
Title: Bingo Summer
Author: Dawn Malone
Genre: Coming of Age Fiction
Number of Pages: 278
Synopsis: On her thirteenth birthday, Summer Haas scratches the lottery ticket her mom tucked into her birthday card and the down-on-their-luck family become instant millionaires. Then the attention gets crazy in their small Illinois town, and the family moves north to ‘disappear’ in the Chicago suburbs. Summer’s new home might as well be on the Moon, it’s so different from where she used to live.
Suddenly, Summer is a candidate for student council, trades her t-shirt and jeans for mall-brand clothes, and throws a party for her entire grade even though she didn't invite a single guest. Everyone wants Summer to be someone other than herself, including the super-popular Suri who Summer hopes will be her new best friend. There’s Mara who wants Summer to forget about competing with her for third base when softball season comes. And Summer just wants to avoid Dink and Anna even though she has more in common with them than she wants to admit.
But when Mara discovers how Summer’s family made their millions, and threatens to tell the whole school, Summer needs a friend more than ever. Can Summer fit in AND stay true to herself?
Bingo Summer is a coming of age story of self discovery and acceptance as well as one that reminds readers the importance of being true to yourself.
Summer's family has fallen on hard times so when she receives a lottery ticket for her thirteenth birthday she hopes to win back the $10 her mom spent on the ticket. As Summer checks the ways to winner she realizes she is holding a ticket worth $10 million. A dream come true! Or is it? News travels fast in a small town and soon everyone wants something. Summer's mom decides the only way to regain a normal life is to move to a place where no one knows their secret.
Summer misses her old school and her best friend. Desperate to fit in with the kids at her new school Summer tries to please others by being something she's not. The lottery winnings contribute to her image change, but somewhere along the way Summer loses her true self. Now, on the brink of disaster can Summer learn from her experience and rediscover the person she once was?
I found Bingo Summer to be well written and identifiable. Lottery winnings aside, young readers will be able to relate with Summer's struggles. At one time or another all of us have lost our way and possibly been untrue to ourselves. Summer shows us, it's never too late to rediscover who we really are. Bingo Summer is an enjoyable read, perfect for any tween.
I recommend grabbing a copy. Available on Amazon.