The Best Worst Summer

March 1, 2021
A girl discovers a time capsule in the backyard of her new house. Eleven-year-old Peyton has moved four hours away from her best friend, Lily; her brother is obsessed with his video games; and her parents are busy with their jobs. She's convinced that her summer will be awful--until she unearths a box in her backyard containing mementos from 1989, a coded message, and an apology hinting at a broken friendship. Baffled by artifacts such as audiocassettes, she investigates the cryptic contents with help from Lucas, a precocious, sarcastic boy who uses a wheelchair. In alternating chapters set in 1989, Melissa narrates her own intense friendship with Jess, who makes her feel safe amid her increasingly troubled home life. As tension mounts and the note's meaning unfurls, Peyton in the present-day timeline learns that sometimes friendships take new forms. Eulberg vividly depicts the insecurities of middle school friendships as well as their sometimes seemingly uncanny bonds. Unfortunately, Melissa and Jess' lopsided relationship weakens the theme. Melissa seldom reciprocates Jess' unwavering empathy, remaining silent when Jess experiences racism and failing to notice her sadness or loneliness; it's unclear what Jess sees in her. Lucas is somewhat underdeveloped, and his and Peyton's fascination with 1980s pop culture feels slightly forced. Most characters present White; Jess was adopted from Korea by White parents, and Lily is Latinx. A nostalgic but uneven exploration of friendship and growing pains. (Fiction. 9-12)

COPYRIGHT(2021) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

April 1, 2021

Gr 4-6-Peyton is convinced that the summer her family moves from Minneapolis to Lake Springs, a small town four hours away, will be the worst summer of her life. But when her mom gets a job offer that's too good to pass up, Peyton and her family leave everything behind-including Lily, Peyton's closest friend. The two girls did everything together, and Peyton is nervous about starting sixth grade without her. When Peyton finds an old shoebox buried in her new backyard, things begin to change. Expecting it to contain a long-buried family pet, the box is actually a time capsule from 1989 that was put together by two other close friends, Jessica and Melissa. Along with pop culture souvenirs, Peyton finds some notes, one reading, "I'm so sorry. Please forgive me" and another in secret code. The notes inspire Peyton to learn what happened between the girls. Chapters alternate between Peyton's search and her developing friendship with a boy in a wheelchair named Lucas, and the saga of Jessica and Melissa, who were best friends until a situation in Melissa's family results in their abrupt separation. One weakness is that the chapters focusing on Jessica, who was adopted from South Korea, and Melissa, whose father is angry and abusive, are underdeveloped. The puzzle pieces fit neatly-if somewhat improbably-together by the novel's end. Aside from Jessica, all other main characters are cued as white. VERDICT A story about the power of friendship with fun references to New Kids on the Block, pay phones, and beepers. This novel will appeal to readers experiencing big transitions-whether geographical or emotional.-Shelley Sommer, Inly Sch., Scituate, MA

Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 5, 2021
As summer begins, rising sixth grader Peyton sees it as “the absolute worst summer in the history of summers.” Her family has moved from Minneapolis to Lake Springs, Minn., for her mother’s new job, and Peyton sorely misses her best friend. Then she discovers a time capsule buried in her backyard containing a cassette tape, half a best friends necklace, a photo of two girls her own age, and a note of apology: “I’m so sorry. Please forgive me.” Now, Peyton becomes eager to find out who the girls were and what happened to their friendship. While researching in the local library, she meets Lucas, who uses a wheelchair and offers to help her. Soon, the two, both seemingly white, are engrossed in solving the mystery of the two girls, forging a friendship of their own. Deftly switching between the present and the 1980s friendship of white Melissa and Korean adoptee Jess—an accounting that includes moments of prejudice and familial strife—accomplished mystery writer Eulberg (the Great Shelby Holmes series) highlights the differences between the time frames alongside the timelessness of friendship and misunderstandings. Though clues rely a touch heavily on coincidence, distinctly drawn protagonists in both eras face relatable challenges. Ages 8–12. Agent: Erin Malone, William Morris Endeavor.

May 1, 2021
Grades 4-7 After Peyton's family moves to a small town, she misses spending time with Lily, her BFF, and dreads starting sixth grade without her. But communicating electronically brings hurt feelings, and Peyton wonders whether their relationship will survive. When she discovers a buried cardboard box filled with memorabilia from Jessica and Melanie, 11-year-old best friends in 1989, Peyton is intrigued. She finds an ally in Lucas, a clever boy with a sarcastic edge. The two join forces to solve the mysteries surrounding the time capsule. Wondering what came between the two girls, Peyton and Lucas combine their talents, determined to learn what became of Jessica and Melanie, what destroyed their friendship, and whether it can be mended. The novel's dual narrative intersperses the chapters about Peyton, Lily, and Lucas with those three decades earlier, featuring Jessica and Melanie at the same age. The two time frames, with separate casts of young characters and their families, call for attentive reading, but readers will be rewarded with insight and perspective, as well as respect for strong tween friendships.

COPYRIGHT(2021) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.