I remember reading a book in elementary school (sometime around 1990 – 1995 or so) about a young boy who may or may not have had some kind of disability but had very few or no friends. I think it may have had to do with him making friends with a young girl that was more ‘normal’ but could understand his unique qualities.

The big part of the book that sticks out to me was that he kept having funerals for his imaginary friends and would bury them with a stone or something like that as a symbol of the imaginary friend.   I also think there was a tin box that he kept the stones or his toy soldiers in or something.

Also, it took place in summer (I almost want to think it was called The Summer of the ….. but I know there is a different book called The Summer of the Swans that I might be confusing part of it with), little toy soldiers were possibly a symbol or theme that occurred in the book. And I think the book concluded with the boy having some sort of personal growth and or discovery and no longer having funerals for his imaginary friends. (Maybe because he now can have real friends??)

I even have an image in my mind where the toy soldiers were part of the illustration on the cover of the book, but I am not sure about that.

One more thing, even though it contained a little bit of dark imagery (imaginary friend funerals) I remember the book just felt so atmospheric and beautiful and I was really moved at reading something that produced such subtle emotions in me.

I think there is a scene in the book where the girl is drawing ball point pen tattoos on someone (herself?) him? or I might be mixed up with another thing. Because when we were given a poetry assignment I recreated that scene in our back garden sitting on a stone and wrote a poem with the line ‘drawing ball point pen tattoos in the summer heat’ and my fifth grade teacher got all excited and told me my poetry was really good.

Every few years I have tried to find this book, and I have failed after exhausting attempts over and over again. If anyone can shed light on this and resolve my dilemma of many years, I would be very grateful and very interested in buying the book!

Thank you very much!!