Summerlings, A Novel

Its the summer of 1959 in the seemingly tranquil suburbs of Washington, D.C. But our young narrator, John, and his best friends, Ivan and Max, know the truth: every door on their street could be hidingan escapedNazi or a spy with secrets about the A-bomb. Theentire cityis being plagued by an inexplicable spider infestationsurely evidence of insect warfare by the Russians! So when a rare vinegaroona whip scorpionis discovered on Capitol Hilland sequestered forstudy at the Smithsonian, the boys, along with their tomboy accomplice, Beatriz, hatch a risky midnight plan to steal thedeadlycreature for their own devious purposes.Yet when the friends discover some very real instances of anti-Semitism and prejudice in the neighborhood, its the shocking and tragicevents stemming fromawell-intentioned community-building potluck party that change their lives...