The Year Without a Summer - A Novel

Explosive volcanic eruptions are cool, really, cool. They inject ash into the stratosphere and deflect the sun-s rays. When eighth grader Jamie Fulton learns that snow fell in June in his hometown because of an eruption on the other side of the world, he-s psyched! He could have snowboarded if he-d lived back in 1815 during the year without a summer.

Clara Montalvo, who recently arrived at Jamie-s school after surviving Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, has a different take all this. She is astounded—and disturbed—by Jamie-s frenzied enthusiasm for what she considers an obvious disaster. The teens- battling arguments cause science class disruption and create academic trouble: Jamie-s headed for a failing grade in science, and may not even graduate from eighth grade; Clara-s scholarship hopes are dashed. And school isn-t the only place where Jamie and Clara are facing hardship: as they quarrel whether natural disasters can be beneficial, their home lives are also unrav