History Literature / DandelionWine

* TeamChef: Doug's Grandma cooks enormous dinners for the whole extended family.

* ApronMatron: Doug's grandmother and great-grandmother.

* GrannyClassic: Grandma and Great-Grandma embody this trope to a T.

* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: At the beginning of the book, Doug wakes up before everyone else and silently commands his family to wake up, brush their teeth, start making breakfast etc. Lights go on and the townspeople begin their day immediately after Doug tells them to. To the reader it almost seems as if Doug has the supernatural ability to control the actions of the townspeople. Or it could be that he has memorized the daily rhythm of his community and tells people to do things right before they would usually do them.

* MaybeMagic, MaybeMundane: At the beginning of the book, Doug wakes up before everyone else and silently commands his family to wake up, brush their teeth, start making breakfast etc. Lights go on and the townspeople begin their day immediately after Doug tells them to. To the reader it almost seems as if Doug has the supernatural ability to control the actions of the townspeople. Or it could be that he has memorized the daily rhythm of his community and tells people to do things right before they would usually do them.

* MaybeMagic,MaybeMundane: At the beginning of the book, Doug wakes up before everyone else and silently commands his family to wake up, brush their teeth, start making breakfast etc. Lights go on and the townspeople begin their day immediately after Doug tells them to. To the reader it almost seems as if Doug has the supernatural ability to control the actions of the townspeople. Or it could be that he has memorized the daily rhythm of his community and tells people to do things right before they would usually do them.

* Brain Fever: One morning Doug wakes up with a fever and feels too sick to get out of bed. The doctor examines him, but has no idea what could be causing his sudden illness. Tom thinks this malaise may be caused by all the disappointing things that happened to Doug over the summer.

* Cicadian Rhythm: In one of the later chapters Tom Spaulding is listening to the cicadas outside. He believes that the number of times a cicada buzzes in fifteen seconds plus thirty-nine equals the temperature in degrees Fahrenheit. Doug thinks this is a waste of time and tells him that he could just look at a thermometer. This annoys Tom and causes him to argue with his brother.

* Heat Wave: The opening paragraphs of one chapter describe a heat wave descending on Green Town in the middle of the night.

* ApronMatron: Doug's grandmother and great-grandmother

->''"A magical evocation of boyhood and summer" ''

->''"A magical evocation of boyhood and summer" ''<-

A departure from Creator/RayBradbury’s typical science fiction work, Dandelion Wine is a nostalgic and semi-autobiographical novel based on the author’s boyhood in Waukegan, Illinois. It offers vivid details of small town life in 1920’s America in what can be described as a Norman Rockwell painting in book form.

A departure from Creator/Ray Bradbury’s typical science fiction work, Dandelion Wine is a nostalgic and semi-autobiographical novel based on the author’s boyhood in Waukegan, Illinois. It offers vivid details of small town life in 1920’s America in what can be described as a Norman Rockwell painting in book form.

A departure from Ray Bradbury’s typical science fiction work, Dandelion Wine is a nostalgic and semi-autobiographical novel based on the author’s boyhood in Waukegan, Illinois. It offers vivid details of small town life in 1920’s America in what can be described as a Norman Rockwell painting in book form.

* RetiredBadass: Colonel Freeleigh

* OldSoldier: Colonel Freeleigh. The boys in Green Town enjoy visiting him and hearing his stories about fighting in the Civil War. (see also RetiredBadass)

* AngerBornofWorry: Mrs. Spaulding is worried when Doug goes off with some boys from the neighborhood and still hasn't returned by nightfall. She goes out to the ravine and calls out to him. When he answers back, she is furious with him for staying out so long and making her and Tom so worried.

* TeamChef: Doug's Grandma cooks enormous dinners for the whole extended family.

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The story begins one early morning in late June. Doug Spaulding wakes up before sunrise while the rest of the town is still asleep. As he peers out of the cupola window, he surveys the whole town and begins telling everyone to wake up. As if obeying Doug’s commands, lights go on, people wake up, and slowly the whole town begins coming to life. Doug finally finishes his morning ritual, content that he has ushered in the summer of 1928.
A departure from Ray Bradbury’s typical science fiction work, Dandelion Wine is a nostalgic and semi-autobiographical novel based on the author’s boyhood in Waukegan, Illinois. It offers vivid details of small town life in 1920’s America in what can be described as a Norman Rockwell painting in book form.

* EverytownAmerica: The fictional town of Green Town, Illinois where the Spaulding boys live was based on Waukegan, Illinois where author Ray Bradbury grew up.

* TheAllAmericanBoy: The main character Doug Spaulding, his brother Tom, and most of the other boys in their town are a perfect example of this.

* Everytown,America: The fictional town of Green Town, Illinois where the Spaulding boys live was based on Waukegan, Illinois where author Ray Bradbury grew up.

* MidnightSnack: After a disastrous dinner, the family goes to bed disappointed that Grandma has seemingly "lost her touch". Doug sneaks down to the kitchen in the middle of the night, and returns the kitchen to the way it was before Aunt Rose told grandma to clean it up. He gets a cooking fire going and grandma comes downstairs. Soon the whole family is enjoying a delicious meal at 2 o'clock in the morning, overjoyed that grandma has regained her ability to make the scrumptious meals she is famous for.

* OldSoldier: Colonel Freeleigh. The boys in Green Town enjoy visiting him and hearing his stories about fighting in the Civil War. (see also Retired Badass)

* AllAmericanBoy: The main character Doug Spaulding, his brother Tom, and most of the other boys in their town are a perfect example of this.

* All-AmericanBoy: The main character Doug Spaulding, his brother Tom, and most of the other boys in their town are a perfect example of this.

* Close-KnitCommunity: The town where the Spauldings live is the embodiment of this trope. It is obvious to the reader that the residents of the town are all somehow connected to each other.

* Free-RangeChildren: The children of Green Town are a good example of this trope. Many of the vignettes in this book involve children going off and playing on their own without parental supervision.
* Long-Lived: Doug's Great-Grandmother is said to be 90 years old, and Helen Loomis, one of the residents of Green Town, is 95.

* Multi-GenerationalHousehold: The Spaulding Boys live in a big house with their parents, grandparents and a few aunts and uncles.