A First Time for Everything is a delightful read about one summer and the trip of a lifetime.
Some people dream of a trip like Dan’s, others have nightmares, but regardless this is a great coming of age book that we all can relate to (a modern reader will love seeing the late 1980s) and enjoy. There is a lot going on and a must read. Dan Santat’s signature style illustrations the adventures that await.
Dan’s adventures start in middle school, where he is asked to recite a A. A. Milne poem. He does not exactly bomb, but well, middle schoolers can be cruel. From then on out he tries to stay invisible, but somehow, he just does not always make it. Then the end of middle school and the summer before high school comes. And Dan has an opportunity to go with other students from his school in CA and another state to Europe for three weeks. In that three weeks Dan does anything but stay invisible! He makes new friends, sneaks a little beer, gets puke on him, is lost in a strange city at 1 in the morning. He learns the hard way breadsticks in France is not free. Wimbledon the town and Wimbledon the stadium are two different things (and if you are careful you can sneak in and see John McEnroe play and get your first kiss).
And while this is based on the actual trip Dan took when he was 13, there are some poetic licenses taken with the fact and the order of some events. You must read his afterwards as well as this ties some things together and more background information.
I read this book on Edelweiss and it is due February 2023. I was just under the wire with this and his book, The Aquanaut, as two of my at least Top 15 (even perhaps Top 10) favorite reads of 2022.