Book excerpt: Mark is an eight-year-old boy, and yesterday was the last day of school. Mark is very excited about this summer vacation. This summer vacation is a special one for Mark because his older brother who has been off fighting in the Vietnam War is scheduled to come home this summer, sometime around July. Mark is very anxious to see his big brother, and it being during the summer vacation time makes it even better. Summer vacation for an eight-year-old seems like it will last forever when in fact it only lasts two months. But to an eight-year-old boy, these are days of playing football and basketball and swimming all day long—and not having any homework. This is the first day of summer vacation, and it starts out just like any other sunny day.