Dump Days

by Jerry Spinelli

On the first morning of the first day of their summer vacation, J. D. Kidd and his best friend resolve to have an absolutely perfect day before the summer ends.

Genres: Realistic Fiction, Childrens

159 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1991

About the author

When Jerry Spinelli was a kid, he wanted to grow up to be either a cowboy or a baseball player. Lucky for us he became a writer instead.

He grew up in rural Pennsylvania and went to college at Gettysburg College and Johns Hopkins University. He has published more than 25 books and has six children and 16 grandchildren.
Jerry Spinelli began writing when he was 16 — not much older than the hero of his book Maniac Magee. After his high school football team won a big game, his classmates ran cheering through the streets — all except Spinelli, who went home and wrote a poem about the victory. When his poem was published in the local paper, Spinelli decided to become a writer instead of a major-league shortstop.

In most of his books, Spinelli writes about events and feelings from his own childhood. He also gets a lot of material from his seven adventurous kids! Spinelli and his wife, Eileen, also a children's book author, live in Pennsylvania.

Reviews

[Katie Fitzgerald · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best friends JD and Duke spend their summer days digging in the dump for possible treasures, terrorizing rats and dodging bullies, interacting with various quirky neighbors, and wishing for enough money for a zeppoli, an Italian ice, or a comic book. One lazy afternoon, the boys map out a perfect day, filled with all the things they love. They’ll save every penny, look for ways to make extra cash, and by the end of the summer that perfect day will be theirs. With parents, bullies, siblings, and neighbors to contend with, however, their best laid plans go swiftly awry, making them question not just their plans but even their faith in each other.

Jerry Spinelli’s books are about very different subjects and use very different tones of voice, but they all have one thing in common: heart. Spinelli understands his characters and their relationships in such a fundamental way that these fictional kids seem very real, and they stick with the reader long after the story ends. In the case of JD and Duke, it is their friendship that comes so vividly to life. The two boys are different - one is Protestant, one is Catholic, one has a big family, one has a small one, one has more permissive parents, one’s parents have stricter rules - and yet what brings them together is a desire for simple things that are just out of a kid’s grasp - snacks, comics, and video games. Though the journey toward the perfect day is the focus of the plot, the real story is in the interactions between the two boys, and in how they relate to one another with regards to their goal.

Another strength of Spinelli’s writing is how he portrays setting. Not only could I imagine the dump and the neighborhood where JD and Duke spend their time, I could also picture and hear their neighbors and family members. In this book, as in Jake and Lily and Loser, Spinelli evokes a whole world of childhood that feels very real and believable. The boys’ issues with bullies and interactions with their own siblings are some of the most memorable portions of the book. I especially like the way Spinelli gives characters little quirks, like the toddler who likes to go outside without clothes and the bully who has to wear a special shoe because one leg is shorter than the other. These are the kinds of things notice about each other, and the tiny details that resonate with readers.

Dump Days is the rare book on the shelf at my library that looks old and outdated, but is checked out almost all the time, especially in the summer. Though it is out of print right now, I don’t see any reason why a contemporary reader couldn’t pick it up and enjoy it. Readers who loved Maniac Magee will want to read this one, too, because it is set in the same town, and the legend of Maniac Magee is mentioned in passing by JD as he narrates the story. Like most Spinelli stories, this is also a great one for dealing with bullying and discrimination, as both issues become important to the story.

[Amber the Human · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting because it mentions Maniac Magee (the person, not the book). Interesting because it is about the ambition to kids have to save money for the perfect day, but never accomplish that goal before the end of the summer. But ultimately? Meh.

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's the first day of Summer vacation and J.D. Kidd, and his best friend Duke Pickwell make plans to have a perfect day before the Summer ends. But as the summer moves forward other issues crowd their plans. They don't give up, and with some unexpected help, and tough decision making they just might be successful, and get their perfect day.

[Emilia Grunden · Rating 1 out of 5]

kind of a meh summer days read. too much kid drama for me to really enjoy it.

[Tatiana · Rating 3 out of 5]

i remember very little of this book, but what i do remember is that jerry spinelli did the very cool thing of keeping some of his books in the same world. this runs kind of parallel to maniac magee, same neighborhood, some of the same kids. i read maniac first (in school) and when i read this book it was oddly comforting because i already knew the place where it was set. then i got a little older and found stephen king, who beat the idea to death, but hey, this was back when it was neat to read another book from the same fictional world

[Katy Lovejoy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind if boring