Summer with Elisa

Riverside Kids #13

by Johanna Hurwitz, Debbie Tilley (Illustrator)

Summer is here, and Elisa has plenty to look forward to. She can help take care of her little brother, Marshall, and she gets to be the oldest child in the family while her older brother, Russell, is at sleepaway camp. When Russell returns, so does his teasing. Elisa won't let that dampen her spirits, though. She is too excited about the big news--her family is going on vacation in the country. There she finds new ways to prove that she can do anything Russell can do--but sometimes the outcome is more than she has bargained for! Once again, Johanna Hurwitz has used her ability to evoke the true feelings of childhood to bring us warm and funny episodes in the life of spunky heroine Elisa.

Genres: Childrens, Fiction

96 pages, Hardcover

First published June 21, 2000

About the author

Johanna Hurwitz is an American author of more than sixty children's books. She has sold millions of books in many different languages.

Reviews

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute summer read for 1st through 3rd graders. Young readers will enjoy all the things Elisa does over her summer vacation and comparing it to their summer plans. The younger book club I host at the library enjoyed this book very much!

[Baby Girl]

what i learned from this book is that to have fun in life and that be careful with what you do because your younger siblings or cousins may be looking up to you like elisa did with her bigger brother.

[Andrus Boys]

The boys loved this book. Elisa was an entertaining and imaginative character. Her simple adventures are what childhood should be filled with.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute. She's such a clever little girl, always ready to solve problems and make everything better. FotL Chanute.

[Tiff · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is really cute and makes me feel light-hearted and simple. Elisa just finished first grade making her around 7 years old. The family takes a trip to the country during the summer. Elisa enjoys the beach, making friends with a frog, as well as having picnics indoors and outdoors. Johanna Hurwitz is wonderful at bringing the joyful into the little things that happen in Elisa's life. Heather Harms Maione is also marvelous at illustrating Elisa in her cute little glasses and her special moments. The theme is about family and especially the preciousness of having a sister/brother and embracing them for who they are. I would recommend this book (and its series) to beginning readers!

7/10/14 SF

[Katie Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

My thoughts about the Elisa books from the Riverside Kids series are all collected in my review of Russell and Elisa.