In Summerland, his first novel for young readers, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Michael Chabon attempts an American Narnia. Inspired by Lewis and Tolkien, he's created his own magical landscape on which to paint a sweeping fantasy quest, but mixes the same ingredients--folklore and new inventions--in a distinctively American way.

The plot is simple and pure, but takes a long time to tell. The setting is Clam Island, Washington, specifically the area on the western tip of the island known as the Summerlands, which enjoys zero rainfall and yearlong fine weather. Ethan Feld, a self-described really bad ball player, is recruited by a 100-year-old scout called Mr. Chiron "Ringfinger" Brown. Ethan is needed to help the ferishers, essentially fairies, to save their world from eradication. On the great infinite tree of worlds, Summerland is on the boundary between two such worlds, and a particularly destructive fairy called Coyote and his band of warriors are nearby and threatening to destroy everything.

Heroes are desperately needed to counter this threat, and their journey involves a lot of baseball, but also encounters with giants, bat-winged goblins, sea monsters, and assorted cunning magic. The novel features an ensemble cast of equal parts that shine and fade in turn, and yet the undoubtedly fine writing fails to mask the enormity and complexities of the world in which they travel, and the bad guys getting their comeuppance always seems so far away. Readers need to savor every word in Summerland to extract the best flavors from it. (Ages 10 and older.) --John McLay, Amazon.co.uk

From Publishers Weekly
In his debut novel for young readers, Pulitzer Prize winner Chabon (The Adventures of Kavalier & Clay) hits a high-flying home run, creating a vivid fantasy where baseball is king. Following the death of his mother, 11-year-old Ethan Feld and his father, a designer of lighter-than-air-dirigibles move to Clam Island, Wash. The island is known for its almost constant rain, save for an area on its westernmost tip called Summerland by the locals which "knew a June, July and August that were perfectly dry and sunshiny." In Summerland, Ethan struggles to play baseball for the Ruth's Fluff and Fold Roosters, with dismal results. But here, too, a mystical baseball scout recruits Ethan and escorts him through a gateway to a series of interconnected worlds that are home to magical creatures called ferishers and an evil, shape-changing overlord called Coyote. Ethan and two of his fellow teammates soon accept a mission to save these other worlds (plus the one they live in) from ultimate destruction at Coyote's hand. When his father's well-being is also threatened, Ethan's quest becomes all the more urgent. To succeed, Ethan and his friends must find a way to beat giants, ferishers and others in a series of games where striking out truly has apocalyptic implications. Chabon unspools an elaborate yarn in a style that frequently crackles with color and surprise. He occasionally addresses readers directly, imbuing his tale with the aura of something that has been passed down through the ages. Impressively, the author takes a contemporary smalltown setting and weaves in baseball history, folklore and environmental themes, to both challenge and entertain readers. Images of the icy Winterlands and beasts like the werefox and Taffy the motherly Sasquatch recall C.S. Lewis's Narnia and some of Philip Pullman's creations in His Dark Materials. Devotees of the genre and of America's pastime will find much to cheer here. All ages. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Grade 5 Up-Ethan Feld, a less-than-mediocre Little League player, is recruited by Ringfinger Brown, an old-timer from the Negro Leagues, to play in the ball game of his life-and save the world. Ethan lives on Clam Island, WA, where a place called Summerland exists. It is a link to alternate worlds where fantastic creatures reside, ruled by the trickster Coyote, who has decided that he wants to put an end to the world. Ethan, an unlikely hero, begins his journey accompanied by his friends Jennifer T. Rideout and Thor Wignutt. Along the way, they face many obstacles (with outcomes often determined by baseball games) and are joined by all sorts of beings: a Sasquatch, a talking rat, a tiny giant, a major league ball player, and characters that readers may remember from legends and fairy tales. Readers will identify with Ethan and his motley crew with their insecurities, longings, family problems, and their sometimes clumsy ingenuity. Packed with magic, adventure, myth, and America's favorite pastime, this book will enchant its audience.Kimberly L. Paone, Elizabeth Public Library, NJCopyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From AudioFile
When he learns that he's been chosen to save the world from Coyote, the Changer, 11-year-old Ethan Feld begins a mystical journey between dimensions. Werecreatures (half-human, half-animal), ferishers (fairies that don't look or act like winged pixies), a sweet but smelly sasquatch, and some slow-witted giants who can't resist a wager are only some of the delightful denizens who populate Michael Chabon's first foray into children's literature. Chabon performs with the finesse of an accomplished actor, adding the energy and enthusiasm that come of knowing everything about his characters. As he blends the idea of interchangeability between humans and animals found in American Indian, African-American, and European folklore with baseball and contemporary life, Chabon hits a grand slam with this spirited, unsentimental mythology for our time. S.J.H. © AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

From Booklist
Chabon contends that he decided to try his hand at a children's fantasy because he wanted to write something that would interest his three kids, but it's hard not to wonder if he wasn't thinking, too, about the popularity of a certain boy named Potter. Certainly, this sprawling, infinitely complex fantasy, ostensibly written for "all ages," has a few things in common with the Harry Potter books: meticulously created alternative worlds; detail-laden descriptions of imaginary flora and fauna; and a cast of characters, fantastical and otherwise, who possess a bedrock humanity that draws us to them. Unlike Hogwarts Academy, Chabon's fantasy world draws heavily on a distinctly American archetypal framework, supported by two of the most myth-drenched forces in American life, Indians and baseball. The story centers on young Ethan Feld, a reluctant little leaguer whose father, a crackpot inventor and rabid baseball fan, has been snatched by legendary troublemaker Coyote, who hopes to use one of Dad's inventions in his plot to kill the universe. Ethan and his teammate, Jennifer T. Rideout, set out to find Dad, scampering between our world, called the Midling, and several parallel worlds, including Summerland, which is populated by baseball-loving "ferishers" who just happen to have handpicked Ethan as the hero they need to save the universe from Coyote. In the best road-trip tradition, Ethan gathers enough traveling companions, including a morose Sasquatch (think Cowardly Lion), to put together a ball club; good thing, too, because the fate of the universe just might hinge on a nine-inning duel between Ethan's gang and Coyote's all-stars. Committed fantasy buffs are a breed apart, but even they will have to bring their A-games if they expect to digest this ingredient-rich plot. (Certainly, only the most precocious of kids will be able to get around on Chabon's mythic fastball.) Still, there is a good story here, semi-buried beneath the world building; maybe a trimmed-down, three-hour movie will salvage it for the more mundane among us. Bill Ott
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

FROM OUR EDITORS

The Barnes & Noble Review
Pulitzer Prize-winner Michael Chabon is now giving a nod to younger audiences with this wondrous fantasy triumph about magical parallel worlds, the legend of baseball, and one boy's amazing journey to save the universe.

Ethan Feld has never been prone to adventure or attention, especially since he's often ridiculed about his lame baseball playing. But after he awakens one day to find a werefox sitting on his chest, Ethan learns he's ripe for a "fantastic destiny" in the Summerlands -- part of a connected, hidden world, where small American Indian-like ferishers play ball, and evil Coyote is thirsty to destroy the universe. Ethan agrees to the job, but when his father is kidnapped, his mission becomes more personal than he bargained for. With a team of ragtag players called Big Chief Cinquefoil's Traveling Shadowtails All-Star Baseball Club -- including the feisty pitcher Jennifer T., Thor Wignutt (a boy who's not quite a boy), a she-Sasquatch named Taffy, and the Anaheim Angels' Rodrigo Buendía -- Ethan treks through the Summerlands playing against incredible creatures and an impending time limit, hoping to reach his dad. Little does he know, however, that his abilities will be tested in the biggest baseball showdown of all time.

In a breathtaking work, Chabon successfully weaves a solid American-made fantasy, incorporating Native American lore, tall tales, and our nation's greatest pastime to make a modern-day tale of good versus evil. Young readers and adults alike will be rooting for Ethan all the way during his odyssey, and they'll be intrigued at how Chabon portrays the origins of the world, along with the wickedness that's out to destroy it. With the awesomeness of Sandy Koufax's fastball and the drama of Ty Cobb's swing, Summerland is an adventure that keeps you riveted until the last play. Matt Warner

FROM THE PUBLISHER

For over a century, the people of Clam Island, Washington, have enjoyed barbecues and baseball games and Summerland, on the Western tip of the island, where it never rains. The small beings -- known as ferishers -- who ensure this perfect weather, however, are threatened by an ancient enemy, and need a hero -- a baseball star, in fact -- to vanquish their foe. Summerland is the story of Ethan Feld, the worst ball player in the history of the game, recruited by a hundred-year-old scout called Ringfinger Brown, himself a Negro League Legend. Accompanied by his determined friend, Jennifer T. Rideout, and guided by a friendly werefox, Ethan struggles to defeat giants, bat-winged goblins, and one of the toughest ballclubs in the realms of magic, to save all the Summerlands, and ultimately the world.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

In his debut novel for young readers, Pulitzer Prize winner Chabon (The Adventures of Kavalier & Clay) hits a high-flying home run, creating a vivid fantasy where baseball is king. Following the death of his mother, 11-year-old Ethan Feld and his father, a designer of lighter-than-air-dirigibles move to Clam Island, Wash. The island is known for its almost constant rain, save for an area on its westernmost tip called Summerland by the locals which "knew a June, July and August that were perfectly dry and sunshiny." In Summerland, Ethan struggles to play baseball for the Ruth's Fluff and Fold Roosters, with dismal results. But here, too, a mystical baseball scout recruits Ethan and escorts him through a gateway to a series of interconnected worlds that are home to magical creatures called ferishers and an evil, shape-changing overlord called Coyote. Ethan and two of his fellow teammates soon accept a mission to save these other worlds (plus the one they live in) from ultimate destruction at Coyote's hand. When his father's well-being is also threatened, Ethan's quest becomes all the more urgent. To succeed, Ethan and his friends must find a way to beat giants, ferishers and others in a series of games where striking out truly has apocalyptic implications. Chabon unspools an elaborate yarn in a style that frequently crackles with color and surprise. He occasionally addresses readers directly, imbuing his tale with the aura of something that has been passed down through the ages. Impressively, the author takes a contemporary smalltown setting and weaves in baseball history, folklore and environmental themes, to both challenge and entertain readers. Images of the icy Winterlands and beasts like the werefox and Taffy the motherly Sasquatch recall C.S. Lewis's Narnia and some of Philip Pullman's creations in His Dark Materials. Devotees of the genre and of America's pastime will find much to cheer here. All ages. (Oct.) Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

AudioFile

When he learns that he's been chosen to save the world from Coyote, the Changer, 11-year-old Ethan Feld begins a mystical journey between dimensions. Werecreatures (half-human, half-animal), ferishers (fairies that don't look or act like winged pixies), a sweet but smelly sasquatch, and some slow-witted giants who can't resist a wager are only some of the delightful denizens who populate Michael Chabon's first foray into children's literature. Chabon performs with the finesse of an accomplished actor, adding the energy and enthusiasm that come of knowing everything about his characters. As he blends the idea of interchangeability between humans and animals found in American Indian, African-American, and European folklore with baseball and contemporary life, Chabon hits a grand slam with this spirited, unsentimental mythology for our time. S.J.H. (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews