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

by Nicholas Day, Yas Imamura (illustrator)

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 YALSA EXCELLENCE IN NONFICTION FINALIST • A SCBWI GOLDEN KITE AWARD FINALIST • ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE The New York Times Book Review, NPR, Horn Book, The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, The Boston Globe Blue Ribbon Awards List

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 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 a tale of climate change and human folly and hope—and what happens when the world suddenly goes wrong.

Genres: Nonfiction, Middle Grade, History, Science, Historical, Childrens, Environment

303 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 9, 2025

About the author

Nicholas Day is the author of The Mona Lisa Vanishes, illustrated by Brett Helquist, winner of the Robert F. Sibert Award and the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for nonfiction; A World Without Summer, illustrated by Yas Imamura; and Nothing: John Cage and 4’33”, illustrated by Chris Raschka. For adults, he’s the author of Baby Meets World, a work about the science and history of infancy, which Mary Roach called “a perfect book.” He lives in Northampton, Massachusetts, with his family.

Reviews

[Skye Elder · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC Review!!!
This book is truly a phenomenal book!!!📖
The history behind it to bringing the reader to read in a different perspective is incredible!
And the artwork is beautiful!!
This is definitely one of my new favorites!

[Katie Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

This middle grade nonfiction title about the ramifications of a volcanic eruption in 1816 was fascinating, but definitely agenda-driven. The author is forthcoming about the fact that he sees what happened in 1816 - dramatic climate change resulting in bizarre weather and catastrophic famine and disease - as the harbinger for present-day climate change and tries to use the details of the historical events to inspire action in the present day. I don't give my kids books that draw conclusions like this on their behalf, especially when our interest in this topic is primarily historical and not ecological, so I will be opting not to share it with them. But I think this is a fantastic topic for a book, and I went down the rabbit hole looking up even more information after I finished reading what was presented here. I do think there could have been a little less about Mary Shelley, but having just read Frankenstein this year, I did find all of that information very interesting.

[Kailyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this.

[Katy O. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely phenomenal! I learned SO MUCH from this MG / YA nonfiction page turner 🌋

Source: school library hardcover

[Emily McKee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not without flaws, but readers will probably be willing to overlook these because this is an untold story. Similar to Everything is Tuberculosis, as it connects a single distant event, the 1815 eruption of Mount Tambora in Indonesia, to a chain of catastrophes—though a prominent Mary Shelley storyline felt tangential.

Shelley’s life and experiences following the eruption are included to build an analogy to climate change, with humans as Frankenstein, and the climate his monster. This is a very clever, but also odd and unnecessary approach. The volcano is analogy enough. While this shows that the eruption was a global event, it also gives a surprisingly Western emphasis to the disaster. It is also potentially confusing to kids who might misunderstand and believe Frankenstein has more than a very indirect connection to Tambora.

The emergence of cholera following the eruption was fascinating and could have been expanded on and related to future disease threats. These more direct effects of the eruption are interesting enough to standalone and get readers thinking about a world without a winter.

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

OUT - F'ING - STANDING!

Day writes the most engaging nonfiction, true crime at its best, even if the crime is a volcano going off. He show what is meant when Detective Lester Freamon in THE WIRE says the line "All the pieces matter."

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5!

Too much Mary Shelley backstory to keep the focus, but such a great narrative non-fiction socio-enviro account that pivots towards a call to empathy and action.

[Bethany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating. Listened to this as we drove all over Costa Rica. Learned a ton!

[Joe Bertelloni · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was good but seemed disjointed. Loved the historical and literary connections but it struggled to flow

[Joey W · Rating 5 out of 5]

It shouldn't snow in the summer.
Humans do not eat porcupines.
People don not sell themselves into slavery.
Sheep should not wear sweaters.
And yet all of these happen in 'A World Without Summer.' Wonderfully written, and impossible to put down, this book blends history, biography, and science into an unbelievable account of some of the darkest, coldest, and somehow forgotten years in human history.

[Barb Middleton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well written nonfiction book about the eruption of the volcano Mount Tambora and how it caused global climate change with clever tie-ins to Mary Shelley’s life and writing of Frankenstein. Targeted to young adults but great for us big adults as well. This will be on award lists. Fantastical written!

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well written and timely story of climate shock and its aftermath. For kids who want to read more about climate change. I do think it will take some hand selling to get most kids to pick it up. And while I loved the Mary Shelley/ Frankenstein angle, I’m curious about how many kids would be into that part. It reads fast, and the story of the volcanic eruption and how it affected the world is well told.

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! More to come closer to the release date.

[Kevin Parkinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author's previous book ("Mona Lisa Vanishes") was written for middle schoolers, but is legit one of my favorite books of the past decade. So... when I saw that the author had a new title ("A World Without Summer"), I eagerly scooped it up.

Both books have similarities:
(1) Both books feature two main stories - "Mona Lisa Vanishes" includes the story of how the Mona Lisa was originally painted, and the story of how it was stolen centuries later. "A World Without Summer" includes the volcanic explosion at Tambora and the writing of "Frankenstein." All four of these stories were ones I wasn't super familiar with before.
(2) Both stories included in both books were told with fantastic research, and plenty of quirky anecdotes that kept my interest and were so fun to hear.
(3) The stories were well told and woven together beautifully.
(4) The author draws out life lessons that connect both stories in each book.

So: I was able to find so much of what I loved from "Mona Lisa Vanishes" in this book, which was a REALLY good thing given how much I loved that book. I will concede I didn't think "A World Without Summer" is quite as tight as "Mona Lisa Vanishes." It tries to follow a similar structure, and didn't QUITE pull it off as well. Still, it's great in its own right. Maybe a 4.5 rounded up.

[Gabrielle Stoller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nicholas Day does a phenomenal job in writing engaging nonfiction. Growing up I didn’t like nonfiction. It was dry and boring. Both this book and the Siebert winning the Mona Lisa Vanishes introduce topics to readers that either are unknown or presented in a much more fun way.

A World without Summer. I will admit was not my favorite on a personal level. I’m not a science girl. Never have been never will be. I agree with other comments above that this book could have benefited from graphs and charts for the non-scientific minded person. However, the language shows how it is deserving of the Newbery medal. All along I was aware of the setting in which this took place. Having read other books, I knew we would go on side tangents and as a literary nut. I enjoyed all of the history surrounding Lord Byron, Mary Shelley, and Frankenstein.

This book is not in my top five when I'm looking at it for my mock Newbery discussion. However, I definitely hope I see a medal on its jacket come awards time. Also, I hope it gets read by the masses as it explores a very important topic: how we have a responsibility to this planet to take care of it before it implodes on itself

[Tamara York · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! This book is a work of genius. It’s hard to describe but I’ll give it a shot. Nicholas Day (author of The Mona Lisa Vanishes) brings another layered nonfiction middle grade book that transcends the genre. He ties a volcanic eruption on an island in Indonesia in 1815 to Mary Shelley writing Frankenstein to modern day climate change…and he does it phenomenally well.
This book is not for the faint of heart. I would only hand this to the more resilient middle grade readers who love tales of tragedy. Empathetic, sensitive readers might be too traumatized. But Titanic-obsessed, natural disaster, I Survived fans would probably love it. I could even see this book paired with Frankenstein in high school (heck even college courses) and it would lead to some very interesting discussions.
I love reading cause and effect history and science books. I love when the dots are connected in my knowledge base and light bulbs are lit in my brain. This is that type of book. It reminded me of Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green in that way. This book has me thinking, “Everything IS the Tambora volcano eruption.”

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Something about the way he writes gives me goosebumps. In a good way. I appreciated the repeated asking of questions to tie the reader into the situation that seems past but is actually present. While I had known about a volcano causing bad weather and that leading to the writing of Frankenstein, I had never even heard about the rest of it. The famines, the social unrest, and these giving rise to modern meteorology and social welfare systems. It really is fascinating how things can interconnect without people in the present connecting those dots.

Also appreciate how much disdain the writer clearly has for Percy Shelley and the men in Mary's life. Agreed.

[Lisa Ball · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will read anything that Nicholas Day writes!!! His books are amazing. I learned so much from reading this book and spent meaning days going down internet search rabbit holes trying to learn even more. Great book!

[Cheryl Meibos · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't know anything about the Tambora volcano eruption in 1816. This book expanded my range of thinking and the authors did this in a well researched and interesting way. Reminded me of Malcolm Gladwell's style. Loved it. Definitely worthy of the Newbery award.

[Cynthia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was absolutely fantastic! I enjoyed every moment and highly recommend it.

[Alana "Loni" · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nicholas Day is so good at writing nonfiction.

[Morton Public Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

Narrative nonfiction | Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley | Climate - Emma

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nonfiction but reads like fiction. Very interesting history on volcanic eruption in 1815 of Tambora and how it changed the climate of the world, causing freak cold weather in summer and constant rain. But also we follow the story of Mary Shelley writing Frankenstein. Book has questions for the reader throughout. Would be great for a middle grade bookclub.

[Maggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great story of seemingly unrelated things! Climate change, Mary Shelley, the bicycle: all of them interesting in their own right, fascinating when tied together.

[Anna Gibson · Rating 3 out of 5]

"It all comes back to the ash."

Between 3 and 4 stars.

An engaging , quasi-narrative non-fiction work that might just (pardon the unintended pun) spark a fire of interest in historical events for younger readers.

The book follows the eruption of Mount Tambora and the aftermath that followed, which extended far beyond the volcano's immediate range and impacted countless lives--and the world--in immeasurable ways.

I found the messages in the book critically important for young (and let's be honest, older) readers today. Both the overarching messages of noticing what's going on in the world around you and taking action on it, and messages regarding helping others, acknowledging (and changing) the wide gap between the rich and the poor, and so on.

There is, perhaps, a bit too much of an emphasis on Mary Shelley... considering that the book repeatedly discusses the longstanding effects of the eruption, it's not unusual that her story is brought up, but I don't know that we needed to return to it repeatedly in order for the author to connect the book's themes to some of those found in Frankenstein. (But I did learn that Mary Shelley was, apparently, once bitten by a squirrel. So maybe it was worth it.)

Speaking of "apparently"--how much of the book is backed by solid sources? Well... now and then, the book does quote (or claims it is quoting--since there are no footnotes, it's not easy to check!) letters, newspaper articles, etc, which are refreshing and add more historical context to the sometimes sparse narration.

But... while the back of the book does contain an extensive bibliography, because it's written in a conversational style, there are no footnotes and no pointers for readers who might want to uncover the sources behind the events, people and claims made in the book.

(Some of which require more than a little scrutiny--it is a strange that the author at one point claims that until 1816, the poor generally hadn't protested or rioted against being hungry, while in the same book, it repeatedly talks about monarchs and the elite were worried because of the French Revolution. To say nothing of the various riots and protests throughout history prior to even the French Revolution of 1789... why would the elites be worried about discontented poor people, without the history of what happens when those people starve?)

It is frustrating, as someone with a longstanding interest in being open with where claims are coming from. I do recognize that this style of writing is not the norm for younger non-fiction, especially not this type of narrative style which is not intended to be rigorously academic but is meant to be something that hooks readers and doesn't let go.

Which it does! So I can set aside those scruples. Mostly.

The final chapter should be sobering for younger and older readers alike.

[Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

A well written albeit pretentious narrative nonfiction account that explores how Mount Tambora's eruption in 1815 affected the climate and inspired Mary Shelley's work. The book aims to be 'global' but it solely focuses on Europe and the U.S. I actually wanted to know about Indonesia and the direct aftermath of the volcano. I could care less of what is happening in Europe. I don't think there is a whole lot of appeal for this book. It is more like a book that teachers *want and think* their students *would/should* like.

[Mary Beth MacLeay · Rating 3 out of 5]

excellent writing about an explosion of a South Sea volcano and the world wide after effects. But too much pontificating on climate change. Kids today have enough stress.

[Stephanie Tournas · Rating 4 out of 5]

On April 10, 1815, Mt. Tambora, on the Indonesian island of Sumbawa, blew its top. It was the most deadly volcanic eruption in history: over 100,000 people died and the climate shock caused by the eruption caused seven years of bad weather, famine, disease and death throughout the world. It was the most cataclysmic climate event in history that no one has heard about.

In describing the force and violence of the eruption, the author furnishes first hand accounts and historical evidence of what happened, as well as scientific descriptions of the geology of volcanic eruptions. But he goes beyond the geology to show a connection to climate catastrophe that the contemporaries of the event could not fathom. The entire world suffered, either by prolonged flooding or drought, causing violent storms, altered seasons, fires, extremely short growing seasons and consequently a global famine. Alternating between countries’ predicaments in the wake of the eruption are chapters which show that Mary Shelley’s writing of Frankenstein is a direct result of her experience in the years following the eruption. Another fascinating thrust of the book is how societies were not prepared to help the people who became destitute and starving, and Day explains why in brief but succinct descriptions of how societies were structured. In the 19th century, there was the thinking that occasional famine was good, in order to reduce the number of poor people in the world. Day asks the reader, throughout the book, to consider questions of morality with respect to how the countries of the world dealt with the catastrophe. This is the ultimate intersectional treatment of how tragedy affects all of us – it touches on climate, geology, social science and literature. The conversational writing makes it easy to picture what went on during those years.

The book contains a strong bibliography and notes on sources quoted in the text. There is a table of contents and an index. Charming black and white images throughout the book break up the text, although they do not add anything substantive.

[Ilse O'Brien · Rating 5 out of 5]

A volcano in Indonesia violently and apocalyptically erupted in 1815 with such force and destruction that it caused worldwide climate change on a devastating scale — and no one made the connection until almost 200 years later. He lays out just how this happened and how people were affected by and responded to these conditions.

What is most fascinating and important about this book is the way that Nicholas Day lays out connections and ways of thinking — not just about the specific events and causes/effects, but about the ways in which we all notice, interpret, and respond to them.

He also offers insights into the writing process at several points, noting for example that he could pile on more anecdotes about badness — but he doesn’t. That might increase the ease of which we are conditioned to it and stop noticing it. “Pay attention to that feeling that you don’t need to pay attention. Because if it is true for these Tambora years — this apocalyptic streak of bad weather — it might be true for ours, too.”

The impact of Tambora included the genesis of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (the setting, the weather, the circumstances may not have come together to inspire her to write this) — AND some of the ideas and themes in it: hunger, vicious storms, ugliness, power.
In light of what happened in the past — with climate change and human folly — he asks us to consider what to do now when the when the world suddenly goes wrong. “We ought to puzzle this out together…”

“We are not the main character in our own lives…everything we do turns on a stable, predictable climate.”

Day’s first nonfiction book, the award-winning The Mona Lisa Vanishes was equally as fascinating.

Highly recommend.

[David Carriere · Rating 5 out of 5]

A World Without Summer is a riveting and brilliantly constructed work of middle grade nonfiction that makes global history feel immediate, urgent, and unforgettable. Nicholas Day takes one of the most catastrophic natural disasters in recorded history the 1815 eruption of Mount Tambora and traces its shockwaves across continents, cultures, and generations.
What makes this book exceptional is its narrative ambition. Day doesn’t simply recount a volcanic eruption; he shows how a single environmental event reshaped agriculture, art, migration, literature, and scientific understanding. From famine-stricken farmers to orphaned children, from ash-darkened skies to the stormy summer that sparked Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the book reveals how deeply intertwined climate and creativity truly are.
The prose is vivid and accessible without ever talking down to its audience. Complex ideas about atmospheric science, climate disruption, and historical causality are woven seamlessly into compelling storytelling. Yas Imamura’s illustrations enhance the experience, grounding abstract concepts in striking visual detail.
Timely, thought provoking, and deeply engaging, A World Without Summer offers young readers and adults alike a powerful lens through which to understand both the past and our present climate anxieties. It’s an exemplary work of narrative nonfiction that educates while igniting curiosity.