by Karen Hesse
First published 1999
Tess stands on her fire escape, watching the sky for any sign of clouds. The city swelters under days of blazing heat. The pavement burns. The air shimmers. Everyone moves slowly, waiting for relief that never comes. Tess dreams of rain, imagining how it will feel on her skin and smell in the air. She calls to the sky, begging for just one storm to wash away the oppressive heat. When the first drops finally fall, Tess and the other children rush outside. They dance in the downpour as their mothers watch from doorways, smiling. The rain transforms everything. It cools the burning streets and fills the air with the sweet scent of summer storms. Tess feels the water soak through her clothes and run down her face. The whole neighborhood comes alive again. This is a story about longing and the simple joy of getting exactly what you wish for when you need it most.
Genres: fiction, literary-fiction, contemporary
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, lyrical
Tropes: slice-of-life
Setting: City
Period: 20th-century
Hardcover · Scholastic Incorporated