Summerhouse Time

Every year a rented pink cottage full of family, swapping stories, and riding waves mean Summerhouse Time for Sophie. Best of all is sharing a room with her favorite cousin and laughing and trading secrets like two happy peas in a cousin pod. Sophie can't wait! But when she asks the now-a-teenager Colleen if she's looking forward to their time together, Colleen just says "I guess so."

What? It's the best time of the year, the time they both love. In just a little bit, they will all be together in the cottage on the beach. Will this year be just as wonderful, just like always?

Accompanied by charming black-and-white illustrations, classic growingup experiences radiate throughout the pages of this sunny, anytime story.Eileen Spinelli is the acclaimed author of over 40 children's books. She lives in western Pennsylvania.

Joanne Lew-Vriethoff lives in the Netherlands.

First Saturday in June

_Fifty-nine days to go.

I can't find my purple beach towel.

I can't even get to my closet

without walking across

a sea of dirty socks.

Mom pokes her head into my doorway,

says:

"Time to clean your room, Sophie."

And I have to admit

she's right.

And it's not that cleaning my room

is the worst thing to do.

It's just that there are so many other

better things to do,

like--

painting my toenails Strawberry Pink,

eating a huge stack of Uncle Joe's pancakes,

dreaming of riding the Ferris wheel,

thinking up a story to tell

around the campfire

on Scary Story Night,

painting shells,

riding waves_._._._

all the fun, wonderful,

sandy, sunny things we do

at Summerhouse Time.