3.5. The writing is very poetic and from a different, formal era. Centered around brothers Doug and Tom, 12 and 10 yrs old, in the summer of 1928. They go through the same summer rituals as always: first time running barefoot in the grass of the year, first swim in the lake of the year, first dandelion harvest of the year for Grandfathers dandelion wine—but they have new realizations about these things, and they record it all in their nickel tablet. (I guess that's like an old-fashioned journal). They and their friends interact with people of their small Illinois town, and the narrative jumps to these people to tell their stories, and then goes back to the boys, for their view on things. There is a gripping suspenseful story of a woman who is followed by a criminal predator—very thrilling. Another story is an achy-sweet glimpse into an old man and his last longings. And I guess Bradbury can't help putting some imaginative elements in, like a "happiness machine" that someone builds, and a meeting of witches or something; Tom witnesses this bizarre meeting of ladies which I did not get at all; and for me, it could've been left out because Tom doesn't write about it in his "nickel tablet." But the book is very good because Doug is learning about life and death, and his longing for life's answers prompts him to steal a fortune teller dummy, "Madam Tarot", from her glass box at the arcade.