Tween Tuesday: A Summer of Sundays by Lindsay Eland

4 chewy brownies.

Cover Love:  It's okay.  I like the colors and it hints of a mystery but I don;t think it is overly eye catching.

Why I Wanted to Read This:
The synopsis!  I was looking for a good middle grade book and this one sounded like the one.  Here it is from GoodReads:

When you're the third of six kids, it's easy to get lost in the shuffle, but Sunday Fowler is determined that this summer she'll find the one thing that makes her stand out from her siblings.

And when she discovers a silver box in the basement of the library her parents are renovating, she might just have found something to gain her the attention she so craves. Inside is a series of letters addressed to "The Librarian" and a manuscript. But who wrote them? With the help of annoying neighbor-turned-new-friend Jude, Sunday is determined to track down the author. And when she unveils this novel to the world, she'll be famous!

But uncovering this manuscript means stirring up secrets that some people in the town hoped to keep buried. And Sunday must decide if some things -- loyalty, trust, friendship -- are worth more than her name in the headlines.

Romance?: Nope, but talk of crushes.  And there is a wonderful love story.

My Thoughts:
Sunday will be a character that will resonate with many, many children.  She feels invisible within her family and longs to do something that will make her memorable.  I think that most children of tween/early teen age wants to do something that makes them stand out.  Because of that, many readers will think that Sunday should do what she was planning instead of doing the right thing.

However, as an older reader Sunday's obsession with making a mark bothered me.  As a reader I could see the many, many ways that her family needed her and wanted her, but she was so blind to the attention her siblings got she couldn't see that. It made it a little hard to sympathize with her.

I like the friendship between Sunday and Jude.  It was a good friendship, nothing more.  She was kind of mean to him some time, or impatient anyway, but he put up with it.  His adoration with her family was very sweet.

There is a very good mystery to be solved and a deeper, sweet love story.  It's pretty clear to the reader what the outcome will be for the manuscript, but it's a good read to see how Sunday gets there.

With the way that Sunday's whole trip starts out it's easy to see why she is so determined to make her mark.  I do wish she had told her mom and dad what happened instead of letting the wound fester for so long.

To Sum Up:
Good mystery and sweet story.  I will be buying this one for my library for those younger readers who want a mystery.  The romance is also sweet and innocent and will be an added attraction for readers.

egalley requested and received from Egmont via NetGalley.  Thanks!!