Summerlost

By Ally Condie

It's the first real summer since the devastating accident that killed Cedar's father and younger brother, Ben. But now Cedar and what’s left of her family are returning to the town of Iron Creek, Utah for the summer. They’re just settling into their new house when a boy named Leo, dressed in costume, rides by on his bike. Intrigued, Cedar follows him to the renowned Summerlost theatre festival. Soon, she not only has a new friend in Leo and a job working concessions at the festival, she finds herself surrounded by mystery. The mystery of the tragic, too-short life of the Hollywood actress who haunts the halls of Summerlost. And the mystery of the strange gifts that keep appearing for Cedar.

Infused with emotion and rich with understanding, Summerlost is the touching middle grade debut from Ally Condie, the international bestselling author of the Matched series, that highlights the strength of family and personal resilience in the face of tragedy.

ALLY CONDIE is the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling Matched trilogy, The Last Voyage of Poe Blythe, and the co-author of the Darkdeep middle grade series. She is also the author of the novel Summerlost, an Edgar Award Finalist. A former English teacher, Ally lives with her family in Utah. She has an MFA from the Vermont College of Fine Arts, and is the founder and director of the nonprofit WriteOut Foundation.

Listen to author Ally Condie speak about her book Summerlost as part of the Utah State Library's One Book, One Utah program.

Contact your library for physical or digital copies of the book. View a map of all of Utah's public libraries here:

Utah Public Libraries

Discussion Questions

Cedar and her family are trying to cope with the death of two family members. What are some of the ways Cedar creates joy and meaning for herself in the midst of her grief? What do her mother and brother Miles do? Do you think some of these efforts would have more effect than others? How do you cope with grief and loss?
What are some ways Leo gains Cedar's trust? What do these actions and words tell us about helping someone through grief?
Why do you think the author used a vulture as the bird outside of Cedar’s window? (p.13-14)
Cedar and Leo’s first customers are surprised and unhappy to learn that they have booked a tour with young people. (p.47) Would you have stayed for a tour given by young teenagers, or demanded your money back?
Why do you think the author chose to have Cedar’s family move into a house that had belonged to one family for many years? (p.4) Have you lived in a home referred to by the name of previous occupants? Has it been a concern for you? Why do you think Cedar wished the turkey vultures were known as the Wainwright birds? (p.117)
In chapter 21 (p.139), Cedar learns that Ben’s eyes helped a boy who was going blind. How does this information impact Cedar? Why do you think it had that impact?
Bullying is a theme in this book.
- On page 164, Cory says that his reason for bullying Cedar and Leo is simply "Because." What do you think he meant by that? Is Cory being honest?
- On page 165, Cedar believes she and Leo are being bullied because they are different. In what ways are Cedar and Leo different? In what ways does that make them targets for bullies?
Why do you think Cedar's father used the analogy comparing reading a book to the ups and downs of our lives? (p.162) What clues does this give us to the personality of Cedar's father?
Cedar realizes Leo relates to Lisette as someone coming from the same small town who had big dreams and achieved them. (p.174) Do you have a mentor to help you achieve your goals or are you a mentor for someone else?
When Cedar admits that sometimes she wanted Ben to not be around (p.210), did this surprise you? How do you respond to someone who is on occasion bothersome for you?
When Gary learned that Leo and Cedar had given the tours, he immediately fired them (p.187). Did you find this to be harsh? Did your opinion of Gary change when Meg told Cedar about his life and what he had to overcome to achieve his goals? (p.233)
Near the end of the book, Cedar says, “I want to find a good way to remember.” (p.234) What do you think she means? How can we all find good ways to remember?

Theater Hunt

As part of the Summerlost One Book One Utah program, we are highlighting some of Utah’s theaters with a statewide theater hunt. Here’s how it works: Go to your local library and pick up a bookmark to place your stickers on. A lock box containing stickers and extra bookmarks has been placed outside each participating theater. Visit the theater, use 896 to open the box and remove one sticker to put on your bookmark. Participants who collect 5 or more and report it at this link will be entered in a drawing to receive a student pass to the 2022 Utah Shakespeare Festival season! Pass donated by the Utah Shakespeare Festival.

Casino Star Theatre 78 S Main St, Gunnison, UT 84634
Egyptian Theatre 328 Main St, Park City, UT 84060
Empress Theatre 9104 2700 S, Magna, UT 84044
Star Hall 125 E Center St, Moab, UT 84532
Tuacahn Amphitheater 1100 Tuacahn Dr, Ivins, UT 84738
Utah Shakespeare Festival 195 W Center St, Cedar City, UT 84720 (in the sculpture garden)
Utah Theatre 18 W Center St, Logan, UT 84321
Vernal Theatre: LIVE! 40 E Main St, Vernal, UT 84078