Pages 12 - 25 Summary

Later that day, Douglas and Tom collect dandelions for their Grandfather in their first rite of summer. Grandfather pays his grandsons ten cents a bag to collect the flowers that he will press with fresh rainwater into dandelion wine. This distilled brew will serve the family well in winter when, with the fragrance of summer, it is dished out as medication for fevers and chills. With this first rite complete, Douglas joins his friends John Huff and Charlie Woodman at the ravine that divides Green Town in two. Douglas questions why his friends seem more alive than he, despite his new sense of being. The answer, he concludes, is in his old shoes. That night, after going to a movie with his family, Douglas tries to convince Father to buy him a pair of Litefoot sneakers. Father has many reasons why...