Name: Umbrella Summer
Rating: 3.5 (12 reviews)
ISBN: 9780061431883

Lisa Graff

After her brother Jared dies, ten-year-old Annie worries about the hidden dangers of everything, from bug bites to bicycle riding, until she is befriended by a new neighbor who is grieving her own loss.

Umbrella Summer

Heaven Adore

Annie is struggling quite heavily with the lose of her older brother, Jared. How’s she dealing with it? By being extremely careful. From covering herself in bandages to not biking at fast speeds to reading a book about diseases (what!?), she is just struggling. But it’s not until an elderly woman moves into “the haunted house on the block” she finally learns to let go.

I was pretty surprised to discover that the MC was 10 years old. I had no idea until it was mentioned about halfway through the novel. But how the author wrote the novel was in a non-childish way.
If I’m honest, there actually wasn’t anything I disliked, so we can talk all about the good.


I felt sad with Annie! Like I could’ve cried several times while reading because it was saddening to see how she dealt with the loss.

I kept thinking to myself though, “If she put her hope in the Lord, it would make things easier. Not perfect, but she’d have Someone to lean on and gain strength to move on.”

Nevertheless, you could really sympathize with her. The reader knew what was running through her mind and how she felt about certain things. That definitely helps the reader to connect with the MC, which I think is crucial.

All the characters had their own weird quirks that made them unique. Annie’s best friend would suck on her hair if she was thinking, or the Girl’s Scout Troop leader would always give bear hugs like she hadn’t seen you in a long time.

How the characters acted made it feel like a small town. Everyone knew everything, which created some humor.


The themes were SO vividly woven. And a lot of them are applicable to the Christian walk.
Annie as coping by being fearful, which is an awful way to live. You feel like there is no hope and something could happen to you any day now. Surely, anything can happen to us at any given time, but we shouldn’t be consumed with those thoughts.

The days are evil, so we must make the best use of the time. Instead of being obsessed with ways you could die, run to Hope. Christ is here to walk through life with you and get you through the difficult times. It will still be rough, but you can feel peace and joy by doing so.

This was a sweet and emotional short read. But would I recommend it? For sure! Though as a forewarning, you’ll definitely have all the feels, but it’s a great reminder to let go of the past and move forward. You don’t have to forget what happened, but you don’t need to dwell on it either. I give this book 4.5 stars.

Umbrella Summer

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