Doomsday Dani

by Carissa Turpin

​It’s 1999, and twelve-year-old Dani Collier is preparing for Y2K or, in her view, the end of the world. She spends most of her time poring over a survivalist blog written by the mysterious Professor Prepared and obsessively counting and straightening her emergency supplies.

Despite Dani’s repeated warnings, her classmates and family members don’t seem worried about the new millennium. Dani ignores their skepticism and ridicule, vowing to do whatever necessary to protect the people she loves.

But when January 1st, 2000, unfolds in a way that Dani didn’t expect, she must instead come to terms with her new her parents’ recent divorce, a blossoming, awkward friendship, and repeated humiliation at the hands of a school bully. Will Dani learn to stand up for herself? Will the embarrassment of her failed prediction haunt her forever?

153 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 21, 2023

Reviews

[Tiffany · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want to party like it’s 1999, then you need to read Doomsday Dani! This was such a nostalgic read for me because of all of the nineties references from my childhood. I found myself grinning many times just reminiscing about the toys, clothing, etc. I also remember Y2K, and the fears that surrounded it, so vividly. We all held our breath with anticipation for the great roll-over of the clocks and the end of the world, which of course did not happen.

In this novel, however, the end of the world isn’t the worst thing happening in Dani’s life, and as a middle school student, she has plenty other issues to deal with.

I highly recommend this book to anyone of any age and will be adding it to my class library for my students!

[Jake Bingham · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Doomsday Dani, Turpin reveals herself to be an amazingly dynamic author. The book contains somber or tense scenes in which we see Dani struggling to deal with her family life and the looming threat of Y2K. However, it effortlessly switches from these scenes to lighthearted and nostalgic scenes that reflect some of the best parts of growing up in the late 90s and early 2000s.

Doomsday Dani's setting doesn't entirely feel like the past though. Instead, the setting is alive and filled with interesting details in a way that prevents the book from alienating younger readers.

Dani is also the perfect protagonist. As a high school teacher, I feel Dani is timeless in her ability to relate to readers her age while also feeling very believable as a product of novel's time period.

Overall, this is an amazing debut for Turpin, and I can't recommend the book enough!

[Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Doomsday Dani is a fantastic middle grade novel set in 1999 two weeks before Y2K. Dani is 12 and is preparing for Y2K and the end of the world. She has her shelves of non perishable food and other emergency items stacked in her room. Her obsession with Y2K and everyone’s need to prepare is portrayed in such a realistic way, I can picture the time when everyone was prepping the same way back then! This book was full of nostalgia and the Y2K frenzy that happened, I loved it so much! The layers of her parent’s divorce and how she is handling it also make the novel an authentic reflection of kiddos who deal with divorce in their lives. I loved the portrayal of Dani and how she handles the disappointment in her life. A great read for anyone who wants a taste of the 90s with themes about handling the realities of divorce and middle school life!

[Kim Hart · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read!

Doomsday Dani was a fabulous story of a girl obsessed with the Y2K bug. She begins prepping, stockpiling food and money in her bedroom. But when 1999 clicks over to 2000 and nothing happens, Dani is left devastated and embarrassed. The recent split of her parent’s marriage is the underlying cause of Dani’s need to focus on something else, so when prepping for disaster is no longer a distraction, she needs to face the fact that her life will never be the same again.
A sensitively told story that had me interested from the very first page.
Highly recommend for readers 10+.

[Joseph Torres · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm personally not much of a YA reader, but I think Doomsday Dani is written in an exceptional way, that showcases a real, and consistent, person with Dani as she goes through a very recognizable, and sad, experience. I thought the elements around Y2K serving as a larger plot driver near the beginning of the book was a great way to build, and then transmit the sense of urgency into the second half of the book. Just great work!

[Beth Spradlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like YA books, give this one a try. It really does a good job of putting a face to the anxiety many people felt as Y2K approached. Watch Dani navigate being 12 with the added worry of Y2K on the horizon. This is also good for presenting the Y2K issue to a young audience that may never have heard about the expected issues when we switched to the year 2000. This one is worth a read.

[Nicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Doomsday Dani was a great read! My millennial self loved the nostalgia. I know my middle school students enjoyed reading it as well. Take a trip back and party like it’s 1999!

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so nostalgic. Perfect read for middle schoolers (and those who survived Y2K). Emotions are hard to deal with at any age, but those early teen years always seem the hardest.