Best Summer Stories

Brilliant short fiction from some of Australia’s most talented storytellers A woman suspects her partner of murder. A father seeks to save his son from a looming disaster. A boy finds love in the heat of summer as a dust storm transforms his city and his fortunes. A guard in a detention centre causes tragedy. A town is consumed by a strange apocalypse that its residents struggle to keep contained. Continuing Black Inc.’s long tradition of discovering and celebrating the country’s finest writers, these exceptional stories will entertain, move and provoke you long after you finish reading. Spend this summer with Australia’s best writers. Michael Mohammed Ahmad • Liz Allan • Romy Ash • Tony Birch • Stephanie Bishop • Mikaella Clements • Aoife Clifford • Lauren Aimee Curtis • Demet Divaroren • Elizabeth Flux • John Kinsella • Jack Latimore • Jennifer Mills • Paddy O'Reilly • Fikret Pajalic • Elliot Perlman • Allee Richards • Mirandi Riwoe • Beejay Silcox • Elizabeth Tan • Tien Tran • Brenda Walker • Ben Walter • Marlee Jane Ward • Katy Warner • Chris Womersley • Danielle Wood • Michelle Wright

From the award-winning and New York Times bestselling author of Once and for All Expect the unexpected. Macy’s got her whole summer carefully planned. But her plans didn’t include a job at Wish Catering. And they certainly didn’t include Wes. But Macy soon discovers that the things you expect least are sometimes the things you need most. “Dessen gracefully balances comedy with tragedy and introduces a complex heroine worth getting to know.” —Publishers Weekly Sarah Dessen is the winner of the Margaret A. Edwards Award for her contributions to YA literature, as well as the Romantic Times Career Achievement Award. Books by Sarah Dessen: That Summer Someone Like You Keeping the Moon Dreamland This Lullaby The Truth About Forever Just Listen Lock and Key Along for the Ride What Happened to Goodbye The Moon and More Saint Anything Once and for All

A joyful, sun-drenched tribute to the anticipation and adventures of the warmest season of the year. When the days stretch out like a slow yawn, and the cheerful faces of Johnny-jump-ups jump up . . . then it’s time to get ready for summer! From flip-flops and hide-and-seek to fireworks and ice-cream trucks, from lemonade stands and late bedtimes to swimming in the lake and toasting marshmallows, there’s something for everyone in this bright and buoyant celebration of the sunny season. Tom Brenner’s lovely, lyrical ode to summers spent outdoors will strike a chord with anyone who’s ever counted down the days until school gets out, and Jaime Kim’s jubilant, nostalgia-soaked illustrations leave little doubt that summer is indeed a time unlike any other.

*"Sis delivers an encomium to summer, to the power of learning, and to that beloved, creamy-cold treat." --Kirkus, starred reviewSavor summer anytime with this breezy, sweet and irresistible picture book from Hans Christian Anderson Award winner and three-time Caldecott Honoree Peter Sis!Dear Grandpa,Summer is going well. I am very busy. But don't worry, I am not forgetting about school! I read every day. I practice my math facts. And I am even studying world history!Peter Sis's delicious tongue-in-cheek vision of summer dishes up the whole scoop on everyone's favorite frozen treat, and proves that ice cream is every bit as enriching for the mind as it is for the taste buds. Readers everywhere will be begging for seconds and thirds!

"In her debut collection of short fiction, Due takes us to Gracetown, a small Florida town that has both literal and figurative ghost; into future scenarios that seem all too real; and provides empathetic portraits of those whose lives are touched by Otherness"--Amazon.com.

A day at the beach becomes a lesson in sibling bonding for Gideon in this magical picture book. Every summer, Gideon and his younger sister Audrey build a sandcastle together. But this summer, everything changes. Gideon decides to build the most spectacular sandcastle anyone on the beach has ever seen. And he’s going to do it on his own—without any help from his sister. But much to his surprise, Gideon discovers that building together is more fun and that everyone has their own unique talent when it comes to creativity and imagination, even Audrey.

Bea lives by the beach, but she doesn't like sand one little bit! One day, her mother persuades her to visit the beach, where she meets a sand sculpture of a lion who is afraid of water. A funny and tender book about the mutual support of friendship, the acceptance of loss, and the resilience needed to accept change.

In this instant New York Times bestseller and “multigenerational narrative that’s nothing short of brilliant” (People), two sisters’ lives from the 1950s to the present are explored as they struggle to find their places—and be true to themselves—in a rapidly evolving world from #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Weiner. Jo and Bethie Kaufman were born into a world full of promise. Growing up in 1950s Detroit, they live in a perfect “Dick and Jane” house, where their roles in the family are clearly defined. Jo is the tomboy, the bookish rebel with a passion to make the world more fair; Bethie is the pretty, feminine good girl, a would-be star who enjoys the power her beauty confers and dreams of a traditional life. But the truth ends up looking different from what the girls imagined. Jo and Bethie survive traumas and tragedies. As their lives unfold against the background of free love and Vietnam, Woodstock and women’s lib, Bethie becomes an adventure-loving wild child who dives headlong into the counterculture and is up for anything (except settling down). Meanwhile, Jo becomes a proper young mother in Connecticut, a witness to the changing world instead of a participant. Neither woman inhabits the world she dreams of, nor has a life that feels authentic or brings her joy. Is it too late for the women to finally stake a claim on happily ever after? In “her most sprawling and intensely personal novel to date” (Entertainment Weekly), Jennifer Weiner tells a “simply unputdownable” (Good Housekeeping) story of two sisters who, with their different dreams and different paths, offer answers to the question: How should a woman be in the world?

Fluffy the class guinea pig must deal with the unwanted attention of two cats, a visit to the hair salon, and a trip to the airport when he goes home with Emma for spring break.