A World Without Summer: A Volcano Erupts, a Creature Awakens, and the Sun Goes Out

The true story of how a massive catastrophic eruption plunged the world into darkness, altering the global climate and inspiring the likes of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein--from the award-winning author of The Mona Lisa Vanishes and featuring black-and-white illustrations throughout.

"A tour-de-force for our times . . . At once a heart-stopping tale of climate change and a profoundly hopeful call to action."--Katherine Applegate, Newbery Medal winner for The One and Only Ivan

The world was upside-down. The wind was fire. The sky was ash. The rain was rock.

A couple of hundred years ago, on a quiet Indonesian island, a volcano called Tambora erupted with a force and violence that changed history.

It tore apart the island, and in the months and years that followed, its fallout tore apart the world. The sun refused to shine; the rain refused to stop. Everything that everyone assumed would always be there--a world that made sense, a climate that made sense--was suddenly gone.

From this riot of thunder and lightning, a young woman named Mary Shelley conceived of a scientist and his cursed creature. From the nightmare of Tambora, she wrote a nightmare of a book: Frankenstein--a terrifying reminder of how much damage we humans might do, without even realizing it.

This is the story of a volcano that changed the world and a creature that changed us.

Once upon a time, everything was different. And no one knew if it would ever be the same.

In this masterful work, Nicholas Day, author of the Sibert Award-winning The Mona Lisa Vanishes, brings us a story taken from the archives but seemingly scripted for us today: a tale of climate change and human folly and hope--and what happens when the world suddenly goes wrong.

Author: Nicholas Day
Publisher: Random House Studio
Published: 09/09/2025
Pages: 304
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.10lbs
Size: 9.19h x 6.29w x 1.12d
ISBN: 9780593643877
Audience: Ages 9-12


Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 06/16/2025
Kirkus Reviews 07/01/2025
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 09/01/2025
Booklist 09/01/2025
School Library Journal 08/29/2025 pg. 1

About the Author
NICHOLAS DAY is the author of The Mona Lisa Vanishes, winner of the Robert F. Sibert Award and the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for nonfiction. He is also the author of the picture book Nothing, which received three starred reviews, and the adult narrative nonfiction title, Baby Meets World. He has written regularly for Slate; his work has also appeared in the Atlantic, the New York Times, and the Washington Post, among other publications. He lives in Western Massachusetts with his family.

YAS IMAMURA is an Asian American illustrator living in Portland, Oregon. Her works include collaborations with Anthropologie and Sanrio, as well as her growing list of children's books, including Love in the Library by Maggie Takuda-Hall, which received four starred reviews. Her preferred materials are gouache and watercolor and often finds herself drawn to projects that are playful, mysterious, and a little offbeat.