Summer of Discovery

by Eric Wilson

The spirits of hymn-singing children are thought to haunt a cluster of abandoned buildings at Saskatchewan's Camp Easter Seal.

Do ghosts of hymn-singing children haunt a cluster of abandoned buildings on the Saskatchewan prairie? The story of how the kids from Terry Fox Cabin answer that question will thrill you from page one of this exciting book. Eric Wilson, author of many fast-moving mysteries, presents here a tale of adventure, humour and the triumph of the human spirit.

Genres: Canada, Childrens

160 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1984

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Eric Wilson is a Canadian children's author and now living in Victoria, British Columbia.

Reviews

[Sarah Thornton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Covers most of the realities of being young and disabled with compassion and understanding. It's no surprise the author used to be a camp counselor for a similar camp. The resentment Ian feels and the infantilisation from his parents feels genuine.

[piratesPencil · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved this book growing up and read it many times as a kid. Although it hasn't quite stood the test of time, it was still an enjoyable reread.

[C. (Comment, never msg). · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Summer Of Discovery”, in Saskatchewan lake country, is a tender-hearted deviation from the Austen mysteries. It is an under-utilized province in literature and the world; without an NHL hockey team and which television celebrities like Ellen DeGeneres struggle to pronounce. Note: the accent is on second syllable ‘KAT’. We pronounce it with a light E in ‘che’ + ‘wan’; never by emphasizing the end as ‘chewww’ + ‘wan’. Named after the “Saskatchewan River” called “Kisiskatchewani Sipi” in Cree, it means “swift-flowing river”.

‘Easter Seals Camp’ where Eric Wilson twice worked, is for handicapped children. The protagonists are a skittish boy and a councillor trying for a permanent position. It is a personal adventure, although the possibility of ghosts is dangled and the councillor’s late outings. Educationally worthy with an abundance of encouragement, I’m less impressed by the inserted premises. My most prominent peeve is authors hinting at something supernatural but leaving us with an anti-climatic “psyche”! It bears the disappointment of false advertising and ploys like these cry out for greater creativity. It is fiction! An author can most certainly allow the fabrication of supernatural attributes. The second critique is that when we find out the serious situation the councillor is concerned with at night, it is preposterous that he should sneak. The camp director would freely permit his outing. Making a mystery out of this stretched too far. The theme and textures of these children and councillors are significant as is.

This adventure has inevitable predictability. A child is reluctant to leave home but befriends many. Skittishness persisted until page 30. Other than that, we build wonderful awareness about champions of physical ailments. Written in 1984, a special element is Canadian hero Terry Fox. The famous one-legged activist died in 1981, which I heard about widely as a child.

[Trevor · Rating 3 out of 5]

A thoughtful little tale that sheds some light on physical disabilities for young readers.