Kirkus Reviews QR Code
HAYSEED SUMMER by Marjorie Chickering

HAYSEED SUMMER

By

Pub Date: April 1st, 1963
Publisher: Funk & Wagnalls

A summer in Vermont transforms a cynical city slicker into an enthusiastic young farmer. Disappointed with mother's decision to ship him off for the summer, teenager Andy Adams regards everything on his relatives' farm with suspicion and hostility. A show of incompetence in handling farm equipment serves to strengthen his anger. Only his own indomitable curiosity and the friendship of relatives and neighbors redeems the experience. Bored with sulking, Andy ventures forth, tentatively at first and then with gusto. There are camping expeditions, fishing trips, county fairs and farm chores which to Andy come as novelties. As he learns to profit from his own mistakes, accept rewards when they are deserved, and peer beyond the stereotyped image of his hosts, Andy not only gains a delightful summer vacation, but matures somewhat en route. The basic plot here is not particularly original, but the author's knowledge of Vermont history and her authentic view of the unusual characteristics of this region with its hardy ""hayseeds"" make the book worthwhile.