Three Bird Summer by Sara St. Antoine

Tweens Read Thursdays

Goodreads Synopsis:

For as long as he can remember, Adam and his parents have spent their summers at his grandmother’s rustic cabin on Three Bird Lake. But this year will be different. There will be no rowdy cousins running around tormenting Adam. There will be no Uncle John or Aunt Jean. And there'll be no Dad to fight with Mom. This year, the lake will belong just to Adam But then Adam meets Alice, the girl next door, who seems to want to become friends. Alice looks just like the aloof, popular girls back home—what could he and she possibly have in common? Turns out, Alice isn't like the girls back home. She's frank, funny, and eager for adventure. And when Adam's grandma starts to leave strange notes in his room—notes that hint at a hidden treasure somewhere at the lake and a love from long ago—Alice is the one person he can rely on to help solve the mysteries of Three Bird Lake

Review:

Three Bird Summer provided a welcome respite for me during a very stressful week. I think it was the setting that made this book so charming. Last year, I vacationed with my family on the shores of Lake Superior in Minnesota. As I read this, I felt as if I had returned to that peaceful time. There is very little action and plot progression in Three Bird Summer. The book primarily focuses on Adam as he is spending time alone at the lake. During this time, he processes the various things that are happening in his life, like his parents' divorce and the fact that his Grandmother keeps forgetting things. Even the mystery is fairly low key and plays only a very minor role in the story overall. I enjoyed watching Adam's friendship with Alice develop as he slowly gets over his fear of girls.

It's funny how we view different books in different moods. Had I been well rested and in need of something stimulating, I believe I would have found this book boring. However, since I was in the throes of my first semester as a graduate student, it was just what I needed. I would; therefore, highly recommend this to anyone who needs a short, peaceful vacation from life. 

~Alyssa