The Summer I Saved the World . . . in 65 Days - Softcover

Hurwitz, Michele Weber

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0385371098 ISBN 13: 9780385371094

Publisher: Ember, 2015

Synopsis

It's summertime, and thirteen-year-old Nina Ross is feeling kind of lost. Her beloved grandma died last year; her parents work all the time; her brother's busy; and her best friend is into clothes, makeup, and boys. While Nina doesn't know what "her thing" is yet, it's definitely not shopping and makeup. And it's not boys, either. Though . . . has Eli, the boy next door, always been so cute?

This summer, Nina decides to change things. She hatches a plan. There are sixty-five days of summer. Every day, she'll anonymously do one small but remarkable good thing for someone in her neighborhood, and find out: does doing good actually make a difference? Along the way, she discovers that her neighborhood, and her family, are full of surprises and secrets.

In this bighearted, sweetly romantic novel, things may not turn out exactly as Nina expects. They might be better.
Praise:
Finalist for the Golden Sower Award (Nebraska)
Nominated for the Pennsylvania Young Reader’s Choice Awards
Nominated for the Sunshine State Young Readers Award (Florida)

About this title

About the Author

MICHELE WEBER HURWITZ grew up in a suburb of Chicago and still lives in the same area with her husband and three children. Her first novel, Calli Be Gold, was on the Bank Street College of Education's Best Books of the Year list (Outstanding Merit). This is her first YA novel.

From Booklist

It begins with Mrs. Chung’s marigolds. Mourning the loss of her beloved grandmother and grappling with the changes her family has undergone in the last year, 13-year-old Nina Ross is feeling adrift. Her attorney parents are largely absent, her older brother is leaving for college, and her best friend has gone boy crazy. After Nina impulsively plants the marigolds her neighbor, who has a broken leg, can’t manage, Nina decides to find out if committing small, anonymous acts of kindness will make a difference in the lives of the people around her, setting off on a crusade to do one good thing for each of the 65 days of summer between eighth grade and the beginning of high school. Hurwitz (Calli Be Gold, 2011) has given readers a sensitive narrator struggling with real, if not terribly dramatic, issues. Insightful writing, realistic dialogue infused with humor, and a sweet romantic element add depth to the story. Tween readers will identify with Nina and may be inspired to emulate her list of good things with their own. Grades 5-8. --Magan Szwarek

Edition details

• Publisher: Ember
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 0385371098
• ISBN 13: 9780385371094
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 272