A Day at the Beach

Lately, I find myself beguiled by short story collections. I have always been someone who enjoys a long book. What’s happening? Perhaps it’s our fractured world or my attention span or the need to seek out satisfying resolutions … but the last few books I’ve read have been short stories or standalone chapters or small vignettes and I’m savoring them. Apparently I can change, even after a long lifetime of reading.

This book, by two master writers, Gary D. Schmidt and Ron Koertge, often found me holding my breath. When people write together, I want to know who wrote what. How did they divide up the writing? Did they have a say over the other person’s words and ideas?

Hard to tell in this book. There are many, many voices telling their stories and they all feel distinct.

We begin our one day at the beach with Jackie and Simon, brother and sister who are running twice a day on Rockcastle Beach (IYKYK), hoping to claim a place on their high school and middle school cross-country teams. There’s no dialogue, they’re running and sprinting, but it lets the authors introduce us to the sights and sounds and smells of the beach.

In the next chapter, we meet Tobias Jackson, who is learning to be comfortable with his new body. Recently returned from a health camp, where he dropped enough weight to go from XXX Large to Large, he is reveling in his promised reward, an iPhone Infinity Plus, a not-yet-available-to-the-public phone. His dad’s connections brought the phone to him and he’s very excited. Until the phone goes missing on the beach.

Throughout the book, we experience the lives of 26 different characters, all young teens, and their families and friends and pets and new acquaintances. Each chapter is short but, because Schmidt and Koertge are good at this writing thing, we are drawn into their stories.

Ralphy Stegnar is competing against his twin brother Rex to find the coolest treasure with their metal detection devices. He’s delighted by the discovery of a Swiss army knife until he finds something amazing, something even Rex can’t top as they let their dad be the judge.

Ramon! Corzo is a rock star (really) who is doing his best to have a normal day without being recognized.

There’s Mike Romeo IV who craves his Saturdays at the beach with his dad and his grandfather, Mike 3 and Mike 2. Starting with Mike 1, his great-grandfather who is no longer alive, these guys repair the boardwalk, volunteering, using scrap lumber. You just know that Mike 4 is learning a trade and enjoying the camaraderie of doing a job well.

Carla Scalapino is part of a large family. She and her siblings devise the Circus Maximus, an impromptu juggling, tumbling, and magic act that has people tossing coins into a fedora on the sand. Her mom insists they take five-year-old Alfie with them. Carla is ticked. What will he do? His skill turns out to be jaw-dropping and people clamor for Alfie to let them be next.

Will Tobias find his phone? Will Jackie and Simon be back for their second run of the day?

Some of the kids interact with each other. Some don’t. Some get wet in the water. Some are not thrilled to be there. Some finally feel alive. Some feel seen.

The way these stories are woven together, their placement in the narrative, the crystal-clear characterizations, the emotions I felt while reading … I feel stunned. I don’t believe I’ve ever read a book like this. It’s finely crafted, mesmerizing to read.

I’ve never been to a beach. This makes me curious enough to pack up a blanket, an umbrella, and some sunscreen. I want to meet people like these.

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A Day at the Beach
Gary D. Schmidt and Ron Koertge
Illustrations and cover art by Yaoyao Ma Van As
Clarion Books, 2025

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