This One Summer

A New York Times bestseller
A 2015 Caldecott Honor Book
A 2015 Michael L. Printz Honor Book
An Eisner Award Winner

Some summers change everything. For Rose, the lake house has always meant lazy days, familiar rituals, and most importantly, time with her best friend Windy. But this summer feels different—the air between her parents crackles with tension, and the girls find themselves drawn to the world of the older teens in town, a world that feels thrilling and dangerous all at once.

Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki have created something extraordinary here: a graphic novel that captures the precise, aching moment when childhood slips away. Through stunning watercolor-washed illustrations and spare, honest dialogue, This One Summer explores the confusion of being caught between two worlds—too old for some things, too young for others. Rose and Windy navigate first crushes, family secrets, and the realization that the adults in their lives are just as lost as they are.

This award-winning masterpiece has been celebrated for its authentic portrayal of adolescent friendship and the bittersweet nostalgia of growing up. The Tamaki cousins capture the sensory details of summer—the smell of sunscreen, the sound of waves, the taste of convenience store candy—while weaving a story that resonates long after the last page. Perfect for readers who appreciate literary graphic novels that don’t shy away from the messy, complicated truth of coming of age.

A groundbreaking work that belongs on every bookshelf.

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