A Summer of Sundays is about Sunday Fowler who is the third child of six in her family. When she is left at a gas station by her family and is never missed, her perception of being ignored by her family is reinforced by their actions. Sunday's father has taken a summer job in Alma, PA helping to restore the town's old library and put it back into regular use. The family joins him there, and Sunday is determined to make her mark and somehow show her family that she is somebody. Sunday latches onto the story of Lee Wren, a famous author who lived in Alma. If Sunday can find some hidden secret about Wren that would get the attention of the media, she might finally get noticed. The thing about secrets is that they are secret for a reason, and Sunday finds herself having to make a decision that might change someone's life, and not for the better. In the meantime, we readers find out how important Sunday is to her family and friends by all of the things that she does for them. This is a wonderful coming of age story about a girl who doesn't see her value to her family until it is almost too late. The story was a little slow in the middle, but by the end, all of the build up leads to a satisfying conclusion. ( )

Light, sweet, not super substantial or even realistic, but I'm glad there are happy books like this available. A nice loving family, and a young girl coming into her independence, no orphanage or abuse or quest necessary, thank you. I will def. seek more by the author.

Oh, almost forgot to say, would work well for fans of the Penderwicks, by [a:Jeanne Birdsall|155829|Jeanne Birdsall|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1244144306p2/155829.jpg]. ( )

A cute book that is a must read for middle children. Sunday hates being the "third of six" children, she always gets lost in the shuffle. This summer her family moves to a small town so that their father can finish renovating a library and Sunday is determined to make her mark. She plans to do something so that she finally gets noticed. The only problem is she has no idea what to do. While looking for light bulbs in the library basement she stumbles across an old manuscript and some letters, it's good, really good. She thinks if she can discover who wrote it she'll get some credit. she and her new friend Jude, start spying around town to see who could have written it. Was it the crepe lady? Jude's mom? The mean, old, scary neighbor? While trying to make her mark she makes some new great friends in the process and discovers a lot about herself and her siblings. A cute, touching, middle grade read. ( )

Sunday Fowler is the third of six and feels like she is often forgotten. In this story, she befriends new people, learns to love her family and balances her desire to stand out with not hurting new friends. A cute read. ( )

This was a fun read that I can see middle grade readers really enjoying. I think anyone with siblings can relate to Sunday's feeling of being overlooked. While the family dynamics were a big part of the story, the mystery added another interesting element to it. I loved the idea of finding a hidden manuscript in the basement of the library--how exciting! It was pretty easy to solve the mystery myself before the characters finally figured it out, though.

Sunday is faced with an ethical dilemma once she realizes what will happen once she reveals the secrets she's discovered. Readers will find themselves wondering how they would react in that situation.

A Summer of Sundays will appeal to young readers looking for a light mystery with a charming small town setting and a relatable main character. ( )