|
It is the parting words of her eighth-grade history teacher that give purpose to her summer: “It is very often the ordinary things that go unnoticed that end up making a difference.” Inspired, Nina plans to perform 65 small, anonymous acts of kindness for her family and neighbors—one for each day of her summer. She leaves brownies on a doorstep, plants a garden in the dead of night and secretly cleans up a neighbor’s yard. Through her friendship with Thomas, Eli’s irresistible toy-sword–wielding little brother, she discovers Eli has family troubles of his own. Teens will easily ally with the kindhearted, insecure Nina and be charmed by the humor and beautifully defined characters. The unpredictable domino effect of Nina’s good deeds is a joy to behold.
|
Activity OneWhat 65 small things would you do to change the world? Make a list of those 65 things - no repeats of yours and try to keep duplicates of Nina's to a minimum.
|
Activity TwoWhat (or who) did the fox represent?
Your answer needs to be written out and cover at least half of the page. |
Activity ThreeNina's grandma was a big part of her life. For a change of pace, please make her carrot ring recipe, then share a picture of it as you share your great cooking skills with others.
NINA'S GRANDMA'S CARROT RING RECIPE:2/3 cup shortening 1/2 cup brown sugar 1 egg 1 1/4 cups flour, sifted 1 t baking powder 1/2 t baking soda 1/2 t salt 1/2 t cinnamon 1/2 t nutmeg 1/4 cup cold water 1 1/2 cups grated carrots, firmly packed Cream shortening and sugar, add egg and dry ingredients, then water and carrots. Bake 45 minutes in a 350 degree oven in a greased mold pan. |