This book is a super-fun read either in the summer... or in the dead of winter, when you dream of the warmth summer, like myself. It added sunshine to the cold days of January for me."Summer at Forsaken Lake" holds a big adventure type of story in a small little town. When Nicholas Mettleson visits his Uncle Nick on Forsaken Lake, he and his two little sisters make some big discoveries about their dad and his boyhood. From hidden compartments with secrets inside, the story of a boat wrecked decades ago, the mystery of 2:43am, plus a bit of hard work and oodles of fun.... there's a lot of intrigue going on to keep the Mettleson kids (and their new friend, Charlie) entertained for weeks (as well as the reader).Definitely a lively middle-grade novel. The one thing I didn't care for was that Nicholas and his friend often talk about "if only" their parents would have stayed together, even though the adults now have their own families. Some people may not care one way or the other on this aspect though. I did really like how the author made the kids really work for their rewards... our generation of kids need to be exposed to that kind of commitment.The audio version of this book (narrated by Thomas Vincent Kelly) was recorded and produced very well. I greatly enjoyed listening to it!Oh, and thanks to the author, I now have just got to find myself a copy of "We Didn't Mean to Go to Sea" and read it! (You probably will too, once you read "Summer at Forsaken Lake". Twelve year old Nicholas Mettleson and his ten year old twin sisters, Hetty and Hayley, are sent to spend the summer with their Great Uncle Nick at Forsaken Lake. The Mettlesons live in New York City so the small town of Deming, Ohio is not exactly their idea of a fun summer. But after they arrive and get to know their Uncle Nick and his dog Pistol, explore the lake house, especially the tower room overlooking the lake, and see his sailboat "Goblin", they change their minds and start to look forward to their summer adventures there. When they stumble across a hidden compartment in the tower room, they find an old notebook and movie reel of a film "The Seaweed Strangler" that their Dad started when he was a kid spending his summers at the lake as well as a love letter to their Dad. When they realize their Dad used to spend summers at the lake until one summer when he abruptly went home early and hasn't returned since, leaving his film and other things unfinished, they decide to solve the mystery of what really happened that fateful summer. A story that captures the joy of childhood summers filled with mystery, adventure, and friendship.
What do You think about Summer At Forsaken Lake (2012)?
This is the best book ever I loved it have read it a ton and loved it every time.
—Rye
Good for boys or girls, about 11 or 12 years old.
—pzandor
mixed reviews, some a bit underwhelmed...
—jjman99
