyone but her husband and children, one of which she can't bring herself to bond with.
In the end the poor mother runs off with the baby trying to get home to her family, going through water and woods, only to get sick. While the baby survives the mom doesn't.
Honestly besides Mem, the most responsible character in the story is the guy from book 1 who helped Mem survive in the woods. I can't remember his name, but even he just pops in and out of the story for a brief time. I wish he had stuck around more to help Mem care for her mom and siblings.
I found Mem's and her mother's stories to be genuinly heartbreaking. The husband/father takes the family far away from the mother's relatives while she's pregnant with their new daughter to live in the middle of nowhere with no one familiar.
Neither adult seems to really care about the new baby once they realize she's a girl, to the point where one parent actually apologizes and they can't even be bothered to name her. The mom explains they were waiting to see if she survived the cold weather, but she consistently has trouble expressing any emotion at all towards the baby, as does the father. Big sister Remembrance steps up to care for her, likely saving her sister from dying due to neglect and indifference. She also gives her her name, secretly starts calling her Lily, and in the end it sticks.
When I was a kid I didn't understand why the mother or father didn't seem to care about their new child, but now that I'm older, I'd guess the mom was suffering from some kind of post partum depression, exacerbated by her not knowing or really interacting with anyone but her husband and children, one of which she can't bring herself to bond with.
In the end the poor mother runs off with the baby trying to get home to her family, going through water and woods, only to get sick. While the baby survives the mom doesn't.
Honestly besides Mem, the most responsible character in the story is the guy from book 1 who helped Mem survive in the woods. I can't remember his name, but even he just pops in and out of the story for a brief time. I wish he had stuck around more to help Mem care for her mom and siblings.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 4, 2024
Remembrance Nye’s mother is too fragile for the rugged frontier of upper state New York. She has just given birth to a girl. She views this event with great pessimism instead of the joy that Mem thinks her mother should feel. When Mrs. Nye refuses to name the baby, Mem begins calling her Lily. Then, several summer frosts come. Each frost kills the young fledgling corn crop. Each crop death pushes Mrs. Nye closer to the edge of insanity. Mem must give up school to take care of her mother, Joshua, and Lily. She defies her father, who is too proud to ask the neighbors for help, and writes to her grandmother in Connecticut hoping that she will come to help. When a response comes, it is delivered by a busybody old woman from town while Mem is away from the house. This pushes Mrs. Nye over the edge, and she disappears with Lily into the cold New York wilderness. All the neighbors come to help find them, but they can’t prevent the tragedy that follows.
©2024 Kathy Maxwell at https://bookskidslike.com
©2024 Kathy Maxwell at https://bookskidslike.com
October 14, 2016
I enjoyed Frozen Summer (book #2 in the Remembrance "Mem" Nye series) right after book #1 and enjoyed them both very much. The historical accuracy of the 1816 summer-that-wasn't when New England experienced winter-like temperatures and severe crop failures made for an exciting backdrop for Mem Nye's story. I felt such compassion for this 11-year old girl who wanted to somehow salvage her family, obey her parents, protect her newborn sister, and somehow manage in the heavily forested Genosee Country without extended family, nearby neighbors, or comforts of civilization. Mem had to grow up fast.
Mary Jane Auch presents a Young Adult novel that captured my attention, engaged my deeper emotions, and made me care about the fate of three young children as their mother slipped away from them.
Mary Jane Auch presents a Young Adult novel that captured my attention, engaged my deeper emotions, and made me care about the fate of three young children as their mother slipped away from them.
May 6, 2008
Second in a series of three books about Mem Nye and her family's move to New York and all the ensuing adventures.
I liked this book less than I liked the first one. It takes a tragic turn and there is a lot going on in the book to keep one reading it. However, I couldn't help comparing her mother (who suffers with mental illness/depression over the family's circumstances) to Mrs. Ingalls, who never let anything get her down. She just bucked up, made the best of each situation and carried on. I tend to think that most, not all of course, pioneer women were more like Mrs. Ingalls. I think that perhaps the author was putting some of today's issues into the story and onto that character in particular. Just my opinion, for what it's worth.
I liked this book less than I liked the first one. It takes a tragic turn and there is a lot going on in the book to keep one reading it. However, I couldn't help comparing her mother (who suffers with mental illness/depression over the family's circumstances) to Mrs. Ingalls, who never let anything get her down. She just bucked up, made the best of each situation and carried on. I tend to think that most, not all of course, pioneer women were more like Mrs. Ingalls. I think that perhaps the author was putting some of today's issues into the story and onto that character in particular. Just my opinion, for what it's worth.
September 9, 2010
This is second in a series about an early pioneer family in the region of the Erie Canal.
In this book we really come to see how ill-equipped and unprepared Mem's parents really were for the pioneer life. Her mother suffers serious post-partum depression, while her father becomes more and more disconnected from the family. Meanwhile Mem is left to cope on her own with her little brother and infant sister.
This book takes place during a famous summer for bad weather. There were blizzards and freezes during July, and crops failed. Altogether a bad year for the family to have come west.
In this book we really come to see how ill-equipped and unprepared Mem's parents really were for the pioneer life. Her mother suffers serious post-partum depression, while her father becomes more and more disconnected from the family. Meanwhile Mem is left to cope on her own with her little brother and infant sister.
This book takes place during a famous summer for bad weather. There were blizzards and freezes during July, and crops failed. Altogether a bad year for the family to have come west.
June 10, 2008
Our main character is a girl about our age named Rememberance Nye, her and her family moves to Western New York. The unbearable freezing weather kills off all the crops in the farm and they hardy have anything to eat. The father develops an drinking problem and is barely home anymore. Rememberance's mother give birth to Lily her little sister but due to lack of care and constant bleeding Mem's mother dies shortly giving birth to Lily.
October 1, 2008
All of these books scared me when I read them... I was only like 9...
February 24, 2009
THIS IS THE WORST BOOK EVER!!!!!!!!!!! SO SAD!!!!!!!!!!DO NOT READ THIS BOOK!!!!!!!!
March 19, 2010
I loved this book and it made ne start to cry towards the end. Funny thing though, is that I had no clue that this was the second book in a series...I'm definetly going to look for the others now.
Want to read
July 3, 2016I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/13132437
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/13132437
November 15, 2008
I thought this book was sad but very good. Now I am going to read The Road to Home.
September 23, 2011
I remember reading this in 3rd grade. I do actually remember it though. It is a great book.
March 15, 2014
A little heavy for kids, but we enjoyed it.
January 17, 2022
Frozen Summer - Mary Jane Auch
Historical Fiction
Age group: middle school
Though this is the second book in the series I was able to enjoy it on its own. It focuses on a young girl who just moved to a new town that seems to be in the middle of nowhere. It is set in the “year without a summer” when New York experienced snow in July! The family struggles to grow food as the mother, after having her third child, starts to go mad with missing home. Our protagonist must take on new responsibilities and show her father that she can do more than mere “women’s work” when she starts to be the main provider for the family. She balances chores while trying to get an education to become a teacher. There is action, hardship and even a cult! Something sad happens near the end, but our main characters, though shaken by the event, are set on the path of hope. I thought it was fine, not my area of interest, the history was cool to learn about though. Keep in mind this was a little young for me, so I think it is an excellent book for its age audience. I gave this book to my little yet scholarly neighbor and she loved it!
Historical Fiction
Age group: middle school
Though this is the second book in the series I was able to enjoy it on its own. It focuses on a young girl who just moved to a new town that seems to be in the middle of nowhere. It is set in the “year without a summer” when New York experienced snow in July! The family struggles to grow food as the mother, after having her third child, starts to go mad with missing home. Our protagonist must take on new responsibilities and show her father that she can do more than mere “women’s work” when she starts to be the main provider for the family. She balances chores while trying to get an education to become a teacher. There is action, hardship and even a cult! Something sad happens near the end, but our main characters, though shaken by the event, are set on the path of hope. I thought it was fine, not my area of interest, the history was cool to learn about though. Keep in mind this was a little young for me, so I think it is an excellent book for its age audience. I gave this book to my little yet scholarly neighbor and she loved it!
Currently reading
January 14, 2020 Remembrance "Mem" Nye and her family are going through a cold, hard summer in their new home in New York. Their is barely any food that dad is trying to grow in the frost. Her mom has a really hard time because they moved away from her family. She has a baby and gets sick and don't care for her baby named Lily. Mem has to take care of the family and do all the chores. One morning she woke up and her mom and baby sister were gone. Will they find them both alive. I really liked this book because it was from way back then and it kind of shows how some people lived. I like how the author writes in this book. This book don't really have cons but if a younger kid were to read this there's some disturbing stuff to them. The pros is you learned a little and something is always happening it dont ever get boring.
July 19, 2023
Although this is the second book of the trilogy, I've never read any of the other books in the series, and this stands on its own just fine. I read it several times when I was younger, and it held up to what I remembered on this most recent reread.
It's by no means the happiest of stories, but it is well-researched, nuanced, and does a great job showing what life during that time and in that area was like. I appreciate how she showed that the parents of the story were both flawed and that life was hard for them as well. And even though, at times, I felt like Mem was being portrayed as too strong and perfect of a protagonist, I admired her strength, perseverance, and ability to love and respect her parents, despite the issues that arose.
The ending was sad, and not my favorite way to resolve some of the story problems, but overall, it's a memorable, quick, and gripping read.
It's by no means the happiest of stories, but it is well-researched, nuanced, and does a great job showing what life during that time and in that area was like. I appreciate how she showed that the parents of the story were both flawed and that life was hard for them as well. And even though, at times, I felt like Mem was being portrayed as too strong and perfect of a protagonist, I admired her strength, perseverance, and ability to love and respect her parents, despite the issues that arose.
The ending was sad, and not my favorite way to resolve some of the story problems, but overall, it's a memorable, quick, and gripping read.
September 26, 2017
Book two in this series explores what happens to Mem's family after they settle in Western NY. They happen to arrive right before the freakish "frozen summer" of 1816 - blizzard in June, crops repeatedly devastated. To top it all off, Mem's mother is suffering spells of depression and mental breakdown following the birth of a child. The book really pulls no punches showing how her condition is not supported in any way - Mem's father refuses to even let the neighbors know about it, thereby cutting off any chance at what help the neighboring women might have been able to provide. It's a really sad, thought-provoking history lesson.
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