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

January 27, 2014
Written in the spirit of Paul Fleisch-man’s Seedfolks and Catherine Ryan Hyde’s Pay It Forward, Hurwitz’s (Calli Be Gold) novel celebrates the surprising effects of small acts of kindness in one neighborhood. It all begins when 13-year-old Nina Ross decides to take a risk the summer before high school. Although she’s not usually “the kind of person who goes out of her way to help people,” she secretly plants a marigold bed for an injured neighbor who can’t do the gardening herself. The happy response from ailing Mrs. Chung inspires Nina to perform 64 more good deeds, one for each day of the summer. As Nina finds ways to help others, not everyone recognizes or appreciates her efforts. Nonetheless, she gains insight into the complicated lives and emotions of her neighbors, family members, and friends. Touching on universal feelings of loss, jealousy, love, and the gratification that comes from doing the right thing, the story should strike familiar chords with suburbanites and give hope to those who think one person can’t possibly make a difference. Ages 10–up. Agent: Alyssa Eisner Henkin, Trident Media Group.

February 15, 2014
What happens when a teenage girl tries to change the world in 65 tiny ways? It is the beginning of summer, and 13-year-old Nina is lonely and rudderless; she is still mourning the loss of her beloved grandmother, her type-A lawyer parents are AWOL, and her older brother is occupied by his job. To make matters worse, she is growing apart from her best friend, Jorie, who is increasingly interested in nail polish and skimpy clothes--and in Eli, the neighbor boy they've grown up with and whom Nina herself is falling for. But it is the parting words of her eighth-grade history teacher that give purpose to her summer: "It is very often the ordinary things that go unnoticed that end up making a difference." Inspired, Nina plans to perform 65 small, anonymous acts of kindness for her family and neighbors--one for each day of her summer. She leaves brownies on a doorstep, plants a garden in the dead of night and secretly cleans up a neighbor's yard. Through her friendship with Thomas, Eli's irresistible toy-sword-wielding little brother, she discovers Eli has family troubles of his own. Teens will easily ally with the kindhearted, insecure Nina and be charmed by the humor and beautifully defined characters. The unpredictable domino effect of Nina's good deeds is a joy to behold. Joyful dividends are reaped from a teenager's secret acts of kindness in this appealingly, unabashedly feel-good story. (Fiction. 10-14)

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March 15, 2014
Grades 5-8 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.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)