The Best Worst Summer
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4.5 • 2 Ratings
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- $10.99
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
From the acclaimed author of The Great Shelby Holmes comes a new middle grade story about two summers-three decades apart-and the box of secrets linking them together.
This is going to be the worst summer ever for Peyton. Her family just moved, and she had to leave her best friend behind. She's lonely. She's bored. Until . . . she comes across a box buried in her backyard, with a message: I'm so sorry. Please forgive me. Things are about to get interesting.
Back in 1989, it's going to be the best summer ever for Melissa and Jessica. They have two whole months to goof around and explore, and they're even going to bury a time capsule! But when one girl's family secret starts to unravel, it's clear things may not go exactly as planned.
In alternating chapters, from Peyton in present day to Melissa three decades earlier (a time with no cell phones, no social media, and camera film that took days to develop, but also a whole lot of freedom), beloved author Elizabeth Eulberg tells the story of a mystery that two sets of memorable characters will never forget.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
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.
