The last thing either Jana (13) or Louise (17) is looking for on this hot and boring summer is a friend of totally the wrong age. But then one day, they abandon their responsibilities and irritating families, and head off in a borrowed car for a day by the lake. Their adventure is simple – beer, ice-cream, swimming, singing – but the friendship it forges between them turns out to be profound. When Jana experiences loss, it is only Louise s tender and funny postcards that can haul her out of depression – right out of her bedroom window and off on another adventure.

Written in a light, amusing style, and in the alternating voices of its two heroines, this is a touching story of the redemptive power of love.

Wherever It Is Summer deftly explores the no-man s-land between childhood and adulthood and the power of female friendship, in language that is subtle and surprising. – Deirdre Sullivan, author of Tangleweed and Brine