Michael Chabon is an American author born on May 24, 1963 in Washington D.C. Both his mother and father were lawyers, but despite his parents’ career paths, Chabon decided to venture into the realm of creative writing. After dropping out of Carnegie Mellon, he eventually received his bachelor's degree at the University of Pittsburgh and his Master of Fine Arts at UC Irvine. Chabon has cited F. Scott Fitzgerald, John Updike, and Philip Roth as his main literary inspirations.
In 2002, Chabon published Summerland, a children’s fantasy novel that tells the story of Ethan Feld, a scrawny pre-teen boy. Throughout the novel, he ventures on a journey during which he encounters faeries, sasquatches, zeppelins, and more. Ethan gradually becomes confident in his own abilities and the reader grows with him upon his mystical adventure.
Upon its publication, Summerland garnered positive reviews from critics and audiences alike. Kirkus Reviews states that “this raucous, exhilarating, joyful, and, above all, fun offering displays an enormous respect for the tradition of great fantasies that come before it, from Irving, Baum, and Nesbit, to Lewis, Tolkien, and Pullman, while confidently taking its place beside them.” Chabon’s dazzling display of creativity is fully showcased in this fantastical story.
