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Summery #1
Mason Buttle lives on his family’s apple orchard in a house he calls the crumbledown. After his dad left, Mason and his mother moved in with Grandpa, Grandma, and Uncle Drum. Grandpa died, and Mason’s mother was hit by a car and killed. Grandma stopped baking, and Uncle Drum quit working the orchard. Drum spent most of his time at the diner. He found Shayleen, a young broke woman, and felt sorry for her. So he brought her home. -
Summer #2
But, he has bigger problems than these. He lost his best friend, Benny Kilmartin, less then fifteen months ago. Benny died in the family orchard by falling off the ladder of their tree fort. Police Lieutenant Baird still hounds Mason, believing that Mason knows more about what happened to Benny. He continually tells Mason to write down what he remembers in a notebook. Mason’s dyslexia makes writing difficult, even if he could remember something about the day Benny died. -
Summery #3
Mason’s sweat gland problem, called diaphoresis, make him a target Matt Drinker and Lance Pierson. Matt’s mom and their dog, Moonie, like Mason, and Mason often watches the dog when the Drinkers leave town. Mason loves the school social work office, or SWOOF, with Ms. Blinny. She teaches Mason to use a new computer program she calls Dragon, which allows him to speak into the computer rather than type. -
Summer #4
In the SWOOF, Mason meets a boy named Calvin Chumsky. Mason saves Calvin become fast friends. They spend many afternoons together at the crumbledown, avoiding Matt and Lance. One day, Mason and Calvin find a secret door. It leads to an old cellar. The boys spend weeks secretly fixing it up. Calvin reads about how to make a light tube that will filter sun into the cellar. They find a large tube and paint leftover from a nearby construction site and make themselves the perfect hideout. -
Summery #5
Lieutenant Baird continues to annoy Mason. He’s pleased to see that Mason is using The Dragon. Lieutenant Baird reveals the broken ladder rung from which Benny fell appears to have been cut with a saw. Mason is mad to realize Baird and many other people, including Benny’s two fathers, suspect he had something to do with Benny’s death. -
Summery #6
The same night, Calvin’s parents call and ask about his whereabouts. Baird and Mason’s family quickly realize Calvin is missing. Mason realizes Calvin must be in the light shaft. He rushes to the cellar and finds the boy stuck there, his legs bent after trying to jump in and escape the bullies. Rescue workers save the injured boy, tearing apart the cellar in the process. Mason visits Calvin at his house as he recovers. -
Summery #8
When the Drinkers return from their trip, Matt, his friends, and Mrs. Drinker are in the garage with Mason. Mrs. Drinker asks Mason to pull a bag of dog food off the shelf, and Mason hits his hand on an old handsaw that belongs to himself. Mrs. Drinker starts crying and screaming, and Matt turns white. Officer Baird arrives, and Matt’s friend Cory admits Matt and Lance used Mason’s saw to cut the rung on the ladder that killed Benny. -
Summery #9
Mason sees Benny's dad after they find out that he didnt do it and the dad was crying. Mrs. Drinker brings Moonie to live with Mason. Grandma tells Mason and Drum that half of the orchard belongs to each of them and that it’s time to get back to business. They start taking care of the farm again, Grandma returns to her baking, and Shayleen helps with sales. When Calvin is able to leave the house, he and his parents come to see what’s left of the cellar.