Hinsdale: The Summer of '58

Stories of Adventures for Junior Teens

Donald Kirk will thrill and captivate kids and adults alike with his brilliant retelling of his own adventures in the late 1950s when life was simpler and kids could safely run free in the neighborhood. He wrote this book hoping today's kids could see that there are other things they can do besides video games and "the boob tube," if only they would choose to do so.

The book is a collection of humorous short stories that can stand alone, but are tied together by the same fascinating characters. Most involve the creative "projects" of the neighborhood kids that kept them busy and engaged, and often taught them a moral lesson about life.

The baby-boomer generation may well enjoy reading this book even more than today's kids as life in the fifties comes alive again. It may also open up a dialog between generations as the kids read about what their parents used to do.

Table of Contents:

1. Prologue

2. The Ferris Wheel

3. The Train to Downer's Grove

4. Pat's Crazy Caf

5. The Mysterious Talking Board

6. The Soapbox Derby

7. The Candy Machine

8. Dr. Frankenstein, I Presume

9. The Swamp Thing

10. Snipe Hunt at Hadley's Glen1

11. A Scary Story

12. Larry and Little Lulu

13. Friday the 13th

14. The Puppet Theatre

15. The Three Stooges

16. Destination Basement

17. Epilogue

Don's writing career began in the fourth grade with cartoon strips starring Long Nose of Long Nose Town and a story about his traumatic experiences in a hospital when his tonsils were removed. At that time, he also enjoyed making things like a Three Bears outdoor village and a fully functioning pinball machine while he was just nine years old. Over the years his building projects got bigger--much bigger--and his interest in telling others about them continued. After writing horror and sci-fi, he returned to chronicling his youth, including his wild summer adventures in Hinsdale, Illinois.