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The First Last Day
The magic of summer comes to life in this enchanting middle grade debut about an eleven-year-old girl who must save the future by restarting time after she realizes that her wish to relive the last day of summer may not have been such a great thing after all.
What if you could get a do-over—a chance to relive a day in your life over and over again until you got it right? Would you?
After finding a mysterious set of paints in her backpack, eleven-year-old Haleigh Adams paints a picture of her last day at the New Jersey shore. When she wakes up the next morning, Haleigh finds that her wish for an endless summer with her new friend Kevin has come true. At first, she’s thrilled, but Haliegh soon learns that staying in one place—and time—comes with a price.
And when Haleigh realizes her parents have been keeping a secret, she is faced with a choice: do nothing and miss out on all the good things that come with growing up or find the secret of the time loop she’s trapped in and face some of the inevitable realities of moving on.
As she and Kevin set out to find the source of the magic paints, Haleigh worries it might be too late. Will she be able to restart time? Or will it be the biggest mistake of her life?
What if you could get a do-over—a chance to relive a day in your life over and over again until you got it right? Would you?
After finding a mysterious set of paints in her backpack, eleven-year-old Haleigh Adams paints a picture of her last day at the New Jersey shore. When she wakes up the next morning, Haleigh finds that her wish for an endless summer with her new friend Kevin has come true. At first, she’s thrilled, but Haliegh soon learns that staying in one place—and time—comes with a price.
And when Haleigh realizes her parents have been keeping a secret, she is faced with a choice: do nothing and miss out on all the good things that come with growing up or find the secret of the time loop she’s trapped in and face some of the inevitable realities of moving on.
As she and Kevin set out to find the source of the magic paints, Haleigh worries it might be too late. Will she be able to restart time? Or will it be the biggest mistake of her life?
232 pages, Hardcover
First published June 7, 2016
6 people are currently reading
208 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
July 19, 2022
This book was very good and I liked the characters
June 19, 2019
Eleven-year-old Haleigh Adams, dreading her family's upcoming move - one of many in recent years - and wishing that her summer at the Jersey shore would never end, unexpectedly finds a way to evade the future when she finds a magical art set, and paints herself into a time-loop. Waking up each day, she continually finds that it is still August 26th, the last day of her summer vacation, the last day to spend with her new friend Kevin, the last day before Kevin's beloved grandmother, G-Mags, has a stroke. But is stopping time a recipe for happiness or for boredom? More importantly, can a person really live at all, if nothing ever changes...?
An engaging variation on the time-travel/time-slip adventure story, The First Last Day reminded me a bit of a Star Trek: The Next Generation episode I enjoyed as a teen, in which the crew of the Enterprise had to experience the same stretch of time over and over again, until they were finally able to figure out how to free themselves from the loop. Given Kevin's obsession with science fiction films in Cirrone's story, this feels like an appropriate comparison to draw. However that may be, I appreciated the author's exploration of questions of time, immortality, loss and ethics here, and was also reminded, in this respect, of Natalie Babbit's Tuck Everlasting , which explores some similar themes. I was unexpectedly moved by the conclusion, in which - unexpectedly, because although I enjoyed the story, I wasn't that involved emotionally until the end - and appreciated the fact that I didn't see the identity of the person who gave Haleigh her art set coming. All in all, this was an appealing middle-grade novel, one which explores a number of themes - fear of change and of uncertain futures, the desire to hold on to loved ones and friends - of relevance to children.
An engaging variation on the time-travel/time-slip adventure story, The First Last Day reminded me a bit of a Star Trek: The Next Generation episode I enjoyed as a teen, in which the crew of the Enterprise had to experience the same stretch of time over and over again, until they were finally able to figure out how to free themselves from the loop. Given Kevin's obsession with science fiction films in Cirrone's story, this feels like an appropriate comparison to draw. However that may be, I appreciated the author's exploration of questions of time, immortality, loss and ethics here, and was also reminded, in this respect, of Natalie Babbit's Tuck Everlasting , which explores some similar themes. I was unexpectedly moved by the conclusion, in which - unexpectedly, because although I enjoyed the story, I wasn't that involved emotionally until the end - and appreciated the fact that I didn't see the identity of the person who gave Haleigh her art set coming. All in all, this was an appealing middle-grade novel, one which explores a number of themes - fear of change and of uncertain futures, the desire to hold on to loved ones and friends - of relevance to children.
March 13, 2017
Groundhog Day for middle grade readers, except the repetitiveness is stripped down and some life lessons are thrown into the mix. The Jersey Shore setting, interesting and heartwarming characters, and a bit of mystery combine to make this an engaging read. Tightly woven plot with believable reactions to the magical realism. Author does a superb job showing us the trade-offs inherent in life.
March 6, 2017
Groundhog's Day for kids. What's interesting about it is how the main character deals with some moral dilemmas associated with the repeating days in different ways that are realistic. Some heavy, some light, and measures well the ramifications of her actions not just on others, but also on herself and her own moral self-image.
May 17, 2016
Yes, I blurbed this book, but I wouldn't have if I didn't love it! There is a reason we enjoy time travel/ magical realism/what-if-I-could-do-that-day-over books, because it is something we all dream of being able to do. Dorian Cirrone takes that concept and brings it to a middle grade story (I don't think that's been done before.) It makes you think, feel, and learn, and it is all hidden in a fantastical, entertaining story about one little girl, on one summer day, that keeps repeating and repeating. It is the ultimate Kabbalistic journey..but shh, don't tell the kids that. Just let them enjoy the ride.
January 18, 2016
Be careful what you wish for . . . Haleigh makes a wish to go back in time, but time travel isn't all it's cracked up to be in this magical, poignant middle grade novel. Stuck reliving the same day over and over, can she escape this time warp and move on with her life? Beautifully written and fun, young readers will be swept away by Cirrone's tale of friendship, family, art, and a very special summer. Loved it!
August 27, 2016
Gorgeous cover, great characters, compelling premise.
May 16, 2017
Cirrone, Dorian The First Last Day, 232 pages. Aladdin, 2016. $17.99. Language: G (0 swears 0 “f”) Mature Content: G Violence: G.
13-year-old Haleigh Adams and her best friend Kevin are having the best summer ever, that is until it comes to an end. Haleigh wants nothing more than a never ending summer but we have to be careful what we wish for. Living the same day over and over seems fun at first but then she realizes she wants to see what the future holds. Will she and Kevin be able to stop what seems like an endless time loop?
This book did not seem realistic, the conversations are staged and the characters are very immature for middle school students. It did not start to get even a little interesting until the end, and it was very repetitive. In conclusion this book was slow and I would not recommend it. I would recommend this book to a younger audience, elementary students would enjoy it.
EL - ADVISABLE, MS - OPTIONAL 8th Grade Student Reviewer SK
http://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2017/...
13-year-old Haleigh Adams and her best friend Kevin are having the best summer ever, that is until it comes to an end. Haleigh wants nothing more than a never ending summer but we have to be careful what we wish for. Living the same day over and over seems fun at first but then she realizes she wants to see what the future holds. Will she and Kevin be able to stop what seems like an endless time loop?
This book did not seem realistic, the conversations are staged and the characters are very immature for middle school students. It did not start to get even a little interesting until the end, and it was very repetitive. In conclusion this book was slow and I would not recommend it. I would recommend this book to a younger audience, elementary students would enjoy it.
EL - ADVISABLE, MS - OPTIONAL 8th Grade Student Reviewer SK
http://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2017/...
December 8, 2016
Haleigh wishes summer would never end. She paints a picture with that longing in her heart and suddenly she's in a time loop, reliving the last day of summer vacation over and over.
There are pluses and minuses to Haleigh's time loop. On the positive side, G-Mags, (her best friend's grandmother), will never die. On the negative side, Haleigh won't get to meet her new brother or sister, (Haleigh's mom is pregnant). There are lots of other negatives too, like eating the same food every day and doing the same activities.
Author, Dorian Cirrone, has written this novel like a mystery, with Haleigh and Kevin trying to determine how to break the spell and return to normal.
The First Last Day is an entertaining read and a book that will surely make kids think about hard topics at the same time.
There are pluses and minuses to Haleigh's time loop. On the positive side, G-Mags, (her best friend's grandmother), will never die. On the negative side, Haleigh won't get to meet her new brother or sister, (Haleigh's mom is pregnant). There are lots of other negatives too, like eating the same food every day and doing the same activities.
Author, Dorian Cirrone, has written this novel like a mystery, with Haleigh and Kevin trying to determine how to break the spell and return to normal.
The First Last Day is an entertaining read and a book that will surely make kids think about hard topics at the same time.
May 1, 2018
When it's time for summer vacation to come to end, Haleigh Adams paints a picture and wishes it never to stop. The next morning, she wakes to find that her wish had come true. She is caught in a time loop where summer never ends. After spending the first couple days in amazement, doing all the things she didn't get to do, Haleigh sees that an endless summer may not be such a great thing after all. She finds that her parents have been keeping secrets. Now, she must face a decision. But is it too late?
I did not like this book as much as I thought I would. It was underwhelming and a dull read. I was never hooked. It seemed to keep repeating the same things over and over, and I got bored reading it. I think it would have been better if a little more excitement was added to the plot. Overall I gave this book a two, as it was well written, however unappealing to me.
I did not like this book as much as I thought I would. It was underwhelming and a dull read. I was never hooked. It seemed to keep repeating the same things over and over, and I got bored reading it. I think it would have been better if a little more excitement was added to the plot. Overall I gave this book a two, as it was well written, however unappealing to me.
October 25, 2020
If you could paint the canvas of your dream day, what would you paint? When Haleigh Adams paints the perfect day at the beach with what turns out to be a magical paint set, she relives that day again and again...and again. How can she break the endless loop, and does she really want to? How many lives will be affected—or lost—if she does break the loop? Dorian Cirrone has written the perfect book for Middle Graders of all ages who have ever wanted to "bottle" a precious memory and keep people they care for close to them forever. Charming characters, a science fiction buff, detective work, magic, a loving grandmother...I loved all, and you will, too!
January 9, 2019
Creative novel of getting trapped in time loop. Similar to a movie made in 1993 of a man trapped in a 24 hour time loop.
August 5, 2019
I rarely give a book five stars. I couldn't put this book down. Science fiction meets art and philosophy. Read it when you want to do nothing but read.
April 29, 2020
Pretty fun juvenile fiction with some reflection on the passing of time as well as the nature of friendship and change.
Read
July 22, 2020Groundhog Day for middle grades
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 13, 2021
very gooooood
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 25, 2022
It's like an #mglit version of The Groundhog Day - but set in summertime with a beloved grandma and lots of artwork. =)
August 15, 2024
A re-read from middle school. It's a learning experience of knowing that time is valuable, especially when it's moving.
January 5, 2016
Haleigh has had an amazing summer at the Jersey Shore. She's made a new best friend, someone who she can really be herself around. But Haleigh is afraid that when the summer ends and they each go to their separate schools, Kevin will drift away just like her other friends have. When she finds a box of magic paints in her backpack, she makes a wish that she could have a "mulligan," a do-over to relive the last day again. Haleigh wakes up in the morning to find that it is once again August 26th. And again, and again, and again. She loses track of how many times she relives the day. No matter what little things she tweaks throughout the day, she still can't change the outcome. As much fun as it seemed to have an endless summer, Haleigh is getting desperate to move on with her life. Can she figure out the secret of the paints and find a way to end the magic? A fun book that will make a great end of summer beach read. For grades 3 & up.
eARC provided by publisher via Edelweiss
eARC provided by publisher via Edelweiss
September 20, 2016
If the cover alone doesn't draw you to this sweet middle-grade book, Haleigh's story surely will. Haleigh doesn't do well with change, and as the best summer of her life comes to an end, she spends her last night at the Jersey shore painting a picture of all the fun she and her new best friend Kevin have had over the previous months: building sand structures, making and watching movies together, hanging out with Kevin's grandmother, G-Mags, and having free-run of the boardwalk. With the oil paint drying on the most perfect picture she's ever painted, Haleigh wishes summer didn't have to end. But she never expected her wish would actually come true.
I'm pretty sure none of us have ever experienced a time-loop before, but I'm confident anyone who reads this book will relate to Haleigh's uncertainty of the future, her desire to keep things as they are, and ultimately her realization that fear shouldn't keep one from truly living.
I loved this book and hope you will, too.
I'm pretty sure none of us have ever experienced a time-loop before, but I'm confident anyone who reads this book will relate to Haleigh's uncertainty of the future, her desire to keep things as they are, and ultimately her realization that fear shouldn't keep one from truly living.
I loved this book and hope you will, too.
January 2, 2017
A cleverly-written, easy to read mystery for kids and teens! The main character, Haleigh, doesn't want her last day of summer to end with her friend, Kevin. She paints her day onto a canvass and makes a wish, but she doesn't know the paints are magic. Haleigh ends up in a time loop and repeats the same day every day! She must figure out who gave her the magic paints and how to stop the loop so time can go forward. The book also addresses important, substantive issues such as friendship and loss. THE FIRST LAST DAY feels like a classic! Kudos to author Dorian Cirrone for writing a fun "Groundhogs Day" type of story for kids. I highly recommend this book!
January 8, 2017
Basically this is "Groundhog Day" in book form for kids. A girl has a fantastic last day of summer and doesn't want it to end. She finds paints in her backpack and paints her "wish." Then she relives the day over and over. At first it's lovely and she learns to play miniature golf better than ever, but after a while she realizes she'll never be able to grow up and will never make new friends and will never be anything but what she is right now.
A little boring at first, but after a while I got into the rhythm of the writing and the story and it ended up being an enjoyable story. For ages 8-12.
A little boring at first, but after a while I got into the rhythm of the writing and the story and it ended up being an enjoyable story. For ages 8-12.
June 27, 2016
I'll admit I'm addicted to time loop books. In this one, Cirrone takes the genre to the next level. It's not really about fixing some event in the time loop to make the timeline better, this is a true examination of time looping and goes deeply into why we cling to the past and fear the future. All of this delicious depth is disguised inside a sweet, whimsical trip to the Jersey Shore and two best friends who have a perfect day and want to preserve it. A beautiful story, beautifully crafted.
July 4, 2016
I love this book! It has beautiful writing, pulling in all the senses, and relatable fleshed-out characters. It's funny and full of heart. I totally got caught up in the mystery and couldn’t wait to see Haleigh solve it. I had a few hunches, and was thrilled with the end result. :)
This book brings up so many questions that linger far after reading the last page. It really made me wonder if there's a day I'd want to live over and over and what I'd want to change if I had the chance.
This book brings up so many questions that linger far after reading the last page. It really made me wonder if there's a day I'd want to live over and over and what I'd want to change if I had the chance.
February 4, 2017
What if you could relive a good day over and over again? Would you? That happens to Hayleigh, and it's the last day of summer before her family is moving. In this take on Groundhog Day for kids, Hayleigh learns that there are some things that are great to repeat, but it might be good to grow in other ways too. A cute read.
June 20, 2016
Cirrone’s prose often has a poetic quality as Haleigh, the girl caught in a time loop, celebrates the fact that her wonderful summer never has to end but gradually comes to realize that stopping something bad from happening isn’t necessarily the best choice. A lovely book about acceptance and loss and what it means to be a true friend.
October 31, 2016
On her last day at the beach, Haleigh wishes that her vacation would never end. And the next morning, when she wakes, she finds that it hasn't--she is repeating the last day again. And again, and again! Interesting look at the problems of growth and time, but a bit too much "Groundhog Day" for kids.
September 8, 2016
I seriously JUST finished this book and came right over to right a review. I really enjoyed it and loved the Groundhog Day aspect, which made it fun even though the stakes were high. Very sweet story and likable characters. I highly recommend this book.
September 17, 2016
B (age 10) wanted a little more to the ending- we spent so much "time" in August 26th, that he was looking forward to finding out where the characters were a year later. But other than that, this book was clever and very well written. Another great read aloud.
December 30, 2016
It was a cute time travel book, but like with any time travel story it's best not to ask too many questions or get caught up in too many details about the logistics of a time loop. Nonetheless, this was a intriguing Groundhog Day-like story, but I wouldn't use it to teach social studies.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews