The Summer of 1964 (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781643003399)

Childhood summer vacations are always special, but the summer before a life-changing event like your first year of high school can be particularly memorable. The great unknown of venturing out of your neighborhood comfort zone and meeting new friends can be stressful but also holds out the promise of meeting lifelong friends.

The Summer of 1964 tells the story of Marty McAlynn, a fourteen-year-old boy, as he experiences his last summer before entering secondary school. As the summer develops, it is shaping up as the greatest summer of his young life for several reasons. His favorite team, the almost always hapless Philadelphia Phillies, are defying all expectations and are in the thick of a red-hot pennant race. Marty is also indulging his creative passion and love of the classic Universal horror movies by making his very own home movie, a monster film about Frankenstein and the Wolfman. Marty lives in the heart of South Philadelphia with his large family headed by his dad, Martin Senior, a Philadelphia fireman; his mom, Veronica, a stay-at-home mother of ten children; and his maternal grandfather, Adolph, a World War I veteran and refugee from the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Marty discovers the joys and heartache of a summer that will never be forgotten. It is also a bittersweet tale of how baseball can bind three generations with agonizing thrills, heartbreaking defeats and lifetime memories.