The Summer of Bad ideas

Reviewed by: Jeri Fitzpatrick - GNGMS, Gray, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: August 2, 2017

Review

This is a fun book for tweens and younger teenagers. The story teaches how to get over differences that seem so big as a middle schooler. What to do if you tell a lie so people will like you. How to forgive and make up. Edith and Rae are cousins, one from the north and one from the CA. They are meeting for the first time in FL at the grandmother's house. Edith has many fears , 8 year old genius twin siblings, and wants to become braver. Rae is an only child; she's been in real TV commercials, and has met her Grandmother, Petunia. Petunia has passed away and both families have come to fix the home for resale. The almost 13 year olds find Petunia's Good Ideas For Summertime, 1962 list. They decide they will do all the things on the list to help them know Grandma better. Eddie (cooler name Rae starts calling her) thinks the list is just full of extremely scary things...catch a snake bare-handed, dance in the hurricane, master flirting... The Hurricane turns out to be abandoned dance hall. This one gets the girls brought home by the town police for breaking in.

Overall Book Score: very good