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Lois Duncan
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Summer of Fear (Lois Duncan Thrillers) Paperback – April 19, 2011

by Lois Duncan (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 213 ratings
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From the moment Rachel's family takes in her orphaned cousin Julia, strange things start to happen. Rachel grows suspicious but soon finds herself alienated from her own life. Julia seems to have enchanted everyone to turn against her, leaving Rachel on her own to try and prove that Julia is a witch. One thing about Julia is certain-she is not who she says she is, and Rachel's family is in grave danger.
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Previous page
  1. Reading age
    12 years and up
  2. Print length
    256 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Grade level
    7 and up
  5. Dimensions
    5.5 x 0.75 x 8.5 inches
  6. Publisher
    Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
  7. Publication date
    April 19, 2011
  8. ISBN-10
    9780316099073
  9. ISBN-13
    978-0316099073
  10. See all details
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From the Publisher

Daughters of Eve by Lois Duncan Dont Look Behind You by Lois Duncan Down a Dark Hall by Lois Duncan A Gift of Magic by Lois Duncan I Know What You Did Last Summer by Lois Duncan Stranger With My Face by Lois Duncan
Daughters of Eve Don't Look Behind You Down a Dark Hall A Gift of Magic I Know What You Did Last Summer Stranger With My Face
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Customer Reviews
4.3 out of 5 stars
134
4.5 out of 5 stars
283
4.3 out of 5 stars
363
4.7 out of 5 stars
143
4.2 out of 5 stars
891
4.6 out of 5 stars
345
Price $3.99 $8.99 $8.99 $7.99 $7.23 $8.99
More chilling reads from the master of suspense LOIS DUNCAN All for one and revenge for all. Blinded by their oath, a secret society becomes an instrument of vengeance. Can they break the spell? With thrills, chills, and a high-speed chase, this suspenseful thriller will leave readers breathless! When Kit and her friends realize that Blackwood boarding school isn't what it claims to be, and might be haunted, it could be too late. Nancy can read people's minds, and make them do what she wants. Will she use her gift for good, or satisfy her own selfish desire? The ultimate suspenseful thriller that inspired the classic horror film. They didn't mean to kill him… Laurie is haunted by a mysterious look-a-like, determined to steal something from Laurie…her life.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Lois Duncan is an acclaimed suspense author for young adults. She has published nearly 50 books for children, including I Know What You Did Last Summer, which was adapted into a highly-successful horror film, and Who Killed My Daughter?, a non-fiction book about the harrowing experience of her daughter's murder.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0316099074
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Little, Brown Books for Young Readers; Revised edition (April 19, 2011)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 256 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780316099073
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0316099073
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 12 years and up
  • Grade level ‏ : ‎ 7 and up
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 8 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.75 x 8.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 213 ratings

About the author

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Lois Duncan

Lois Duncan

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Lois Duncan (1934-2016) was born in Philadelphia, PA, and grew up in Sarasota, FL.

She knew from early childhood that she wanted to be a writer. She submitted her first story to a magazine at age 10 and became published at 13. Throughout her high school years she wrote regularly for young people's publications, particularly Seventeen.

As an adult, Lois moved to Albuquerque, NM, where she taught magazine writing for the Journalism Department at the University of New Mexico and continued to write for magazines. Over 300 of her articles and stories appeared in such publications as Ladies Home Journal, Redbook, McCall's, Good Housekeeping, and Reader's Digest, and for many years she was a contributing editor for Woman's Day.

Lois was the author of over 50 books, ranging from children's picture books to poetry to adult non-fiction, but is best known for her young adult suspense novels, which have received Young Readers Awards in 16 states and three foreign countries. In 1992, Lois was awarded the Margaret A. Edwards Award, presented by the School Library Journal and the ALA Young Adult Library Services Association for "a distinguished body of adolescent literature." In 2009, she received the Katharine Drexel Award, awarded by the Catholic Library Association "to recognize an outstanding contribution by an individual to the growth of high school and young adult librarianship and literature." In 2015 she was named a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America.

Six of her novels -- SUMMER OF FEAR, KILLING MR. GRIFFIN, GALLOWS HILL, RANSOM, DON'T LOOK BEHIND YOU and STRANGER WITH MY FACE -- were made-for-TV movies. I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER and HOTEL FOR DOGS were box office hits.

Although young people are most familiar with Lois Duncan's fictional suspense novels, adults may know her best as the author of WHO KILLED MY DAUGHTER?, the true story of the murder of Kaitlyn Arquette, the youngest of Lois's five children. Kait's heartbreaking story has been featured on such TV shows as Unsolved Mysteries, Good Morning America, Larry King Live, Sally Jessy Raphael and Inside Edition. A full account of the family's on-going personal investigation of this still unsolved homicide can be found on the Internet at http://kaitarquette.arquettes.com.

Lois Duncan's personal web page is at http://loisduncan.arquettes.com.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
213 global ratings
Summer of Fear by Lois Duncan
4 Stars
Summer of Fear by Lois Duncan
Why is Rachel the only one to sense the evil that surrounds Julia? From the moment Rachel's cousin Julia arrives that summer, she seems to seep into Rachels life like a poison. Everyone else is enchanted by her--including Rachel's boyfriend. But what does Julia really want?
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Top reviews from the United States

Richard Mellon
5.0 out of 5 stars First time reader
Reviewed in the United States on May 17, 2018
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This is the first book I've read by Lois Duncan ... I saw the movie of this story with Linda Blair and thought I'd give the book a try ... Well even though I'm not a "young adult" reader ... more like an "old adult" reader ... I like the book a lot and was glad to see the movie had stayed close ... Plan on reading more of her books even if I don't get younger from them ... Good one !!
7 people found this helpful
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Deven D.
5.0 out of 5 stars This book is spectacular.
Reviewed in the United States on October 28, 2015
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This book keeps you interested the entire time you read it. You want to know what happens to your favorite character, and understand why it's happening. The story is very intriguing, and a new type of story. A must read.
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TonyCee
5.0 out of 5 stars lots of fun to read for the whole family.
Reviewed in the United States on December 21, 2011
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"Summer of Fear" was one of my favorite short novels I read as a kid. I was so happy to find a "modernized" copy for my 11 year old daughter. She loved it as much as I did. By modernized I mean that the version I read (in the early 80's) did not include cell phones and video games. I was very pleased with the slight changes that were made to keep my daughter from asking "why didn't she just call on her cell?"
2 people found this helpful
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Andrew Ellis
4.0 out of 5 stars Find the ORIGINAL edition
Reviewed in the United States on July 16, 2021
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I first read this book back in the 70's when it was written (probably somewhat surreptitiously as it was considered a "girl's book"). I read a lot of other children's and YA books back then like "Alice in Wonderland", "The Railway Children", and eventually stuff like "Romeo and Juliet". All of these were set in years before the 1970's (and 80's). None of them felt the need to update them to that era. This is good because these classic books would, ironically, be even more dated if someone had tried to update them to the late 20th century. And it had other positive effects. My generation didn't grow up to be self-absorbed narcissists, who have no conception of the world that existed before they were born. Someday I'm afraid kids will read "Romeo and Juliet" and not understand why Juliet didn't just text Romeo and tell him about her fake suicide!

Obviously, I'm be a little facetious. This book is not "Romeo and Juliet", and I'm sure it was rewritten with the cooperation of the late author (or her estate). People do need to have some respect for the past though. This is not like a contemporary book set in the 70's that contains a few anachronisms. And certainly, the minor changes to it, regarding the internet and cellphones, don't compare to the bastardization of the 1990's movie adaptation of the author's "I Know What You Did Last Summer", a movie that is now far more hilariously dated than the 70's novel it is based on. But my point is even if you weren't alive in the 70's--or before the internet and cellphones--you should still seek out the original edition of this and other similarly re-edited YA novels because the past DOES matter. We would have no concept of today without it.
11 people found this helpful
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Somebody
5.0 out of 5 stars So happy!
Reviewed in the United States on April 9, 2022
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So excited to read, it came so fast! I’m thankful!
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Vivipineda
5.0 out of 5 stars Very good
Reviewed in the United States on September 3, 2016
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Loved Lois Duncan as a teen. Reading her books as a grown up are still as enjoyable. Such a fantastic writer. This one in particular I knew the twist so once it was brought to light in the book I was not shocked. Seen this plot in too many lifetime movies but I bet Duncan was one of the first writers to use this plot (no spoilers)!
2 people found this helpful
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Queenkimberley
5.0 out of 5 stars Eerie and engaging read
Reviewed in the United States on July 31, 2018
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This is the book that made me love reading when I was in my teens. The eerie mood and suspense hook a reluctant reader, and the cliffhangers at the ends of chapters keep you intrigued. One of my favorite all-time YA authors.
2 people found this helpful
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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent as always!
Reviewed in the United States on August 19, 2014
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I read this book in high school and it had been so long that I decided to reread it. I'm glad I did. It was almost like reading it for the first time again. I could remember the general idea of what was going on in the book but couldn't remember how it ended or several of the details. It was great reading it again!
2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Jamos
5.0 out of 5 stars Schaurig!
Reviewed in Germany on October 3, 2021
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Lässt sich locker und leicht lesen, auch wenn man (wie ich) in Englisch nicht gerade eine Leuchte war. Ich fand die Story total spannend, gespickt mit einem nicht zu unterschätzendem Gruselfaktor. Für jeden zu empfehlen, der Spaß am Lesen hat, schaurige Geschichten mag und seine Englischkenntnisse aufbessern will.
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Miss T A Overy
5.0 out of 5 stars Was hoping for the story I originally remembered, but ...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 1, 2015
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Was hoping for the story I originally remembered, but has been 'added' to and mentions Harry Potter which ruined it for me.
One person found this helpful
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Shane E
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 21, 2015
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Loved it
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Kate Hopkins
4.0 out of 5 stars Well Written, and Creepily Believable
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 19, 2016
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A deftly written and chilling supernatural tale for teenagers, with writing quality that can also be appreciated by adults. Rachel Bryant is a kind, bright 15-year-old girl growing up in New Mexico. So, when her aunt and uncle are killed in a car crash, she joins her parents and brothers in eagerly welcoming cousin Julia to the household. But soon, Julia begins to make Rachel uneasy. Why is Rachel's beloved wire-haired terrier so hostile to her, and why does he fall ill so soon after Julia's arrival? What's making Rachel's brothers - and her father - so obsessively devoted to the new arrival, and so hostile to Rachel? When Julia takes Rachel's boyfriend, Rachel's unease veers into dislike - and soon into fear as she realizes that Julia may in fact be practising witchcraft. But what is it that Julia ultimately wants?

Warning - spoiler alert but I'm not sure I can review the book without it:

I re-read this book recently after a 20-year gap, and I was in many ways very impressed. Duncan vividly evokes what it is like to be 15/16, and Rachel's anguish as her happy family life is destroyed. Julia is a clever creation - you can see why the other characters are drawn to her, and yet she is - subtly - terrifying. And I liked the way in which Duncan had researched the witchcraft plot, making it rather convincing, and cleverly leaving the ambiguity at the end about whether Julia really was a witch or not. However, re-reading the book as an adult, there were a few corners where Duncan could have been tighter plot-wise. For example, there's no hint of a family estrangement between the Bryants and the Grants - but in that case, why didn't the Bryants ever see photographs of Julia? If they'd seen her as a child, wouldn't they have suspected something about her complexion and hair-colour changes? Wouldn't they have known more about her - her skills as a singer, for example - and become suspicious when Julia appeared to show no interest in music during her stay with them? Had Duncan shown the families to have been estranged, then Julia's deception would have been more credible - as it was, even with the witchcraft involved, I slightly struggled with it. And from a more psychological viewpoint, I struggled slightly with Rachel's father's behaviour towards his daughter, which was so cruel it bordered on sadism. Were we meant to think he was literally under a spell? And why didn't Rachel's mother spot something odd in his behaviour, or try to defend her daughter? I wonder whether Rachel could have even forgiven her father for some of his behaviour, which, re-reading the book as an adult, I found very upsetting.

Nevertheless, these are only small quibbles, in a compact, convincing little modern fairytale which I find now, as 20 years ago, extremely readable (and I speak as someone who rarely reads sci-fi or fantasy). Duncan is beyond doubt a very talented writer.
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apple
4.0 out of 5 stars eigentlich ok
Reviewed in Germany on November 11, 2013
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also die geschichte ist spannend, aber auch nicht die allerbeste die ich gelesen habe. ich finde das buch auch in die länge gezogen, es wird meistens nur "um den heißen brei " herum geredet. ansonsten sehr zu empfehlen.
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