Book Discussion
Girl Scouts Heart of Michigan
The Summer I Saved the World in 65 Days
by: Michele Weber Hurwitz
Can ordinary people be heroes? Pay it forward. Practice random acts of kindness. Does
doing good really do any good? One summer. One girl. One plan. 65 ways to make a
difference.
It's the summer before freshman year in high school and 13-year old Nina Ross is
feeling kind of lost. Her beloved Grandma died last year; her super-lawyer parents work
all the time; her brother's busy with his friends and his job at the pool; and her best
friend Jorie is into clothes, makeup, and boys. While Nina doesn't know what her
"thing" is yet, it's definitely not shopping and makeup. And it's not boys either. Though,
has Eli, the boy next door, always been so cute?
This summer, Nina decides to change things. She hatches a plan. There are 65 days of
summer. Every day, she'll anonymously do one small but remarkable good thing for
someone in her family or neighborhood, and find out: does doing good actually make a
difference? Along the way, she discovers that people are full of surprises and secrets. In
this bighearted, sweetly romantic novel, things might not turn out exactly as Nina
expects. They might be better.
The cul-de-sac
"Touching on universal feelings of loss, jealousy, love, and the gratification that comes from doing the
right thing, the story should give hope to those who think one person can't possibly make a difference."
—Publishers Weekly
Book Discussion
What three words best describe The Summer I Saved The World...in 65 Days?
How did you experience the book? Were you engaged immediately, or did it
take you a while to "get into it"? How did you feel reading it—amused,
sad, disturbed, confused, bored...?
What was the main message of this book?
Do you have an absolute favorite character in The Summer I Saved The World...in
65 Days? What do you love about him/her?
Nina decides to do some random acts of kindness; can you tell us one of
your favorite acts that she does? Have you ever done a random act of
kindness or been the recipient of one?
Does doing good really do any good? Do small acts of
kindness make a difference? Do they help make our world a
better place?
Do other people always perceive a kind effort as someone
intends? Could people take something the wrong way, like Mrs.
Millman?
Are random acts of kindness more for ourselves or others?
Does it make a difference if others recognize the efforts we
do, and how does that impact our behavior? Are we more
motivated when we can tell other people what we’ve done?
In the novel, Nina feels strongly about doing her good deeds anonymously. Why
was that important to her? How would the story have been different if Nina
wasn’t anonymous about the good deeds?
What was the significance of the neighborhood setting being a cul-de-sac?
In your opinion, what was the significance of the fox in the book? What (or
who) did it represent?
Do you have any Simple Truths you would like to share?
If you could ask the author a question, what would you ask?
“She might not really be saving the world,
but she is certainly making a difference,
one good deed at a time.”
The Sixty Five Good Things
By Nina Ross
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Freaked out Mrs. Chung by planting her marigolds.
Cleaned up and organized about a hundred toys in the Cantalonis’ yard.
Put a Hershey’s Kiss in the Millmans’ mailbox.
Left a rose on Mr. Dembrowski’s doorstep.
Placed a good luck penny in every neighbor’s mailbox. Or a magic coin depending on your perspective.
Watered Mrs. Chung’s marigolds.
Brought mail to her door.
Untangled plastic bag from her tree.
Hung up her wind chimes.
Baked brownies for Mr. Dembrowski.
Gave foot pads to Mrs. Bennett.
Left aromatherapy candle for Jorie’s hyper dad.
Gave Mr. Millman cigars, despite risk of tongue cancer.
Picked up Jorie’s lip gloss on the bus.
Delivered treats to Mr. D.
Delivered more treats to Mr. D.
Made chocolate chip cookies for Matt.
Found Cantaloni boys’ baseball in the weeds.
Cleaned out Matt’s car.
Brought Matt’s old baseballs to the Cantalonis.
Stuck smiley face “Have a nice day!” balloon into the Millmans’ flowerpot.
Made Eli laugh (hit his arm with a crab apple)
Gave the color wheel to Amber.
Complimented Jorie.
Watched Thomas.
Took Thomas to the park.
Comforted Thomas when his cape tore.
Discovered that a pillowcase can be used as a substitute cape in emergencies.
Sewed Thomas’s cape.
Told Sariah her drawings were amazing.
Drafted Thomas into the Cantaloni baseball league.
Bought a bone for stressed out Beanie.
Wrapped up two slices of Mrs. Bennett’s banana bread for Mr. Dembrowski.
34. Gave a bottle of lotion to Jack Cantaloni for his mom. Exploded on his shoes. Fail. (Hid from Sariah in
store. Go back ten spaces….)
35. Complimented Jorie’s mom.
36. Played left field during Camp Nina.
37. Left a pot of marigolds on Mrs. Bennett’s front step.
38. Put a You’re Welcome note in Mr. D’s mailbox.
39. Put Matt’s smelly shirt in the laundry.
40. Planted forget-me-nots in Mr. D’s yard.
41. Watered forget-me-nots.
42. Watered all the marigolds. Neighborhood in bloom. Consider career in floral industry.
43. Brought golf balls over for Mr. Millman.
44. Fixed Thomas’s cape again.
45. Cleaned up garbage in back of Dixon House.
46. Told Jorie’s mom I’d watch out for Jorie.
47. Mrs. Millman held a neighborhood meeting because of what I’ve been doing. More people outside at one time
than I ever remember.
48. Said hi to Sariah at Jorie’s party.
49. Talked with Mom.
50. Marathon run with Eli (first kiss!).
51. Helped Eli cook spaghetti. (Side note: Jorie stole this one.)
52. Agreed to join art club with Sariah.
53. Fixed leaky pipe with Eli and Mr. Dembrowski.
54. Watered forget-me-nots.
55. Left thank you note for Mr. D.
56. Tried to get Matt to talk to me.
57. Thomas said our neighborhood is the most exciting place in the world.
58. Didn’t tell on Matt.
59. Matt and I set table for family breakfast.
60. Told Matt to go play poker with his friends. He called me Nina green-a!
61. Got Thomas down from the ladder. Superhero bonding.
62. Eli came over to the good side.
63. Matt, Mom, and Dad talked.
64. Told Mom I love her. She said it too.
65. Homecoming.
If I did it, anyone can.
About the Author
Michele Weber Hurwitz
Michele grew up in a suburb of
Chicago and still lives there with her
husband and three children. She is
also the author of Calli Be Gold.
Here are some questions asked of her in an interview:
Are you a fan of doing good things, like Nina in THE SUMMER I SAVED THE WORLD...IN
65 DAYS?
A: I try! I was in the grocery store once, and an older man had lost his glasses somewhere in the
store. He was so upset, almost in tears. I had to stop and remind myself that helping this person was
more important than my dozens of errands. We found the glasses! It was such a small thing, but huge
in the same way. I think that acts of kindness can be the smallest gesture, but make a great impact. Think
about just letting someone go ahead of you in line, or holding open a door, or picking up a piece of trash.
Small things matter! If we all took five minutes to do one good thing every day, we truly can save the
world!
If you couldn't be a writer, what would you be?
A: Hmmm...that's a hard question. When I was little, like many kids, I wanted to be a teacher. I played
school all the time! I think, though, if I wasn't writing, I would work in a job that helps the environment, or work
outdoors, like at a national park.
What advice would you give to young writers?
A: Believe in yourself! Really. Really! It's become a cliché, but you can do anything you set your mind to.
Visit Michele - and Nina’s neighborhood – at
www.Micheleweberhurwitz.com
~Made for Troop Cadette #41818 by Beth K. Peterson