Dandelion Wine

Dandelion Wine takes place in Green Town, Illinois circa 1928. It’s a magical summer for young Douglas Spaulding. Green Town is a wonderful place to grow up, and school is out for the summer, leaving Douglas plenty of time for vacation adventures with his brother Tom, and with John, the best pal a young boy ever had. Lon Chaney is starring in the movie at the local cinema. A new pair of sneakers can make you feel invincible. A streetcar can get you where you want to go. Nights are filled with tales of the mysterious that send a delicious shiver of dread down the spine. The local inventor is intent on building a Happiness Machine. Grandpa makes dandelion wine. And Douglas experiences his first serious crush, for the town’s beautiful young librarian, Ann. Douglas is more than a boy, but not yet a man. Then, a stranger arrives named Forrester. His presence heralds events that will signal changes in Douglas’ life and indeed, in the lives of all the town’s inhabitants, forever. At a certain moment in time, in a certain place, life may seem perfect. But life proceeds as time moves forward. Change may be the price of being fully alive. It is also an opportunity for growth.