The Land of The Strays


Children - Adventure
280 Pages
Reviewed on 04/30/2022
Buy on Amazon

Author Biography

With a career spanning 20+ years, Summer Nilsson is an American author, entrepreneur, and CEO. Summer is nationally recognized for building global brands and developing purpose-driven partnerships and marketing strategies that change narratives. Summer has also represented the biggest names in publishing, fashion, and the arts, including People, Food Network Magazine, ELLE, Who What Wear, House Beautiful, and Brandon Maxwell, among many others. Summer serves on the National Advisory Council for Girls’ Inc. and the marketing board for the AT&T Performing Arts.

Summer founded Loodor and the Loodor Tales Series to inspire readers to believe in themselves and pursue their dreams. Through the series, Summer addresses complex topics, including ego, mind chatter, and false narratives in order to combat social media pressures, encourage early dialogue about mental health, and reinforce kindness among all ages. Summer also established the Nilsson Open A Dor Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to helping sheltered animals find loving homes. The foundation is a proud partner of Operation Kindness, celebrating 45 years of saving homeless pets.

Summer donated copies of her first book, The Land of the Pines, to children’s organizations and hospitals including The Birthday Party Project, Girl Scouts, Save the Children “100 Days of Reading”, Dell Children’s Medical Center, Scottish Rite for Children, and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Vincent Dublado for Readers' Favorite

The Land of the Strays by Summer Nilsson is an animal adventure story that will appeal to the young and young-at-heart. Black Mountain Farm is the only home that Grey the barn cat has ever known. She is aware of the things she will be leaving behind, as she will be venturing into an unknown that doesn’t give any guarantees of a comfortable life. She is leaving the farm because it’s her destiny. Then she discovers that she has the ability to mind-read other animals. But just because she can hear their inner thoughts doesn’t mean that she is responsible for everyone’s problems. But her venturing out exposes her to the harsh realities of the real world, as she is forced to choose sides between the Leashes and the Strays. The Leashes live a life of opulence while the Strays are their stark opposite. Will Grey choose a side, or will it be possible to unite these two factions?

I grabbed the opportunity to review The Land of the Strays because I love animals and it did not disappoint as it kept me entertained from start to finish. Summer Nilsson makes this animal adventure work far better than I expected it to be. I’m even guessing that this could also be a social commentary about the sharp divide that separates the privileged and the deprived. Of course, it is still targeted at the younger set, so it is filled to the brim with positive messages but these are carefully embedded within the storyline so that it doesn’t appear preachy or talking down to kids. It is lighthearted but delightful to read. Young readers and those who have a soft spot for fables and animal characters will find this book a blast.