Annie Richards knows there are a million things to look out for—bicycle accidents, food poisoning, chicken pox, smallpox, typhoid fever, runaway zoo animals, and poison oak. That's why being careful is so important, even if it does mean giving up some of her favorite things, like bike races with her best friend, Rebecca, and hot dogs on the Fourth of July. Everyone keeps telling Annie not to worry so much, that she's just fine. But they thought her brother, Jared, was just fine too, and Jared died.
It takes a new neighbor, who looks as plain as a box of toothpicks but has some surprising secrets of her own, to make Annie realize that her plans for being careful aren't working out as well as she had hoped. And with a lot of help from those around her—and a book about a pig, too—Annie just may find a way to close her umbrella of sadness and step back into the sunshine.
With winsome humor and a dash of small-town charm, Lisa Graff's third novel is a touching look at rising above grief and the healing power of community.
“Graff has created a lively, quirky individual who tells her story with frankness and humor.” — School Library Journal
“With the same deftness she demonstrated in THE THING ABOUT GEORGIE, Graff immediately engages the reader.” — Horn Book Magazine
“An appealing and moving choice for readers seeking a dose of feel-good reality fiction.” — Kirkus Reviews
“Umbrella Summer is a radiant book.” — —Kirby Larson, author of Newberry Honor book Hattie Big Sky
