ItтАЩs the summer of 1959 in the seemingly tranquil suburbs of Washington, D.C. But our young narrator, John, and his best friends, Ivan and Max, know the truth: every door on their street could be hiding┬аan escaped┬аNazi or a spy with secrets about the A-bomb. The┬аentire city┬аis being plagued by an inexplicable spider infestationтАФsurely evidence of тАЬinsect warfareтАЭ by the Russians! So when a rare vinegaroonтАФa whip scorpionтАФis discovered on Capitol Hill┬аand sequestered for┬аstudy at the Smithsonian, the boys, along with their tomboy accomplice, Beatriz, hatch a risky midnight plan to steal the┬аdeadly┬аcreature for their own devious purposes.
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Yet when the friends discover some very real instances of anti-Semitism and prejudice in the neighborhood, itтАЩs the shocking and tragic┬аevents stemming from┬аa┬аwell-intentioned community-building potluck party that change their lives forever.
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A vibrantly voiced,┬аheartfelt, and charming Cold War coming-of-age story,┬аSummerlings┬аcaptures the crystal-clear moments that mark the bittersweet reckoning of childhoodтАЩs end.