Umbrella Summer by Lisa Graff

How many plot devices can an author stick in a novel? That's one question that popped up as I was reading Lisa Graff's Umbrella Summer. Nevertheless, I found it impossible to dislike Annie; she's such a wonderfully quirky character that I could forgive the times when she acted so many years older than ten. Any kid who has gone through the death of a sibling is bound to have done some quick growing up, but Graff makes sure we see the kid in Annie as well. When I first pictured the way she was dealing with the aftermath of her brother Jared's death (outfitted with helmet, elbow and knee pads, ace bandages, and plenty of Band-aids to cover up any potential sore in case of infection, gangrene, or Ebola), Graff's writing style kept me vacillating between laughing and crying. This tone is held throughout, and Annie's voice makes this story the success that it is.