Summer of Light by W. Dale Cramer Published by: Bethany House Publishers (2007) 395 pages Rating: 10/10 Buy it Now:    Also by W. Dale Cramer: Bad Ground Levi's Will

Dale Cramer's novels are all very different from one another, and yet they have interesting similarities. Each male protagonist, for example, is hard-working and down-to-earth, though each is certainly unique from the others.

Levi's Will, though an incredible novel, was somewhat morose in many places (but it had its moments of hilarity, as well). Summer of Light is anything but morose. Instead, it's packed with what I can only call Joy.

Mick Brannigan is the down-to-earth hero of this novel. An ironworker, married, three kids - his life is pretty normal. Except that his youngest, Dylan, is having a few odd problems - like stripping down to his underwear on the playground because his clothes were "itchy." "Sensory integration dysfunction" is the term, and Mick has a hard time grasping its meaning, especially when his wife Layne suggests that Mick quit his job to stay home with Dylan, since she really can't leave the new law firm she just joined.

Mick doesn't think much of the idea, but he doesn't seem to have any control over his own life. A freak accident takes his job away, and a series of other bizarre events conspire to keep him from getting a new one. In no time, he's discovering what staying at home with the children involves and he puts his own distinctive mark on the process.

Along the way, Mick also discovers a surprisingly artistic side of himself with the help of a neighbor. A few visits to a nearby homeless community also changes his mindset. His life doesn't go anywhere near the way he planned it, but... perhaps Someone Else had a better plan.

This book is filled with humor. While his previous novels held numerous amusing moments, here Cramer unleashes his sense of humor. The presence of three different children is certainly part of it, but Mick's own common-sense approach to matters adds plenty of amusement on its own.

Mick's character is one that is enjoyable to experience throughout this story. As with other Cramer novels, it's not a big adventure or anything, but it's something all its own: a story that encourages, amuses and delights. And there's just enough Faith development to make it truly satisfying. Highly Recommended.