Spending the summer with her dad's new family, Auden meets Eli, a fellow insomniac who helps her discover the town at night. Together they embark on parallel quests – Auden hopes to experience the carefree teenage life she has been denied. Eli wants to stop feeling guilty about a friend's death. "Botchan perfectly renders the teenage dialogue and emotionally charged situations upon which Dessen has built her reputation."—AudioFile