Three Summers : A Memoir of Sisterhood, Summer Crushes, and Growing Up on the Eve of War

An epic middle-grade memoir about sisterhood and prejudice in the three years leading up to the Bosnian genocide—for fans of true stories bursting with heart.

Three Summers is the story of five young cousins who grow closer than sisters as ethnic tensions escalate over three summers in 1980s Bosnia. They navigate the joys and pitfalls of adolescence on their family’s little island in the middle of the Una River. When finally confronted with the harsh truths of the adult world around them, their bond gives them the resilience to discover and hold fast to their true selves.

With incredible warmth and tenderness, Amra Sabic-El-Rayess takes readers on a journey that will break their hearts and put them back together again. This is perfect for fans of other true stories for middle graders, like Hey, Kiddo; Free Lunch; and When Stars Are Scattered.

Amra Sabic-El-Rayess grew up in Bihac, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Currently she is a professor at Columbia University’s Teachers College working on understanding how and why societies fall apart and what role education can play in rebuilding decimated countries. She is also the author of the critically acclaimed memoir The Cat I Never Named.

Laura L. Sullivan is a former newspaper editor, biologist, social worker, and deputy sheriff who writes because storytelling is the easiest way to do everything in the world. Laura lives on the Florida coast.

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year

"An insightful and solemn yet hopeful memoir that will hook readers...Remarkable." --School Library Journal, starred review

"Sensitively crafted and thought-provoking memoir...This searching, introspective work--a timely tale of resilience--presciently observes that 'words, ideas, hate can kill people.'" --Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Amra's narration begins with a conversational, sometimes even childish tone that gives an inviting authenticity to this slice-of-life memoir, centering her everyday experiences as a preteen and teen even as those around her become increasingly embroiled in global events...Readers learn along with Amra of the complicated geopolitical situation unfolding." --Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"This moving and deeply personal story is framed in a way that makes the larger political, religious, and ethnic complexities accessible. Simultaneously candid and heartbreaking yet warm and engaging." --Kirkus

"With her deftly rendered memories, Sabic-El-Rayess transports readers into summers of a different era, which will be illuminating for some and resonantly familiar for others. Ideal for fans of Rex Ogle and Katherine Marsh or those not quite ready for Ruta Sepetys' YA historical fiction." --Booklist

"The book smartly contrasts more lighthearted preteen drama with looming ethnic and religious tensions, resulting in an engaging reflection on disability and ethnic difference." --The Horn Book

ISBN: 9780374390815
352 pages
11.7 in H | 5.8 in W | 1.1 in T | 0.9 lb Wt