Charlene Reviews: The Summer Set by Jay Province

ISBN #: 978-1467925112

Page Count: 310

Copyright: December 18, 2011

Publisher: CreateSpace

Description:

(Taken from Amazon)

In the summer of 1956 two teenagers rescue a drowning woman from the Susquehanna's turbulent waters, and their predictable lives suddenly veer towards a deadly detour. Shadowy men in black cars start tracking their every movement. A tall foreboding man clutching a snake-headed staff and chain-smoking through a hole in his throat seeks their names.

Fourteen year-old catcher Peter 'Chumbucket' Miller and his best friend pitcher Mike DeSorcier begin the summer on a mission to capture the World Series championship of their youth baseball league. Spying on a league meeting from a sweltering attic perch they uncover a group of extra-dimensional beings infiltrating the league. During their breathless escape, the boys discover two things: they are in mountains of trouble and they need help. Assistance (and more trouble) arrives in the form of two daring and mystifying girls - the unusual Karen Croft and the beautiful Jo Munro. Together, the teens must solve the mystery of the Noqumiut before a fateful August lunar eclipse.

Bizarre and comical events trail the foursome's investigation: Santa and his merry elf magically appear in June running for their lives from a town hall fire; a teen girl flies her Cessna from the scene of a refinery explosion; and a dead body is left as a present on a leather couch - carefully wrapped in a mink coat and holding a red gift bow.

Unlikely sources aid their efforts. These include an Eskimo shaman, a magic stone carving of a lively seal, a ferociously loyal dog, and an opponent from Roswell, New Mexico whose talents (and origins) may literally be out of this world.

The Summer Set is a humorous, intense, action-packed story about friends, enemies and the pursuit of winning it all. The novel is for all story lovers ages twelve and up.

Charlene's Review:

The Summer Set is a delightful read about a group of friends taking on forces much bigger than they are. With the backdrop of the 50's, the setting is a simpler time, devoted to baseball, friends and community. When you add in the supernatural, things really pick up.

A chance encounter with an FBI agent leaves 'Chumbucket' and Mike with top-secret papers and other-worldly pursuers that want to take over their bodies. Banding together, their group of friends takes on the Noqumiut and saves their town.

I especially liked all the references of the era. The burger joint where the kids hang out, the slang and the hairstyles all add to the reality of the story. The suspense keeps you reading along and the ending leaves you happily anticipating the characters' futures.

It, somewhat, reminded me of a Scooby Doo adventure. Bumbling villains, clumsy, well-meaning kids and even a faithful dog, all fighting for good over evil. Lots of fun here and room for a sequel. Sci-fi loving pre-teens would especially enjoy it.