Illustrations and easy-to-read, rhyming text show what makes summer special, from sunshine and sailboats to ice cream and picnics.

A new kid has arrived in Somerville, and he has brought along a bit of mystery. Something about Jace and his mother just doesn't add up. Astrid, Rowan, and Quinn want to be welcoming, but they also have to get to the bottom of things. What they discover brings the group together and whets their appetite for adventure.

Newbery medalist Karen Hesse recreates the glorious experience of a quenching rainstorm on a sweltering summer day. "Come on, rain!" Tess pleads to the sky as listless vines and parched plants droop in the endless heat. Up and down the block, cats pant while heat wavers off tar patches in the broiling alleyway. More than anything, Tess hopes for rain. And when it comes, she and her friends are ready for a surprising joyous celebration... Karen Hesse...

Looming above Zach Ramsey's hometown of Blaine are the smokestacks of the truck assembly plant, the greasy lifeblood of this Detroit suburb. Surrounded by drunks, broken marriages, and factory rats living in fear of the pink slip, Zach is getting the hell out of town after graduation. But first, he's going to enjoy the summer before senior year. Getting smashed with his best friend Tank and falling in love for the first time, Zach's having a blast...

After their father goes to New York to study art, 13-year-old Shana Allen and her younger brother, Cody, travel to Maryland with their mother. While Mrs. Allen starts a new job, Shana and Cody fix up the secluded cabin that will be their home for the summer. Shana greatly misses her father. But as the weeks pass, she realizes that she is relying on a fragile web of hope: her father may not ever come back. As summer ends, Shana feels her loyalties...

A canoe ride on a northern lake during a summer day reveals the quiet beauty and wonder of nature in and around the peaceful water.