Books with title The summer of the swans

When 11-year-old William goes to the pound, he picks out the perfect dog right away: a big, silky, yellow lab. When they get home, Riley acts as if he has lived with William all his life. The boy promises to always keep his dog safe. But when Riley chases a neighbor's aging horse, the animal control officer takes him away. According to local law, Riley must be destroyed. Now William has just 21 days to save his beloved dog. In a town where opinions about animals are deeply divided, it isn't going to be easy. Eve Bunting has written over 150 picture books and novels for children and young adults. Her works, including Jumping the Nail (RB# 95752) and The Wall (RB# 94951), have been chosen as ALA Notable Books and have received many other awards.

Gladys Gatsby now has her first published review under her belt and is looking forward to a quiet summer of cooking and reviewing. But her plans quickly go awry when her friend Charissa Bentley delivers Gladys’s birthday gift: a free summer at Camp Bentley. As Gladys feared, camp life is not easy. The worst part is she can’t seem to get away from the annoying new “celebrity” camper and sneak away for her latest assignment―finding the best hot dog in New York City. But when it turns out her hot dog assignment was a dirty trick by a jealous reviewer, Gladys’s reviewing career may be over forever.

""Maybe that's one of the reasons people get dogs, to kind of close up the empty places inside them.""Eleven-year-old William never needed a friend more than now. After his parents' separation, his father's new engagement, and his grandfather's dying without any warning -- adopting big, beautiful Riley is the first thing in a long time that has made him feel better. That is, until Riley innocently chases a horse.Local law states that any animal that chases livestock must be put to sleep. Suddenly William stands to lose another thing close to him. Together with his "totally unsurpassed" friend Grace, William begins a campaign to reverse the county commissioners' decision. But with a community divided on the issue, and the bully Ellis Porter trying to stop them at every turn, will they be able to save Riley's life?Celebrated author Eve Bunting shows William's determined struggle to fight for what he believes in. "The Summer of Riley" is an inspiring novel about learning to accept life's changes, the healing power of friendship, and the unending desire to protect those we love.

The third compulsively readable book in the smart and witty series about a high school for gifted students. Miranda Bloom has scored an adorable, lacrosse-playing boyfriend, Dex McConnell, and an awesomely easy summer job looking after a ten year old mini-genius, Amelia. This summer is going to be sweet... Then reality puts the brakes on everything. Though Dex and Miranda are official, she feels like he's keeping secrets-secrets that may have to do with his fashion model ex-girlfriend. Meanwhile, Amelia is harder to figure out than advanced trigonometry. How can they bond if all she does is practice the piano? Plus Miranda's mom just invited her to live in London with her. Living across the pond would be great, but can she really leave Geek High and Dex? Looks like Miranda has a secret of her own...

Gladys Gatsby now has her first published review under her belt and is looking forward to a quiet summer of cooking and reviewing. But her plans quickly go awry when her friend Charissa Bentley delivers Gladys’s birthday gift: a free summer at Camp Bentley. As Gladys feared, camp life is not easy. The worst part is she can’t seem to get away from the annoying new “celebrity” camper and sneak away for her latest assignment―finding the best hot dog in New York City. But when it turns out her hot dog assignment was a dirty trick by a jealous reviewer, Gladys’s reviewing career may be over forever.

Anna, Daniel, and Lucas seem to be living a dream. While their parents take care of a castle, they have the run of the grounds and the beautiful surrounding countryside. Their only concern is how best to catch the mysterious pike that lurks in the deep water of the moat. But when Daniel and Lucas’s mother first begins to seem tired all the time, and then loses her hair, Anna wonders what is going on. It is cancer, she is told, but Daniel and Lucas must not know. As the summer days grow shorter and the colors of the fields and flowers change, the boys eventually learn of their mother’s illness. Daniel becomes convinced that catching the pike will bring luck — that it might even cure his mother. But as her condition worsens, these three true friends can only wish that they could stop the destructive march of time. Jutta Richter’s powerful prose makes this sensitive story set during a summer idyll an unforgettable one.

In the summer of 1942, Belle excitedly awaits the arrival of her worldly older cousin, Caroline, who will join the family at their grandparents' island cottage in Michigan. Belle dreams of being introduced to French sophistication and style. But Carrie brings much more than that: She carries the troubling reality of the world war that is ravaging Europe. On quiet Turtle Island, a place where everything always stays the same, this one summer will bring about a world of change. Set against the backdrop of breezy island cottages and a faraway war, this heartrending tale from National Book Award winner Gloria Whelan is the story of a beautiful place and a unique friendship—and how events thousands of miles away shape them both.

This novel is set in the drought-stricken farmlands of the Midwest during the summer of 1935. The main character of "The Summer of the Crow" is thirteen-year-old Brady Lee Foster. Brady is as typical a thirteen year old as any boy of any era; he loves baseball and his dog Taggert, who is "so big his dad once said it was like having a yearling calf in the house." What makes Brady Foster atypical, however, is that he must face hardships and challenges most children his age will never know. His summer will be filled with adventures that include dust storms, tornadoes, rabbit drives, bootleggers, hoboes and riding freight-trains. And he will make a new friend - a boy with a pet crow. Aside from the financial struggles all Midwest farm families faced during times of drought, Brady's personal conflicts also include his mother's severe asthma and his little sister's autism, a condition few understood in the 1930s. When his parents are forced to seek a healthier climate for his mother, Brady and his sister are sent to live with their grandfather, the county sheriff in Sentinel, Kansas. It is hard for Brady to have his family separated; to leave the farm and live in town where everyone will know about his sister; attend a new school where he has to face down the school bully - a boy empowered by his father's money; and come to terms with his grandfather - who is not, Brady discovers, his real, by blood, grandfather. Through these challenges and others even more difficult, by summer's end, Brady will learn that family wears many faces. "The Summer of the Crow" is author Eunice Boeve's second novel. Her first, "Trapped!" was a Kansas Reading Circle selection in 1995-96. This newest offering is a coming-of-age story that gains its strength through realistic yet memorable characters and action.