Posts Tagged YA

Summer And Shiner

Nolan Carlson

Vintage Expressions, a division of

Vintage Romance Publishing, LLC

ISBN 978-0-9819896-2-4

$12.99

162 pages

Reviewed by Agnes Dee

Summer And Shiner, by Dr. Nolan Carlson tells the story of a boy, 12-year-old Carley, his best friend, Troop, and the raccoon Carley adopts as a pet. Almost every chapter is a story to itself, tied together by the boys‘ summer vacation in the late 1940’s Randall, Kansas.

It’s an idyllic small town life: no crimes are committed, and even the worst people have a good side. However, this book is not sugar-coated. The boys get themselves into some genuinely dangerous situations. At one point, Troop tells of his time spent living on the reservation, and it’s a bit sobering.

The middle-grade child who reads this book will get a good picture of what life was like during the 40’s, living in a small town, while the adult will enjoy the author’s descriptive prose. I’d recommend this to any parent or teacher looking for a wholesome, yet interesting, book.

Dr. Carson has written five books in this series, as well as ten other books, with the goal of writing adventures for the young adult market.

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION

I have a material connection because I received a review copy that I can keep for consideration in preparing to write this content. I was not expected to return this item after my review.