There are emotional conflicts, but almost nothing actually happens. While I loved the illustrations, I was a bit underwhelmed by this quiet, slice-of-life story. I can’t imagine how long it must have taken the Tamakis to create this gorgeous book. Rose and Windy’s expressions, dialogue, and actions make them feel real to the reader. This is done so well that I think readers would get the gist of the story even without the dialogue and accompanying text. The girls’ facial expressions show more than what they actually say. Though I didn’t really “get” all of the illustrations, they show character emotions perfectly. I’ll start with the illustrations, which are pure artistry. Middle school librarians should know that This One Summer has frequent profanity and mature themes such as teen pregnancy, a troubled marriage, a possible attempted suicide, and Rose’s mother’s ongoing depression.īecause of this, I do not recommend this title for any elementary library and advise caution for middle school libraries. While the two main girl characters are younger, maybe 12 or so, they observe lots of adult issues and arguments going on around them. I think my biggest complaint about This One Summer is the misleading front cover. There, they swim, dig holes, watch scary movies, deal with family issues, and spy on a local teen couple. Summer friends Windy and Rose meet at their family summer homes at Awago Beach.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |