
A World Without Summer
A Volcano Erupts, A Creature Awakens, and the Sun Goes Out
Nicholas Day(Author)
Random House USA Inc (Publisher)
Published on 9. September 2025
Book
Hardback
304 pages
978-0-593-64387-7 (ISBN)
Description
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
A ROBERT F. SIBERT HONOR BOOK • A YALSA EXCELLENCE IN NONFICTION FINALIST • A SCBWI GOLDEN KITE AWARD FINALIST • ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The New York Times Book Review, NPR, Horn Book, The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, The Boston Globe
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.
“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
A ROBERT F. SIBERT HONOR BOOK • A YALSA EXCELLENCE IN NONFICTION FINALIST • A SCBWI GOLDEN KITE AWARD FINALIST • ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The New York Times Book Review, NPR, Horn Book, The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, The Boston Globe
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.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Target group
Children/juvenile
US School Grade: From Fifth Grade to Ninth Grade, Interest Age: From 10 to 14 years
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
Illustrations
BLACK-AND-WHITE ILLUSTRATIONS
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 155 mm
Thickness: 29 mm
Weight
495 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-593-64387-7 (9780593643877)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
09/2025
Random House Studio
€13.49
Available for download
Persons
Nicholas Day; illustrated by Yas Imamura