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

[Originally published in 2014, I recently purchased replacements of this title for the library, since the book had been read to pieces, and it seemed like a good time to repost this review of a timely and comforting story.]

I really enjoyed Calli Be Gold, so I was excited to hear that Ms. Hurwitz had another book. It looks like she's going to stick to the niche of the ordinary girl, at least for now, and I can always use some more stories in this genre, not to mention she does an excellent job of capturing exactly what readers want in a book like this.

Nina wonders what happened to her family. After her grandmother's death a year ago her lawyer parents have turned into workaholics, her older brother is never around, and her best friend is show more drawing farther and farther away - or were they ever really friends at all? It looks like a long, boring summer before she's plunged into the scary world of high school. Then, inspired by a teacher and her grandmother's memory, Nina makes a small decision; she will do 65 good things, one for each day left of summer. As she does her secret good deeds, things as simple as a compliment or watering a neighbor's flowers, she starts to realize that her little sparks of happiness have set off something bigger in her neighborhood.

As editor Wendy Lamb says in the introduction, readers who want to "Take a break from dystopian/apocalyptic/zombie tales and read this warmhearted story" will be satisfied and delighted. There are some sniffly moments as Nina deals with her grief over her grandmother's death, the sweet excitement of her first kiss, the hilarious reactions of her wacky neighbor and an overwhelming sense of hope and a belief that small things can make a difference. It's not all sunshine and flowers; Nina does some serious thinking about herself and how she's gone through life so far and makes a conscious decision to reach out and make an effort to connect. Some of the neighbors are dealing with real, painful issues and there are a lot of growing pains for Nina as well. Not all her good things work out the way she expects and some things can't be fixed. But Hurwitz manages to invest her realistic characters and story with an overwhelming sense of hope and joy as Nina grows into herself and perseveres in her good deeds.

Verdict: Middle school readers looking for an inspirational, realistic book with a happy ending will devour this story. Like Calli, Nina is an average girl who finds her own niche in the world and discovers she can make a difference in a small way. Highly recommended.

ISBN: 9780385371063; Published April 2014 by Wendy Lamb Books/Random House; ARC provided by author; Purchased for the library show less

This was a quick, very fun read to kick off anyone's summer reading. The back cover says, "One summer. One Girl. One Plan" How fitting! Nina Ross is feeling at loose ends as summer begins, the first without her Grandma, who lived with the family on their cul-de-sac before she died. When she clandestinely plants her neighbor Mrs. Chung's marigolds, Nina's summer plan is hatched, almost without her knowing it. Sixty five days of summer mean 65 good deeds for the wonderful characters that inhabit Nina's cul-de-sac. From nosey Mrs. Millman to cute little Thomas and his superhero cape, Hurwitz has created a very realistic set-up, with the characters hitting all the right notes.

This realistic fiction novel is a delightful reading experience.

Nina Ross decides to embrace being unnoticed. The only person who has ever really understood her was her Grandma, who died a year ago. Her parents have a high-profile divorce case, so they are constantly working. Her brother has decided he wants to be at the house as little as possible, and her best friend has become a flirty, fashion-conscious, egocentric girl. Being unnoticed allows Nina to notice what others don’t because they are too preoccupied.

When Nina notices that her neighbor Mrs. Chung has broken her leg and wants to plant her marigolds, she sneaks over there and does it for her. Remembering advice from her Grandma and one of her teachers, Nina decides she’ll show more do 65 deeds for others anonymously and see if it truly makes a difference in their little part of the world. This decision will take fortitude as her the boy next door, Eli, doesn’t believe that anything can make a difference and one neighbor calls the police on the neighborhood “intruder.”

I read this book in a little over two hours and thoroughly enjoyed it because it’s a feel-good book. It will appeal more to girls than boys, but I can’t imagine not enjoying it. show less

summer theme... June 2020 Children's Books group...

Delightful. A girl does 65 acts of kindness in her neighborhood and helps to heal families and friendships and the whole cul-de-sac. Not too simplistic to be unbelievable, even though it's just a titch implausible. I would read more about Nina and consider more by this author.

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.
- from the book jacket

It all starts with a high school teacher and Nina's neighbor. Mrs. Chung can't plant the marigolds she always plants because she is on crutches. Nina thinks about what her high school history teacher said on the last day of school, "It is very often the ordinary things that go unnoticed that end up making a difference. As you embark upon your high school show more careers, be unnoticed, but be remarkable."

This is a sweet story, with a bit of romance and some best friend drama. Nina is a nice girl, but not perfect and she doesn't usually go out of her way to do nice things for others. Something as simple as picking up a paper her classmate dropped and returning it to her counts as a "good thing". I guess this proves that you don't have to be super nice to make a difference. Maybe just a little less inconsiderate.

I liked the book. I liked the message. I hope a lot of teens and pre-teens read it. If they were to try to be just a bit nicer to themselves and to others, the world would be a better place. But, I won't hold my breath.

I will say that the cover is a bit deceiving. The girl on the cover looks way older than 13.

This is on the Sunshine State Young Readers Award nomination list for 2016-2017. Last year I tried to read all the nominees but didn't quite make it. This year, I am getting a head start and trying again. Wish me luck!

Recommended to:
Grades 4 thru 8, may appeal more to girls. (Reminds me of This Journal Belongs to Ratchet, on last year's Sunshine State list.) show less

What a great little book. An understated examination of how little acts of kindness can make a big difference in the world.

This was a cute, quick read that is perfect for summer. It will give you a great look at the lives of the members of a small cul-de-sac and how their lives change over the course of a week as Nina decides to help others by doing small good deeds each day. It is a very positive and enlightening book. I had a hard time connecting to the characters, but the story was cute.