I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. This was a very hard book to read about some middle school boys who have been friends forever. During their summer one of the boys is sexually abused by his babysitter and contemplates suicide. Fairly graphic, not sure if it's great for middle school kids, possibly a better read for older kids.

This is a really big story about two boys who are embarking on their summer vacation between 5th and 6th grade. They've been friends for a long time so all they can see is a summer of fun. But Sean ends up with a babysitter who is sexually abusing him. He tells Owen but threatens to commit suicide if Owen tells anyone. It's a well written story with well developed characters and very compelling story line. The parts about the sexual abuse are graphic enough that I think this one should be shared with kids and not just handed to them.

Sexual assault and predatory adults aren't an easy topic for a middle grade novel, but this story manages it with sensitivity. It's hard to watch Owen and Sean struggle with such a mighty, terrifying secret--and it's heartbreaking to see their friendship slowly destroyed by the pain and guilt of being victimized. The vivid setting in off-season Cape Cod, true-to-life characters, and strong writing make this difficult novel an important part of library collections.

Ooh boy. This is a tough read. I think Abbott handles the topic of sexual abuse pretty clearly and authentically, and I felt like Owen and Sean's struggles were realistic. But this is a hard book to read, and a harder one to recommend. I think it's important for getting the message to kids that there are some secrets you should never keep without ever being too didactic.

Thanks to the publisher for a digital advance reader's copy, provided via NetGalley.

Sean and Owen have been best friends ... more like brothers ... since they were in kindergarten. But the summer after 5th grade, their friendship will be tested in an awful way. When Sean confides to Owen the terrible things that are being done to him by his "babysitter," Owen must decide what to do. Sean has made him promise not to tell anyone. But how can Owen continue to let these things happen to his best friend?

A harrowing novel on a difficult topic.

The Summer of Owen Todd was engaging and easy to read. I enjoyed the friendship of the two boys, and I could empathize with Owen when he was faced with the difficult decision of getting help for his best friend, Sean.

This book would lend itself to powerful discussions about abuse and what to do if you or a friend might be in that tragic situation. I would be guarded when recommending it to students, however, because it is a mature topic.

Endearing, tearful, nauseous, and hopeful. There are probably more words I could use, but those four are the best I can find to sum up the entire story of The Summer of Owen Todd. This is a powerful story of friendship, the dangers of secrets and doing the right thing. Spoiler alert, but if you’re a parent, teacher, or librarian I think it’s important to know the content of the book so that you are prepared for questions, parent concern or even unfortunately a situation where something needs to be reported to the authorities.
I began the book and finished within just a couple of hours. It’s an easy read as far as ability, but difficult to get through because of content. I will say I had to put it down a couple of times to give myself a break. Owen Todd is one of the main character and is the narrator of the story. He is just finishing his 5th grade year of school and ready to spend the summer with his best friend, Sean or as Owen call him, Shay. They live near the “elbow” in Cape Cod and summer is always filled with extra visitors. Owen likes to hang out at the go-kart place with his dad and uncle who owns the place and he also loves baseball. Sean, isn’t as much of an athlete as Owen, but willing to do anything with his best friend.
Sean’s father is not in the picture anymore and because of this his mom has to take a summer job in a tourist area about an hour from home running a small clothing boutique. Sean was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes just two years ago, and because of this his mom hires a babysitter to stay with him when she working so he is not alone in case he has any diabetic episodes. She hires a man, Paul, who is active in their church and a local EMT. Although Sean is not thrilled with having a babysitter at his age, he understands his mom’s concerns.
Sean first tells Owen how weird Paul is. He mentions how Paul peed bathroom with the door open and his pants all the way to the ground and made eye contact with Sean while going. He later tells him another time, Paul was showing his a picture of a boat on his phone, and a picture of a naked boy was in the set of pictures he scrolled through. Sean makes Owen promise not to tell anyone. Later Sean tells Owen that Paul watched him changing and wouldn’t leave and eventually there was touching. Owen gets very upset and begs Sean to tell someone. Sean then retracts his story and says he was just joking and Owen is not sure what’s going on. Their relationship becomes strained, but one day at the beach, Sean tells Owen that Paul has taken pictures and there was another person who came to make a movie. Again, Sean makes Owen promise not to tell, even going as far as telling Owen he would kill himself if Owen told anyone.
So back the my four words I began with, endearing tearful, nausous, and hopeful. Owen’s and Sean’s friendship is endearing, but when the grooming and then abuse is described, I was tearful and cried and also felt completely nauseous. However, Owen finally told and that is were hopeful comes into play. I was once faced with a situation in high school where speaking up caused me to lose a friendship, but it saved a life and I can’t regret that.
This is truly a powerful story, but as a mother, teacher, and librarian I struggle with sharing the story with a innocent student who you still want to shelter and protect and also giving students who need a voice the opportunity to see there is hope and speaking up is the right thing to do. It is definitely an upper elementary and middle school title and one that would need some follow-up. Some conservative schools may be hesitate to have on their shelves, but being open and talking about difficult situations is not always easy. If reading this title could help one student/child find the voice they need to get or give help, then it’s worth it. As I have told many parents over the years, experiencing difficult situations through a book character is much safer and an opportunity to learn and discuss so that if faced with something in real life one can be better prepared. As Tony Abbott wrote in his author’s note at the end of the book, “Speak up. Talk to someone. Better to tell someone than to remain silent. Better to lose a friend, than lose a life.”

Summer should be for baseball and beaches but for some there are darker things than carefree pastimes. When Owen's best friend Sean tells him that his babysitter is doing things that make him uncomfortable, Owen is torn. He begs his friend to tell someone but Sean refuses and makes Owen promise not to say anything. As the situation spirals out of control, Owen becomes more desperate to help his friend.

This is not an easy read, due to the difficult subject matter, but it is a book that SHOULD be read. If only one child is spared Sean's situation because a friend read this book, then the author/librarian/bookseller has done an incredible thing. Of course I would hope that it is many more that are reached.

There is information for victims and their families at the end of the book. I recommend for middle school and up.

Powerful, meaningful, important; The Summer of Owen Todd is about eleven year olds Owen and Sean. They are best friends for many years. However, when Sean's mother gets a new job during the summer and his aunt cannot babysit him any more, a new male babysitter from the church is hired.

Sean confides in Owen that bad things are happening at the hands of the sitter and makes Owen promise not to tell. These characters are so well-developed and the subject matter is handled carefully. This is an important novel, yet is so difficult to read. I praise Tony Abbott for telling Sean and Owen's story. I am thankful to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to be an early reader in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Heartbreaking. Chilling. Not an easy ending, but a realistic one.

E ARC from Netgalley

TRIGGER WARNING: Sexual abuse, suicidal thoughts

Owen and his best friend Sean have just finished fifth grade, and want to have an epic summer. They manage to hang out at Owen's family's go kart track on Cape Cod, and spend a great day at a marine supply store across the street from the dress shop where Sean's mother works, but after that, Sean needs to have a "babysitter". Sean's mother is uncomfortable leaving him for the long hours that she works, especially since he has an insulin pump for his diabetes. She hires a young man from their church, Paul, who is jovial and can work the hours she needs. From the beginning, Owen suspects that something is creepy about Paul. Sean mentions that Paul has gone to the bathroom with the door open and his pants down, and has also shown his, briefly, a picture of an unclothes boy sleeping on a couch. Owen immediately says that parents should be told, but Sean doesn't want to mess up his mother's summer plans. Things get worse very quickly, with more activities (described) as well as videotaping. Sean tells Owen that now he can't tell anyone or Paul's friend will post the pictures on the internet, and Sean will kill himself. Owen still wants to tell, but is unsure what the right thing to do is, so he tries to keep his friend from Paul and also tries to catch him in the act and alert adults. Sean tries twice to drown himself. Finally, when he witnesses Sean being raped and catches the scene on his own phone, he tells his parents, who immediately phone the police. Sean gets the help he needs, and the police eventually locate and arrest Paul, holding him without bail.
Strengths: This is an important book on a topic that has not been much covered since the problem novel surge of the 1980s. This is similar to Deuker's Swagger, but in that book, we aren't entirely sure what is going on. Owen knows what should be done, and that what is happening isn't right. The parents, when it is brought to their attention, don't belittle the boys. There are resources in the back, and Abbott hopes that this book will help this conversation to happen.
Weaknesses: The age range that Amazon gives for this is 10-14, but the graphic nature of this book might be too upsetting for younger children.
What I really think: While this is an important book, I am reluctant to have it in my school library. Not because I don't think children should read it, but because I do not think they should read it alone. I would not want my daughter, in 6th grade, to have checked this out because it looked like a book about summer, and then to have been too afraid to say anything to me about the contents in order to help her process it. Public libraries are a different case.

First the good parts: Abbott has vividly created a young teen boy's dream summer: hangin' with his best friend, working at his father's go-kart track and bombing around Cape Cod. Sounds like paradise, doesn't it? Well of course paradise does not make compelling reading (or writing) for some. Where's the interest in happiness and stable families? Abbott has beautifully evoked the coastal setting, honest rapport between pals, and dialog that crackles with "I've been there" authenticity". But the dark, ominous clouds come early - and they don't bring thunder. Owen's best friend Sean slowly, painfully reveals he's being molested by his college-age male babysitter; but that's not horrifying enough. Sean's babysitter is making videos of the abuse and inviting his degenerate friends to participate. Owen is faced with a heavy choice when Sean threatens to kill himself if Own tells anyone. The ending is given away in the first chapter, so readers have a bit of reassurance as they go along but WOW I truly cannot imagine the audience for this book. I suspect its place will be on all new bibliotherapy lists but for general reading? No way.