The Swing in the Summerhouse (Hall Family Chronicles, #2) by Jane Langton

The Swing in the Summerhouse (Hall Family Chronicles, #2) Reviews

• 
  Christine

  Just stumbled across this title on Goodreads, and suddenly remembered it as a book from my childhood. I don't remember the story in detail, but the cover (first edition) took me straight back to my fourth grade classroom. : ) I also hadn't known that this was part of a series, so now I'm feeling nostalgic and wanting to re-read this second book, as well as the rest of the series. Time to bug my local librarians about warehoused books again...
• 
  CLM

  There are three Langtons I absolutely love, The Diamond in the Window, The Swing in the Summerhouse (the sequel) and Paper Chains, a standalone about a girl's freshman year at a college which just might be Harvard.
• 
  Jamie Hall

  It was not BAD, but I was not as impressed with it as with the first book. The firt chapter was honestly pretty poorly written - it "told" instead of "showed" - and all those honest, beautiful little "childhood" moments from the first book were unclear or absent in this one. Plus - I felt it took an overly didactic voice regarding the lessons that the children were supposed to learn from each experience they had. Plus, without a clear antagonist, the focus of the story was lacking.
  
  But it was not BAD. I did consider putting it down after reading the first chapter, which *was* bad. But as a whole, the book was... average. Readable. Pleasant, even. But no where near as good as the first book.
• 
  Kate

  I read this a loooooooong time ago. I just typed in what I thought the title was and I happened to be right. I had no clue it was part of a series. Need to see if I can get my hands on a copy. I really enjoyed it when I was a kid.
• 
  Jackie "the Librarian"

  Creepy fantasy fun for kids! Edward and Eleanor discover that if they jump off the swing in the summerhouse (a magic summerhouse that is the gift of Prince Krishna, a friend of the family) through one of its arches, they will find themselves in another world. They must solve a puzzle in each world to return home. And the puzzles keep getting harder and more dangerous.
  They have promised not to go through the last arch in the summerhouse until Prince Krishna comes to see them, but circumstances make that impossible.
  If you like Madeleine L'Engle, try this Jane Langton series, the Hall Family Chronicles. They too are allegorical fantasies that have kids in dangerous adventures.
• 
  Christi

  Kids in Concord Mass. grow up learning transcendentalism through magical experiences... great series for kids.
• 
  Wreade1872

  Really very unexpectedly good. I wanted to read the first in the series, especially since its blurb makes it sound like Jumanji, but this was the only one i could find.
  
  Its very much in the vain of E.Nesbit's stories but with some of the surreal darkness of Mary Poppins. However it still stands out as its own thing. Its quite tied to its time and place but that just gives a unique flavour in my opinion.
  
  There are trade off's with the writers style. Its a short and punchy book but that can also mean the characters arn't quite as well developed as some might like, although they still have more personality than many similar characters. Its also very subtle in its lessons but its subtlety might come across as vagueness to others.
  
  The only real issue is a structural one, an element of urgency is introduced but the author isn't ready to deal with it yet so the characters just sort of ignore it.. making them look either foolish or sociopathic depending on your stance :P . Anyway that isn't enough to ruin the story.
  
  Been quite a while since i liked a children's book this much, really nice tone and feel of story.
  
• 
  Nic

  Another one that I'd like to re-read. I don't remember much from this book at all, other than that I really liked it, and that each chapter brought the main characters (a boy and a girl, brother and sister, I think) to a new place or adventure, not unlike Phantom Tollbooth and Magician's Nephew, two other ones I loved. They would swing and jump through one of the sides of the veranda and when they landed, they'd be in another place or time. I remember one that had to do with a cash register, and I think figuring out the actual worth of a human body (?) but I really don't remember a lot, other than that I liked it, but certainly not as much as the two books mentioned above, which just did it better.
• 
  Megan Palasik

  I bought this from a used book sale when I was in 2nd grade. I had no idea what exactly what it was about (it's just the plain library hardcover without cover art or back description) but I read it and loved it. I've read it a few more times over the years and just recently found out that it is part of the Hall Family Chronicles. Someday I will read more of the series and see what else happens to the children. This book is great though if you have a great imagination.
• 
  Jessica

  In this book about the Hall family, if you jump out of the swing in the summerhouse you find yourself in a magical land of your own making. As fun as it would sound for you to live among the beautiful paper dolls you've just made, imagine what it's like for THEM to be life-sized . . . on a windy day . . . .
• 
  Pattie O'Donnell

  Can't believe Jane Langton is still writing - this is one of my favorite books from childhood. Spooky and atmospheric without blood and gore.
• 
  Kailey (Luminous Libro)

  Wonderful book! I love the writing, the characters, and the story! Fantastic stuff! Read it all in one day, b/c I couldn't put it down.
• 
  Hannah

  The Swing in the Summerhouse was both better and worse than The Diamond in the Window. It was better written (although the "Grow Up Now" chapter bore some suspicious resemblances to "The Crystal Sphere" in Diamond), but Eleanor was a much more frustrating character. She never seemed to get what her adventures in the summerhouse were trying to teach her. This characterisation, with Eleanor only wanting to grow up and wear pretty dresses (I outgrew that phase when I was six or seven), made this book a lot more sexist than the previous one (and the previous one was pretty sexist).
• 
  Ramsey Hootman

  Not my favorite in the series, but still utterly charming and magical. If you can forgive the dated gender stereotypes, the moral of the story - sometimes messy is good and we're all happier if we're not bound by strict social rules - is both surprising and valuable. Langton really reinforces how wonderful it is to be a child, as well as the value of growing up slowly, and re-reading these with my own kids I realize she is probably the reason I was content to be a kid.
• 
  Sandy

  This book series just doesn't disappoint. I think it is cool that I have visited the setting which is in Concord. It makes it feel all the more real to me. Jane has such an imagination. Excited to continue the journey with the rest of the series.
• 
  Maggi Rohde

  Not as good as the first one, but it was nice to see old familiar characters again. We may read the next one.
• 
  Melody

  Light, pleasant fable with strong undertones of how to be a Good Person. I found that the structure and moral underpinning of this book got in the way of the story for me. This happened in the first book as well, but not to the same extent. I liked it well enough, but I did find myself skimming a fair bit. Unless one of the Burtons or CLM gives me a compelling reason to continue, I'm finished with this series.
• 
  Mindy

  I'm not sure I finished this book. The only part I remember was the opening they jumped through that took them inside a giant person and they were looking out the person's eyes. I'm going to have to read this again.
• 
  Krystal

  I still loved this book, but not as much as The Diamond in the Window.
• 
  Lynnell Donnelly

  My childhood classic. Great book.
• 
  Mckinley

  Learning some personal values. And (again) rescuing others. This series reminders me of the P. Farmer series.
• 
  Desertisland

  Uncle Freddy and little Georgie (as well as main characters Eddie and Eleanor) are memorable, loveable characters
• 
  Tekla

  The funniest book ever.