The Best Worst Summer
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 come 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 secrets starts to unravel, it’s clear things may not go exactly as planned.
In alternating chapters, from Peyton in the 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.
The Best Worst Summer is out now in the US and Canada. Click here to find or order from an independent bookstore near you. Or you can also order online at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
Want to listen to a totally tubular 1989 playlist to get you ready for The Best Worst Summer? Of course you do! Click here to listen to songs from Melissa and Jessica’s summer!
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EXCERPT
Click here to read the first two chapters!
REVIEWS
“Deftly switching between the present and the 1980s friendship of white Melissa and Korean adoptee Jess—and accounting that includes moments of prejudice and familial strife—accomplished mystery writer Eulberg highlights the differences between the time frames alongside the timelessness of friendship and misunderstandings.” - Publishers Weekly
“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.” - School Library Journal
“The Best Worst Summer is a charming, engaging middle grade novel that manages to blend historical and contemporary fiction. Friendship is the book’s central theme, but it also features good disability representation, realistic family dynamics, the struggles of moving from one city to another, and a riveting mystery for readers to watch the characters resolve.” - Reading Middle Grade
BEHIND THE STORY
Where do you get your ideas? is the one the most popular questions an author gets. I was trying to come up with an idea for a standalone novel and instead of stressing out, I just decided to read. Oddly enough, I read two books in a row (The Muse by Jessie Burton and Honeymoon in Paris by Jojo Moyes) that just happen to be set in two different timelines: one where a painting was being looked at, and the other when the painting was created. How crazy is that? Since I really enjoy books that are written in different ways, I really enjoyed both. Then I thought, hmmm…could I write a book that took place in two different timelines? Instead of a painting, what would kids like to read about? Then I remembered when I was in middle grade we put together a time capsule in school and I thought, what if someone discovered a time capsule? What would be inside? What would that reveal about the people who buried it? I got really excited and decided to have the time capsule be from 1989 so I could revisit a very fun part of my youth, namely my obsession with New Kids on the Block. Hey! If you have to do research for a book, make it fun!
I hope readers of all ages enjoy The Best Worst Summer. And for you adults, I’m sorry if the questions about items in the box “what’s a cassette tape?” don't make you feel too old!