A First Time for Everything

A First Time for Everything, published in 2023, is a middle grade graphic memoir written and illustrated by Dan Santat, a New York Times best-selling author. The book received the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature in 2023 and the Golden Kite Award for Middle Grade Fiction in 2024. The memoir, which takes place in 1989, explores the author’s experiences on a European school tour. The book explores themes related to living in the moment, self-discovery, and first-time experiences.

This guide refers to the 2023 First Second edition.

Summary

Dan Santat’s memoir centers on his school trip to Europe in the summer of 1989, when he is 13 years old. Dan lives with his mother and father in Camarillo, outside Los Angeles. He helps his mother with grocery shopping since she has lupus and is often tired. She urges him to go on a school trip to Europe over the summer, knowing that he would benefit from seeing more of the world. Dan is just finishing junior high school, where he keeps his head down and avoids bullies. He loves to draw but never shows anyone his work because someone once told him that he was terrible. Dan’s teacher Mrs. Bjork once arranged for him to practice his speech in front of the whole school, and Dan can still remember the horror of being called a loser in front of everyone. On the last day of junior high, Dan and two of his friends went to a big year-end party, though Dan worried about going to a party he wasn’t invited to. Just as Dan and his friends arrived, the police did too, breaking up the party. At the airport, Dan says goodbye to his parents and worries that the trip to Europe will be more stressful than fun. Dan meets two boys named Braden and Darryl, who become his friends, and several girls from his school are also on the trip.

It takes 18 hours to get to Paris, France, the first destination on the trip. At the arrival gate, Dan meets Amy, a girl from Illinois who is on the same tour. He accidentally grabs her bag and mispronounces her last name, but Amy is friendly about it. The group meets their tour guide and begins their first day in Paris without any sleep. They pass many famous monuments, and Dan illustrates some of them. During their first breakfast, Dan eats all the breadsticks on the table, which are charged to his bill. In addition, he discovers Fanta soda. While exploring Paris with Darryl and Braden, he fights through his fear of being without adults in a new place. After a fun day, the group reunites at the Eiffel Tower. They climb to the top, and Dan sees Amy again. He watches the sunset and is glad he made the climb. The next destination on the itinerary is Lucerne, Switzerland, and Dan loves the fondue dinner they have there. When he eats too quickly and drops his bread in the cheese, the tour guide tells him that he must kiss his neighbor. Dan awkwardly tells Amy that she doesn’t have to agree to this, but she tells him to kiss her cheek. He misses, kissing her ear instead, and everyone laughs. Dan recalls a time in school when he gave a girl named Shelley his sweater after she had her period and stained her dress. Dan made Shelley feel better by offering her a ride home and keeping her secret safe. In the hotel, Dan is startled by a knock on his door: Amy’s best friend sleepwalks and has started roaming the hallways. Dan takes her back to her room, where he sees Amy again.

The group waits by the bus to head to Munich, Germany. Mrs. Bjork spots Dan sitting on his own and encourages him to liven up and enjoy the trip more. She reminds him that he may never return to Europe and suggests that he speak louder when he talks. On the bus, Dan’s friends pressure him to talk to Amy, but a memory of being rejected and called ugly makes him fear being hurt again. His friend Shelley promises to help Dan navigate this territory. In Munich, Dan admires the architecture, and the kids visit a brewery and drink their first beer. Dan hates the taste and almost becomes sick. He goes outside to find some water but finds Amy instead. They sit down and talk together, joking about the kiss on the ear, when a man from the brewery suddenly vomits in front of them. The vomit lands all over Dan, and Amy gets sick from the smell. Dan doesn’t have time to shower or change before the bus ride and has to sit by himself in the back. Amy asks if she can watch Dan draw, and he nervously agrees. They talk for the whole bus ride, and Amy rests her head on Dan’s shoulder.

In Salzburg, Austria, the students are all placed with families for a week to live fully immersed in the culture. Dan, Darryl, and Braden stay with an elderly woman named Helga who understands English but doesn’t speak it. Dan immediately connects with her, and they watch John McEnroe play tennis together. Dan admires McEnroe’s confidence and wishes that he could be that way too. Over the next week, the students attend classes and go on various field trips. They learn some German and how to waltz. Dan tries smoking for the first time and hates it, but when his companions invite him out to a discotheque, he lets go of his inhibitions and enjoys the evening. Dan walks Amy home from the club, enjoying a romantic moment with her. Afterward, he realizes that he’s lost and tries to grab a bike to get home faster. When a group of punks spots him and chases him down the road, he feels alive and invigorated as he escapes. At the end of their time in Salzburg, Amy gifts Dan a lighter that she bought for him in Paris. Dan still fears getting hurt and tells Amy that he just wants to be friends, which makes them both cry.

In Vienna, Dan feels guilty for hurting Amy’s feelings. He’s reminded that he can’t go through life always fearing being hurt and can’t take his mind off Amy all day. Mrs. Bjork finds him sitting alone and invites him up to the Ferris wheel. There, Dan confesses that he still fears embarrassment after the experiences he had in junior high. Mrs. Bjork tries to explain that good and bad experiences shape a person, but how they shape a person is up to Dan to decide. That night, Dan approaches Amy at Wiener Stadtpark, and they dance together. He admits that he’s afraid to get hurt and wonders what will happen when the trip ends. It upsets Amy at first, but she comes around, and they sit and cuddle together, watching the night sky and considering what to do.

In the final city, London, England, Dan remains preoccupied with thoughts of Amy. On the last day of the trip, Mrs. Bjork takes Dan to the house where A. A. Milne lived. She tells him about a poem that Milne wrote called “Spring Morning,” which describes the unexpected nature of life and the importance of embracing the unknown. Mrs. Bjork tells Dan that he should try to start high school with a clean slate and not allow his past to dictate his future. Taking this advice to heart, he tells Amy that he feels lucky to have met her. They hug and decide to spend the afternoon together. Amy watches Dan draw, and then they take a train to Wimbledon and sneak into the stadium to watch John McEnroe play. When the match ends, the crowd’s attention turns to an audience member: Princess Diana. Dan and Amy kiss under the sunset. At the airport, they say their goodbyes and kiss again. They promise to remain in touch and write letters to one another, shedding tears as they part. Dan stares out the window, a melancholy expression on his face, as Milne’s poem narrates their goodbye. Back home in California, Dan’s friends notice his transformation. He’s more outspoken and excited about life and even talks about having a girlfriend. Dan and Amy stay in touch, and Dan looks forward to high school for the first time.