Summer Magic

Matter-of-Fact Magic

by Ruth Chew

Siblings from Brooklyn accidentally travel back in time 3 centuries and learn a bit about colonial life and meet a bear & help rescue a family of Indians from pirates.

(From the back of the book:
Sarah looked up.
Someone was leaning over Timothy.
It was an Indian. And he was holding a big knife!)

Genres: Fantasy, Childrens, Young Adult, Middle Grade, Fiction, Magic

112 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1977

About the author

Ruth Chew is the author of a number of popular books for young readers, including Secondhand Magic and The Wednesday Witch. She was born in Minneapolis and grew up in Washington, D.C. She studied art at the Corcoran School of Art and worked as a fashion artist. She was the mother of five children.

Reviews

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Chew book that's not about a witch! Still a fantasy for the youngest readers, though I think the other reviewer who shared it with a 5 yo was pushing it. There are some relatively sophisticated ideas here, like a pirate who isn't happy in his line of work, and the means & motive by which the kids get home. Unfortunately I'm not perfectly comfortable with the portrayal of the generic 'Indians' though and cannot quite recommend this, unless you are prepared to discuss it with your children.

(A bit of white savior, nation not specifically named, not sure if the 'apron' and headband are accurate to those who would have lived near Flatbush at the time.)
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Decided to read it one more time before donating it. 3.5 stars this time; otherwise the review stands. I like the trick of imagining the annoying night noises of the place you landed in as your own familiar noises instead... so the girl here, one rough night, imagined the hooting of an owl as traffic noise in Brooklyn, etc.

[HeavyReader · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unsupervised kids on summer vacation have magic adventures while mom and dad are at work. I always wished my parents would leave me alone long enough to have an adventure.

[Crystal Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ruth Chew was one of my favorite authors during my childhood. I have fond memories of reading her Witch books. They fostered my love for children's literature.

[Ayla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story, could have used a little tweaking. Who is Rachel? should have been Sarah at one spot. Story was interesting, but ended very abruptly.

[Rochelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good Dutch History of New York for the kiddies.

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a book first read when I was in grade school about 45 years ago. I had long forgotten it but something made me remember it in the early 2000’s so I began asking around but no one had ever heard of it. I didn’t have much to go on: it involved 2 kids in the Brooklyn Museum in Prospect park who found a historical house exhibit that took them back in time to Dutch New Amsterdam. No title, authors name etc. I tried friends who were school teachers and avid readers, local librarians, and oh course, Google. No luck - I was at a dead end.
Fast forward to November when I put the question to AI. Chat GPT and several wrong answers. I tried Perplexity and in a short chat it came up with the answer. Key detail was that I was fairly sure that I’d gotten the book through a Scholastic book order at my school. Easily found on abebooks and I was able to reread last week. Reading it was a trip back in time, much like the story itself! I remembered every detail, and the sketched drawings looked as fresh as if I’d seen them last week.
I gave it 4 stars because that is exactly what my 10 year old self would have given in. This book sparked mystery and imagination for me much the way Lewis did with his wardrobe. It’s not that great by my standards for children’s books today, but a fun read. Any Birmingham friends who would like to borrow, just let me know.

[Melanie Bracco · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two children, a boy named Timothy and his sister Sarah go to a museum in Brooklyn and while they're looking inside a house that's in the museum, they find they have gone back into the past. There they meet a married couple who are settlers, as well as Indians (who surprisingly seem to speak English rather well!) Interesting story: and I loved the illustrations. The ending was a little abrupt, but still a good read!

[Mariah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun adventure book that would be perfect for kids. The storyline was fun, and the characters were all relatable to readers.

[Beka · Rating 3 out of 5]

Follows the standard format, although these kids might get into even more trouble than any of the others.

[Phillip · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fun quick read.

[Phil · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two kids slip back in time. Fun! Or was it?

[Mesembryanthemum]

Available on The Internet Archive: https://archive.org/details/secretsummer00chew

[Debbie Shelkey-Lawson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story for 4th graders. The ending was rushed. I’m a BIG fan of Ruth Chew stories.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is always fun to find a book that takes place in a neighborhood you once lived in. This is a simple children's story of siblings finding themselves on adventure that takes them back in time to Brooklyn involving settlers, Indians and pirates.

[Klaud · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is my first ever favorite book. i want to read it all over again

[Kaijsa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Ruth Chew! This one is very cute. The story is exciting and educational and magical. My 5 yr old really got into it and was ready to race for the next one.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story.

[Siskiyou-Suzy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really boring and simplistic.