Armageddon Summer

by Jane Yolen, Bruce Coville

book data

327 ratings, 3.53 average rating, 49 reviews (more data...)

rating	frequency	%
5		20%
4		31%
3		31%
2		13%
1		3%

edit

published

July 26th 1999 (first published 1998) by Harcourt Paperbacks

binding

Paperback, 272 pages

isbn

0152022686 (isbn13: 9780152022686)

description

Armageddon Summer provides a front-row seat for the type of event most of us only witness on a TV screen. Reverend Raymond Beelson is gathering 144 "...more

[close] Armageddon Summer provides a front-row seat for the type of event most of us only witness on a TV screen. Reverend Raymond Beelson is gathering 144 "Believers" atop Mount Weeupcut in Massachusetts to camp out, pray, and await Armageddon--July 27, 2000--when he predicts that his faithful flock will be saved as the rest of the world is set ablaze in fire and brimstone. We experience the month leading up to this climax through the eyes of two teenagers who have never met before, Jed and Marina, each of whom have come to the compound out of a sense of responsibility toward their families. Young Jed is only on the mountain to watch over his father who "went a little crazy" after his wife left the family: "When my father told me that the world was going to end I figured he was making some sort of weird joke." Jed's sarcasm, humor, and flippancy toward the Believers does not erase the love he feels for his newly devout father, nor his capacity for empathy toward members of the congregation. Marina is a Believer, or so she tries to be, in the hope that somehow her faith will restore harmony to her family. She has traveled to the mountain with her younger brothers at her mother's fervent insistence, but her fear that her father will remain below with the rest of the nonbelievers to burn alive unnerves her.

Coauthors Jane Yolen and Bruce Coville artfully sculpt the alternating voices and perspectives of Marina and Jed, and readers will be swept up in the thoughts and emotions of these complex young people. The skillful writing raises this novel above others--these characters are immensely believable as they struggle with matters of family and faith, while maintaining a smart, convincingly adolescent outlook. Excerpts from sermons, FBI files, camp schedules, and e-mails keep the story lively and suspenseful, as the Believers begin to stockpile weapons and the media adds fuel to the flames. But perhaps more resonant than the apocalyptic ending are the careful, distinct portraits of the two teens, thrust into a frightening situation that shuttles them suddenly into adulthood. (Ages 12 to 16) --Brangien Davis

[close]

find at: Amazon | Half.com | Barnes & Noble | compare prices ($0.75)…

new topic
discuss this book

topics	posts	views	last activity
When can I read it?	1	4	02/19/2009 08:51PM

friend reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

lists with this book

Best Young Adult Novels

1592 books | 6709 voters

Trippy Books

108 books | 93 voters

More lists...

other reviews (showing 1-20 of 423)

sort: default (?) | date
filters: all | text-only

01/04/08

Alyssa added it

bookshelves: religous

Read in January, 2008

Armageddon Summer provides a front-row seat for the type of event most of us only witness on a TV screen. Reverend Raymond Beelson is gathering 144 "Believers" atop Mount Weeupcut in Massachusetts to camp out, pray, and await Armageddon--July 27, 2000--when he predicts that his faithful flock will be saved as the rest of the world is set ablaze in fire and brimstone. We experience the month leading up to this climax through the eyes of two teenagers who have never met before, Jed and M...more Armageddon Summer provides a front-row seat for the type of event most of us only witness on a TV screen. Reverend Raymond Beelson is gathering 144 "Believers" atop Mount Weeupcut in Massachusetts to camp out, pray, and await Armageddon--July 27, 2000--when he predicts that his faithful flock will be saved as the rest of the world is set ablaze in fire and brimstone. We experience the month leading up to this climax through the eyes of two teenagers who have never met before, Jed and Marina, each of whom have come to the compound out of a sense of responsibility toward their families. Young Jed is only on the mountain to watch over his father who "went a little crazy" after his wife left the family: "When my father told me that the world was going to end I figured he was making some sort of weird joke." Jed's sarcasm, humor, and flippancy toward the Believers does not erase the love he feels for his newly devout father, nor his capacity for empathy toward members of the congregation. Marina is a Believer, or so she tries to be, in the hope that somehow her faith will restore harmony to her family. She has traveled to the mountain with her younger brothers at her mother's fervent insistence, but her fear that her father will remain below with the rest of the nonbelievers to burn alive unnerves her.

Coauthors Jane Yolen and Bruce Coville artfully sculpt the alternating voices and perspectives of Marina and Jed, and readers will be swept up in the thoughts and emotions of these complex young people. The skillful writing raises this novel above others--these characters are immensely believable as they struggle with matters of family and faith, while maintaining a smart, convincingly adolescent outlook. Excerpts from sermons, FBI files, camp schedules, and e-mails keep the story lively and suspenseful, as the Believers begin to stockpile weapons and the media adds fuel to the flames. But perhaps more resonant than the apocalyptic ending are the careful, distinct portraits of the two teens, thrust into a frightening situation that shuttles them suddenly into adulthood. (Ages 12 to 16) --Brangien Davis(less)

Like this review? yes (2 people liked it)

add a comment

02/26/09

Jeremy Stellema rated it:

Read in February, 2009

The book that I read is Armageddon Summer and the author is Jane Yolen and Bruce Coville. The authors’ purpose for writing this book is showing people that religion is important but it’s not the end of the world. The authors intended audience is believers who want to know what is too much in believing. The narrators’ point of view is 1st person. Jud and Marina are telling the story. It is important that they are telling the story because it wouldn’t make sense if one of the parent...more

Like this review? yes

add a comment

07/02/09

Emily rated it:

Read in July, 2009

This book tells the story of two children who follow their parents into a cult called the Church of the Believers. It follows their story as they become friends, struggle to believe and assert their independence. Both of their lives are rocked as they are carted of to Mount Weecupcut for the Final Days.

This was a very well written book that looked critically at blind faith, and imagined what it must be like to be an unwilling participant in a cult. I would recommend it for grades 6+.
...more

Like this review? yes

add a comment

04/18/08

Bec rated it:

bookshelves: multi-pov, young-adult-fiction

Read in May, 2008

Format: 266 pages. Appx. 57,000 words. Dual author, multivocal.

Exceptionally well-written story of two teens caught up in their parent's search for spiritual meaning through their involvement with a millennial cult. Marina watches as her parent's marriage dissolves and her mother takes she and her four brothers up to camp Weeupcut to wait out the final two weeks before the end of the world - the same two weeks before Marina's fourteenth birthday. Jed on the other hand is still reelin...more

Like this review? yes

add a comment

02/05/08

Elizabeth rated it:

bookshelves: best-books-ever-, no-rating-high-enough, read-and-reviewed

recommended to Elizabeth by: Hannah, my old friend who love books as much as I do.
recommends it for: People who like to wonder why people do such stupid things sometimes

I don't know about you, but I loved this book! Though I am an active Mormon (that's Christian too, in case you didn't know) and believe in all that entails, this was not offensive at all. It was an excellent book, sort of an older Evan Almighty story, except waaay more serious. Now, enough background, here's the book:

Jed and Marina are both very confused people and their parents both have problems, BIG ones, but this is not the only thing that links them. Guess what does? Their...more I don't know about you, but I loved this book! Though I am an active Mormon (that's Christian too, in case you didn't know) and believe in all that entails, this was not offensive at all. It was an excellent book, sort of an older Evan Almighty story, except waaay more serious. Now, enough background, here's the book:

Jed and Marina are both very confused people and their parents both have problems, BIG ones, but this is not the only thing that links them. Guess what does? Their parents have both recently joined a new church, but not any old church.

Both Marina's mom and Jed's dad are both dealing with grief that their marriages are over and done. So when they find a solace, they snatch it up. This solace is the Believers. They begin to do all sorts of weird things, like getting rid of all electric things in the house, among others.

Jed feels strange ever since his mom left, and his dad's obsession with his new church is not helping anthing. He feels like his dad is older than Jed is and he should act that way. But he lets the strangness slide because he's so relived that his dad stopped drinking when he became a "Believer".

Marina is very wounded that her dad left the family recently (when the book starts)for his girlfriend. She wants to do better in taking care of her sister and comforting her mother, but she's not sure how.

Then one day everything changes when Reverend Beeley announces that Armegeddon (did I spell that right?), the end of the world in fire is coming. That God will spare those who go with Reverend B to a certain hill (forget the name) and that only 144, a sacred number, can go. Marina and Jed find themselves plunged into a very different world indeed.

But their reactions are very different from each other.

Things are changing for Marina a lot. Her mom is becoming more and more involved with the church and more amd more in awe of Reverend Beeley. She (Marina) begins to believe in the church, but she wonders if the world is really conig to an end. Is God really so cruel that he would want an electric fence around the utside of their camp and for so few to be saved?

Jed is becoming more sarcastic with his dad and trying to stay away from anything to do with the church. Then one day he meets Marina and it all changes with both of them.

As time progresses, many things are thrown into doubt, such as the sanity of some (not literally, but . . . ). But most of all Jed and Marina wonder: will there ever be an Armegeddon summer anyway?

P.S. A warning to you all, this book is not for people who are squeamish about sadness, death, bloodiness, etc. (especially not the ones who don't like to think about how looks can be deceiving and all that), but every one who (like me) likes love stories.

P.P.S. If you liked this, you might like Leaving Fishers by Margaret Peterson Haddix.
(less)

Like this review? yes

add a comment

05/15/09

Alexis rated it:

bookshelves: contemporary-realistic-fiction

This book deals with religious fanatics as they prepare for what they assume is the end of days. Stuck in the middle are 2 teenagers who must deal with what this means for them. Are their parents simply crazy or is the world really ending? It is told from both a pessimistic male perspective and a confused believer girl.

**may be disputed in library because of religious themes

Like this review? yes

add a comment

11/24/08

TheSaint rated it:

(review of isbn 0152017674)

bookshelves: ya

Read in August, 2002

How are you going to spend the end of the world? In Armageddon Summer Marina and Jed find themselves, and each other, on a mountain-top with 142 other members of the Believers, waiting for the rest of the population to fry. Yes, the end arrives, but not for everyone, and not in way the Reverend Beelson predicts. By Jane Yolen and Bruce Colville.

Like this review? yes

add a comment

02/18/09

forgottenwarrior545 rated it:

Read in February, 2009

Totally awesome!!!! Highly suspenseful near and in the climax, it's a really great book. I recommend this book to all of you/us middle schoolers out there. It might be a bit hard to understand for some, but after reading it for a while, it will all make sense.

Like this review? yes

add a comment

05/01/09

J. rated it:

Not a bad read. I will say, though, that at times the constant flipping back and forth of perspective really got tiring. It makes the book good in a Bahktinian senses, but really drove me nuts. I'm very curious about how YA readers react to it, especially the way adults of strong faith are portrayed. There's a kind of nice twist toward the end that I liked. The weight of the cliche lines (especially between the mother and daughter) is mitigated by the novelty of the concept. To be honest, I'm su...more

Like this review? yes

add a comment

01/30/09

Megan rated it:

Read in January, 2009

recommended to Megan by: My teacher, for lit. class

I had to read this for literature class, but it was an ok book. Not amazing, but also not horrible. The peak of the book really is like the last 50 or so pages, and the rest is just kinda boring. Jed and Marina are the main characters, and their families are believers who belong to Reverend Beelson's flock. Well, Reverend Beelson believes the world is going to end July 27th, 2000, and moves his two flocks plus some other believers up on Mount Weeupcut. There, Jed and Marina meet, talk, and fall ...more

Like this review? yes

add a comment

05/13/09

Asenath rated it:

Read in January, 2000

Very funny and well written. Didn't bash religion at all! A boy and a girl each tell their story of how they've been moved into a religious 'camp,' waiting for the end of the world.

Like this review? yes

add a comment

12/17/08

Sarah rated it:

bookshelves: fiction, recent

apparently rohan told me its disturbing. mrs. fritch, jasmine kim, and crystal said it was good.
the goods outweigh the bads.
ROHAN'S EVIL

Like this review? yes

add a comment

07/09/08

~Clare~ rated it:

I found this book interesting. I read the first 2 chapters and thought, how the heck are they going to manage the endding of the world?! It was about a group called the Believers, that think the world is going to blow up on July 27, (get this) 2000 (haha i love that part... books are so funny when they're about something like end of the world and set in a year in the past)
Anyway, The end was interesting indeed. No quite what i expected, and in a way i was disapointed, but I still liked...more

Like this review? yes

add a comment

05/13/09

Mary rated it:

Read in May, 2009

This book is the paperback version of CHEESY. It's a great plot and intriguing, thought-provoking story, but the whole thing is oozing with cliche lines, unbelievable moments, and mediocre characters. the end is exciting though.

Like this review? yes

add a comment

04/25/08

Lisalit rated it:

Read in May, 2008

When two teens meet on top of a mountain as the world is supposed to end--at least according to the cult their parents have joined--their relationship provides the strength needed to deal with the coming chaos.

This book was pretty good. The subject matter was interesting and the characters well-developed, although the plot was somewhat predictable. I liked the way it somehow managed to avoid stereotypes, even when dealing with subject matter that lends itself to stereotyping. I t...more

Like this review? yes

add a comment

02/19/09

Hawkpath is currently reading it

bookshelves: currently-reading

I just started reading this book . . . forgottenwarrior recomended it . . . hmmm . . .
-Hawkpath5057

Like this review? yes

add a comment

06/27/09

Lisa rated it:

Well done book. It shows the affects being a blind zealot in religion can have.

Like this review? yes

add a comment

03/03/08

Jackie "the Librarian" rated it:

bookshelves: youngadult

Read in March, 2008

recommends it for: thoughtful teens

Marina and Jed both have parents who think the world will end on July 27th, and have taken them up to the mountain with the rest of Reverend Beelson's flock to wait. Jed doesn't buy it for a minute, but Marina would like to believe. They become a support system for each other, as the adults they should be able to rely upon are mentally not there.
I enjoyed the characters, and the story moved quickly, but I can't say I enjoyed the topic. This screams "book discussion book", because...more

Like this review? yes

add a comment

07/03/09

Celeste rated it:

It was interesting. Easy to read. Good characterizations.

Like this review? yes

add a comment

02/11/09

Lindsay added it

really good book

Like this review? yes

add a comment