Farewell Summer

In the deceiving warmth of earliest October, civil war has come to Green Town, Illinois, an age-old conflict pitting the young against the elderly for control of the clock that ticks their lives ever forward. The graying forces of school board despot Mr. Calvin C. Quartermain have declared total war on thirteen-year-old Douglas Spaulding and his downy-cheeked cohorts. The boys, in turn, plan and execute daring campaigns, matching old Quartermain's experience and cunning with their youthful enthusiasm and devil-may-care determination to hold on forever to childhood's summer. Yet time must ultimately be the victor, as life waits in ambush to assail young Spaulding with its powerful mysteries—the irresistible ascent of manhood, the sweet surrender of a first kiss . . .

“[B]eautiful imagery and well-crafted prose.” — Chicago Sun-Times
“An intriguing coda to one of Bradbury’s classics. ” — Kirkus Reviews
“Creepier than [Dandelion Wine] but retains the elegiac tone and lovely descriptions of 1920s boyhood.” — Library Journal
“A touching meditation on memories, aging, and the endless cycle of birth and death.” — Booklist
“Poignant, wise...Bradbury’s mature but fresh return to his beloved early writing conveys a depth of feeling.” — Publishers Weekly
“Bradbury remains a master of inspired storytelling . . . The long-awaited, rewarding conclusion to an American classic.” — Rocky Mountain News