There's a moment when childhood ends,
But you just don't know it yet.
When twelve-year-olds Calvin and Derek venture to an abandoned treehouse at the edge of the woods, they stumble across something they were never meant to see.
What begins as another carefree summer day—when friendship feels permanent and nothing really matters—quickly turns into something far more serious as the boys realize they’ve brushed up against a world of crime, danger, and secrets that don’t belong to kids.
Some summers you never forget.
Others change you forever.
Content warning: This book falls largely within the mild explicit content category, with non-graphic violence and no sexual content. It includes some realistic dialogue, including occasional profanity, consistent with the presence of gangsters and the story’s setting.
There's a moment when childhood ends,
But you just don't know it yet.
When twelve-year-olds Calvin and Derek venture to an abandoned treehouse at the edge of the woods, they stumble across something they were never meant to see.
What begins as another carefree summer day—when friendship feels permanent and nothing really matters—quickly turns into something far more serious as the boys realize they’ve brushed up against a world of crime, danger, and secrets that don’t belong to kids.
Some summers you never forget.
Others change you forever.
Content warning: This book falls largely within the mild explicit content category, with non-graphic violence and no sexual content. It includes some realistic dialogue, including occasional profanity, consistent with the presence of gangsters and the story’s setting.
The four boys stumbled across the golf course in the darkness. It was a hot and balmy night—the Fourth of July usually was in these parts. The sky was clear, but Ryan could feel the moisture on his skin from the humidity.
Ryan, the smallest and youngest of the group, would never admit it, but it was always a thrill hanging out with the older kids. Especially at night. Especially when they snuck out. He got to hang out with the older kids a lot because he was basically attached to his brother’s hip.
“Calvin! Wait up!”
“I told you, if you wanted to come along, you had to keep up!” Calvin was frustrated with Ryan, as older brothers usually are.
“It’s just so dark, I can’t see!”
“I told you it was a bad idea to bring him,” said Derek.
Ryan liked Derek, but Derek was so full of himself. He always acted like he was older than he actually was. Like he knew everything. Sure, they were the “older kids” compared to Ryan, but it’s not like they were grown-ups. Calvin and Derek were only twelve, after all.
“Oh c’mon, Derek, he’s part of the gang!” said Calvin.
Ryan smiled. It’s not like he didn’t have his own group of friends—friends that were his age. But he actually spent more time with Calvin than anyone else.
“Where are we going?” asked Ravi. Ravi was eleven. He was in Calvin and Derek’s class, but he skipped a grade. I guess that means he’s smart, thought Ryan—booksmart, at least.
“To the Jinx,” said Derek, pointing ahead to the largest hill on the golf course. No one seemed to remember why it was called "the Jinx." Ryan had heard Ravi and Calvin arguing about the name. Ravi said it should be called “the links”, not “the Jinx”—because “links” is a nickname for a golf course. But all the kids called the big hill “the Jinx” and in the winter, they would go tubing or sledding down it.
“I told you, I heard the Eichers were planning to light off some fireworks tonight.”
“This is a bad idea,” said Ravi.
Calvin bristled. Ravi always talked like Calvin was his best friend. They hung out a lot because they both loved comics. Loved reading them and even making their own. But it was clear Calvin didn’t feel quite the same as Ravi. If you asked Calvin, he’d say Derek was his best friend. At least, that’s what he told Ryan.
“Dude, chill out. Why do you always have to be such a stick in the mud?”
“We’re going to get in trouble,” worried Ravi. Even Ryan shook his head. Ryan might have been the youngest, but Ravi was the freakin’ baby.
“We’ll be fine. Just keep an eye out for the green jeeps,” advised Derek.
“I’m keeping an eye out for the fireworks!” said Ryan.
Ahead, the boys could see light flashing over the hill. “That must be them,” said Calvin. They ran to the horizon and hid behind a berm of trees along the edge of the hill to watch.
“I’m the king of the nighttime world!” declared Matty Eicher, the oldest of the Eicher boys, as he shot a Roman candle into the air.
“No!” retorted Sammy, who was younger but bigger than his brother. “I am the king of the nighttime world. You are the king of the daytime world!”
Sammy was in Ryan’s class, but he was a couple of years older. He was held back a few times. It’s not necessarily because he was dumb. Sammy had a lot of health issues. He had cauliflower ears. And he talked a little funny. Ryan had invited him over to play a few times, but Sammy was a bit of a bully, and Ryan didn’t like him much.
A bottle rocket screeched past Sammy and into the woods just a few feet from the boys.
“That’s for you, King!” shouted Dino.
Dino was Matty and Sammy’s cousin. Dino lived in the city and was a little rougher around the edges. He came out to West Fairfield every other weekend to spend time with the family. Dino was the tough one. He punched Calvin in the face once.
Derek tapped on the nunchucks hanging from Calvin’s belt. “You had to bring the ‘chucks, huh?”
“Well, I knew Dino was going to be here.”
“You don’t even know how to use those things,” said Derek.
“I take Kung Fu!”
“Yeah, but we don’t do nunchucks in Kung Fu,” contested Ryan, who took Kung Fu, too.
“Yeah, but Bruce Lee uses nunchucks.”
“You’re not Bruce Lee,” said Derek.
Calvin smiled. “Not yet.”
The boys watched as the Eichers started shooting Roman candles and bottle rockets at each other. Like they were having a playful fireworks war on the Jinx.
“That’s so stupid,” said Ravi. “Someone is going to get hurt!”
Another bottle rocket screeched into the berm, coming a little closer than the first. It startled Ravi, who let out a short scream.
The Eichers froze. “Who’s over there?” asked Matty, shouting toward the berm.
“Shhhh,” said Derek.
“Who’s there?” Matty shouted again. “I’m not going to ask a third time!”
The boys remained silent.
“OK, you asked for it. Dino, give me an M-80.”
Dino handed him a short, fat firecracker. Ryan had never lit one of those before. Calvin wouldn’t let him play with those kinds of fireworks. “It’s basically a quarter-stick of dynamite,” he told him once. “And all it does it make a loud noise. The ones that light up are much more interesting.”
Dino lit the M-80 and handed it to Matty, who flung it into the berm.
“Oh fuck! Run!” shouted Calvin.
KA-BOOM! The M-80 went off about ten feet from where the boys had been hiding.
“CALVIN!” shouted Dino. “That was Calvin!”
“Hey Calvin,” added Matty, “we know it’s you! I’m going to assume Derek is with you, too.”
“Eat shit, Matty!” shouted Derek, who threw a crab apple at Matty, hitting him in the nuts. Derek had a good arm.
“I’m gonna kill you, Derek! Let’s get ‘em!”
The Eichers now started firing off their Roman candles and bottle rockets in the direction of the boys, who got up to run.
“Stick close to me, Ryan!” said Calvin. “Mom and Dad will kill me if you get hurt.”
The fireballs from the Roman candles landed all around them as they ran toward the hole in the fence through which they had snuck in.
The green jeeps of golf course security finally started driving toward the ruckus.
“We’ll get you, Calvin!” shouted Matty again.
This is so cool, thought Ryan.
If there’s one thing Javier De Lucia’s short novel, What We Found Last Summer, reminds us about, it’s that Boys will always be boys. That’s because Javier’s protagonists are boys, and they’re at it again. They love hanging out together in their treehouse, but this time they’re out to explore. They’re headed to the woods. What can possibly go wrong?
Soon enough, a disturbing discovery prompts them to ask weighty questions among themselves. Should they contact the police? Or keep the secret to themselves. Considering that the Mob could be involved, the boys must act fast.
Following teenagers in their prime, Javier brings the other characters on board as well: the parents, the police, the bad guys, and, of great interest, the community upon which the narrative unfolds. In this community, people know each other well enough, talk about each other, and you can’t walk by unnoticed.
The plot is playful at first, and Calvin’s crew puts one in mind of their childhood days. As the plot progresses, it goes all too well until the boys stumble upon an abandoned treehouse, and curiosity gets the better of them.
With evocative prose, Javier assembles engaging characters and constructs a plot that gets intense with time. The boys, having found themselves in trouble, equally and actively contribute to finding a solution. Sammy needs money for his ear surgery, screaming, “We’re gonna fix my ears!” He’s the reason a bullet is fired. In the meantime, Rochelle is caught between saving her dad and her friends, eventually making the right decision. Lolo can't allow any harm to the children, and he knows crooked characters when he sees them.
The inciting incident doesn’t take long, and before it arrives, Javier keeps the readers guessing, making the narrative an exciting read, a journey worth exploring. The epilogue not only explains a lot but also adds a bit of mystery to it, arousing more questions while lending the story a firm grip.
Overall, What We Found Last Summer is highly recommended.