Rating: 
Summary: An Exceptional Read
Review: I am so thankful to the friend who insisted I read this book, because I normally would not choose a book written in letter format especially with a baseball topic. I almost missed out on one of the best books I've ever read! Last Days of Summer is about so much more than baseball. It is the unforgettable story about a wonderful friendship that develops between a young boy and a professional ball player through a series of letters. Through their humorous correspondence, I grew to love these two characters as well as the many other characters that come together to make up their circle of friends. I love a book that is difficult to put down and this book certainly fits that critea. Please, Mr. Kluger, write another book for us!
Rating:
Summary: One of the best books I've ever read
Review: My friend bought this book on whim at a discount book store. Thank goodness she did. After she'd finished it, she told me I HAD to read it. I've read it twice in the last week and I'm sure I will read it many more times. Not only do you laugh out loud, you cry as well. This book shows family isn't only your biological relatives, it's the people who love you even though they know how crazy you are.
Rating:
Summary: My new favorite book
Review: I started reading this book on a plane and had to put it away because I couldn't stop laughing out loud. I enjoyed this book so much that I have bought multiple copies of it to give as gifts - it's one of those books you can't wait to share with your friends.
Rating:
Summary: Laugh out loud
Review: Hysterically funny! If uou don't laugh out loud while reading th is book you have no sense of humor. Surprisingly touching and well written. A delightful light read.
Rating:
Summary: Touching and Wonderful Story
Review: I absolutely loved this book, and began to read it again immediately after finishing it. I fell in love with the main character, as he reminded me of so many young, precocious children I have met. This book made me laugh and cry over and over again, and I think about it all the time. It offers incredible historical insight from the eyes of a brilliant child, and it is a tribute to the human condition. I recommend this book to anyone who has an open heart. This is a book to be cherished and passed around.
Rating:
Summary: A Pleasure
Review: This book is about the family you're born into and the family make. I loved the characters - all of them. Steve Kluger did a wonderful job of creating people who felt like they lived and breathed through letters and telegrams. I will miss Joey Margolis and Charlie Banks. I certainly enjoyed my time with them.
Rating:
Summary: Read it for 5 minutes, Smile for an hour
Review: Have you ever watched a theater showing a really well-made, beautiful movie empty at the end of the show? If not, watch and notice that no one speaks, they all simply smile broadly to themselves as they walk away thinking about the film. The Last Days of Summer, a touching coming of age story, simultaneously hilarious and heart-breaking, leaves the reader with the same warm and fuzzy feeling seen on the faces of those people. Read it for five minutes, then laugh as you find yourself smiling for the next hour.
Rating:
Summary: A Truly Touching Story
Review: Steve Kugler's novel "Last Days of Summer" is a heartwarming story. The book starts out by introducing Joey Margolis, a young Jewish boy growing up in Brooklyn in the early 1940s. In need of a hero, Joey writes a series of letters to Charles Banks, the third baseman for the New York Giants. Steve Kugler brilliantly develops their friendship by starting it off with Chas. basically saying, "Buzz off kid," and Joey persisting on them to be friends. The next thing you know, Joey is the batboy and on a road trip with Banks and the NY Giants. Up until now, Joey and Charlie's conversations have been through letters (like the whole novel is written in) and they have not had actual face to face communication. Kugler progresses the story by having Joey and Charlie both writing notes to Charlie's girlfriend Hazel. When Joey returns home, he finds out that he will not be able to have a Bar Mitzvah because his father is a deadbeat dad. Addressing the problem, Kugler makes you like Charlie more and more because not only does he agree to be the father-figure at the service, but he also helps Joey study for the event. Following the ceremony, Charlie and Joey continue to become better and better friends until World War II starts and Charlie has to go off and fight. Steve Kugler manages to throw some history in the book through newspaper reports and letters between Joey and President FDR. All in all, the story is a success although there is no narrative writing.Personally, I think that this book was magnificent and very well done. I never thought that reading an entire book made up of scrapbook letters and documents could be any good; but I was wrong. I just could not seem to put this book down because I just wanted to see what would happen next in this boy's relationship with a loudmouth 3rd baseman. This is one of the best books I have read in a while.
Rating:
Summary: How Long Do We Have to Wait for a Sequel?
Review: This is truly one of the best books I have ever read - and I don't even know why I picked it up in the first place? I'm an avid reader and have spent a lot of my time and a lot of my money on books that I couldn't even finish - but this book I reread about every three months. It's a laugh out loud, cry out loud, smile out loud kind of book and it will enrich your life tremendously. My only question is Steve Kluger - how long do we have to wait for a sequel?
Rating:
Summary: the last days of summer
Review: This is simply the best book I've ever read!!! My wife discovered it and gave me a copy for my birthday. So far I've bought 23 copies to give to friends. And they have been universal in their praise. I've noticed that I tear up just talking about it and have noticed the same thing in most of the other readers. This book works best for people who were children in the WWII days and remember the great days of the Giants and the Dodgers in New York. But, my forty year old daughter has read it twice and plans to re-read it many times more. The characters are totally engaging including a Mickey Mantle-like third baseman for the Giants. READ THIS ONE!!!!! We give it SIX stars.
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