Summerspell

by Jean Thesman

Living with her sister and brother-in-law after the death of her grandparents, Jocelyn finds her world shattered when her brother-in-law abuses her and forces her to run away to the family summer cabin until her custody arrangements can be changed.

Genres: Young Adult, Realistic Fiction

160 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 1995

About the author

Jean Thesman was a widely read and award-winning American author known for her young adult fiction, with a career spanning over 25 years. Her novels often explored themes of family, identity, and belonging, frequently featuring heroines who find their place in the world by uncovering truths about their families and forming chosen connections. “I loved telling the story,” she once wrote, “because I really believed that families were made up of the people you wanted, not the people you were stuck with.”
Born with a passion for storytelling and literacy, she learned to read before starting school and recalled having to wait until she was six years old before being allowed her first library card. Throughout her career, she authored around 40 books, most under her own name but a few under the pseudonym T.J. Bradstreet.
Thesman published a wide range of novels for teens and middle-grade readers, including stand-alone works such as The Rain Catchers, Calling the Swan, and Cattail Moon, as well as series like The Whitney Cousins, The Birthday Girls, and The Elliott Cousins. Her lyrical style, emotional depth, and strong female characters earned her a loyal readership. Notable works like The Ornament Tree and In the House of the Queen’s Beasts remain particularly admired for their nuanced storytelling and emotional resonance.
She was a longtime resident of Washington state and an active member of The Authors Guild and the Society for Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. Jean Thesman passed away in 2016 at the age of 86, leaving behind a significant legacy in young adult literature.

Reviews

[AiArtFS · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I have ever read. I read this book when I was a teen and felt it to be so touching and so real. You really feel it; you feel like your living her pain with her. I read this as an adult and years later and I still get the tears flowing. This book pulls at your heart and it keeps wanting you to read more.

[Elizabeth Gibbs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exciting, suspenseful, dramatic story about a girl and her friend who follows her when she runs away.