That Summer We Stole Our Permanent Records

by Kersti Niebruegge

It’s nearly summer vacation in 1993, but the end of fifth grade is a total disaster. Franklin D. Roosevelt Elementary is closing, which means Becky Dulles and her best friends, the Sherlock Pines Gang, will be split up and sent to different schools. Talk about unfair!

Determined to mess with the dumb plan, Becky leads her pals on a mission to steal their permanent records. (At least then they’ll have clean slates with their new teachers.) But when Becky discovers a treasure map mixed with the stolen files, she knows exactly how to save her school—hunt down a legendary buried fortune!

Will Becky and the gang find the money to rescue FDR Elementary and stay together? Join them on their quest as they battle mean kids, booby traps, and a super annoying principal in this funny adventure.

Genres: Juvenile, Fiction, Childrens

171 pages, Paperback

First published February 12, 2019

About the author

Kersti Niebruegge graduated from the University of Wisconsin–Madison with a degree in journalism and has worked for Late Night with Seth Meyers, Conan, and BBC Worldwide. She is the author of three humorous novels: Mistake, Wisconsin (2014 YA), The Zonderling (2015 Fiction), and That Summer We Stole Our Permanent Records (2019 Middle-grade).

https://kerstiniebruegge.com

Reviews

[Jenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book for free, under the assumption that I would write a review.

Let me say, I loved this book! It was hilarious and provided adventure every part of the way.

The students are told that their school is going to be closing due to budget cuts. They wanted to steal their permanent records so that they wouldn’t follow them to their new schools. When they stole their permanent records, they also obtained a treasure map. They followed this map to discover a sort of tunnel. Ultimately, they were able to find gold in the tunnel and save their school!

Some of the critiques that I have for this book are that the book is set in 1993. Due to this, there’s some references that I don’t think kids of today would understand. (What is Saved by the Bell? What’s a dime store?) I also think the title of the book would have worked out better if it was about saving their school. Halfway through the book they had accomplished stealing their permanent records and burning them. I felt like I had already found out the “main concept” of the book half way through.

[Meg · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a delightful book! At the end of the school year, the students are told that their school is closing, they will be sent to different schools the next year, and their dreaded Permanent Records will accompany them. So, like true Middle Schoolers, the group of friends decide to at least start with clean slates at their new schools by stealing their Permanent Records. What begins as a simple theft escalates into a major adventure. I highly recommend this book. It will definitely make you smile--and probably laugh out loud. I received my copy of this book through the Goodreads Giveaway program.

[Csimplot Simplot · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book!

[Jeanne Bartow · Rating 5 out of 5]

An exciting tale of adventure for middle schoolers. Perfect mix of imagination, fun and reminiscing about 90s pop culture.

[Kenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'd been dying to read this for months, because there's very few self-published novels on my to-read list, and even fewer 5-star ones, and I wanted to see if this deserved its rating. And it does! A fun middle-grade read with child characters who feel believable, and an adventure that's just over-the-top enough to be edge-of-your-seat fun. I know I would have adored this as a kid!