Dandelion Wine, by Ray Bradbury

Dandelion Wine

One of my favorite books is Ray Bradbury's Something Wicked this Way Comes. Every Halloween I read or listen to that book. It is a fun story that helps remind me of being a kid with an endless imagination. This book is just like that. As much as I like Ray Bradbury's books I had never heard about this one until my wife's book club chose it for this months meeting. I decided to read this with her and that way we could compare notes. 

This book is told from the perspective of a twelve year old boy. This boy is the self proclaimed master of summer. He wakes up the town and ushers in Summer early in the morning on the first day of Summer break. This particular summer he swears it will be the best summer ever. On the first night of summer a stranger finds his way into town and seems to know an eerie amount about everyone in town. 

The writing in this book is very lyrical like it could be sung instead of read. It at times reads like poetry. I will admit that at times I am not a fan of this type of writing. Poetry was never something that held my attention, but the story Bradbury tells helped me look beyond this pet peeve. The story is a bit predictable and I had most of it figured out early on. The beginning was a little confusing but then it almost felt like Bradbury gave away to much in early foreshadowing. However, with figuring out almost the whole story early on Bradbury found a way to give me goosebumps at the ending. 

This is a very short read, but an enjoyable one. I choose to listen to this and I am so glad I did. The book is read by the Colonial Radio Theater. There is a score and sound effects as well as a cast of characters who did a great job bringing these characters to life. I can easily see this as a book I revisit from time to time. Where Something Wicked This Way Comes seems to be my fall read this could be my summer read. I loved this book and it is an easy decision to give this 5 out of 5 stars.