How to (Almost) Ruin Your Summer is a cute, quick read. The narrative follows a typical summer camp trajectory and has the traditional tween characters: loyal friend, cute boy, spoiled and snotty rich girl, etc. Chloe, the protagonist, does have several humorous mishaps that are entertaining and one can’t help but feel sorry for her bad luck. The quality of writing is solid and even-handed. The wrap-up, while foreseeable, is satisfactory. This is a good book to hand a tween for a summer read, and while it won’t be life-changing, it will be fun and enjoyable. Summer is almost here!
Content Analysis:
Profanity/Language: None
Violence/Gore: Animal head butts character; character accidentally sprays another in the face with hairspray; mention of a family member that died in the past (2); horse likes to step on people’s feet; character purposefully trips another; character purposefully dumps tray of food on another’s head; brief food fight; playful punch to arm; scene of peril with a minor injury, mention of blood; character throws various items at an animal to get it to leave.
Sex/Nudity: Parents kiss; girl daydreams about a boy she likes; characters observe that two teachers seem to like each other–they wink, hold hands, kiss; character thinks a boy and girl like each other.
Mature Subject Matter:
None
Alcohol / Drug Use:
None
