Tuesday, January 12, 2016

THIS ONE SUMMER by Jillian Tamaki and Mariko Tamaki

This One Summer
Rose loves Awago Beach.  Since she was five years old, her family has visited a summer cottage there.  The quaint community is the perfect place for summer fun.

Windy is a year and a half younger than Rose, but that doesn't seem to matter.  The two girls spend just about every waking moment together during the summer.  Theirs is a special friendship that magically seems to renew each summer when their families arrive at Awago Beach. 

This summer the girls trot down to the local store for candy and to rent movies.  Horror movies have attracted their attention this year.  They munch on snacks of gummy feet and Twizzlers as they watch the scary movies through spread fingers.  When they aren't watching movies, they swim and explore.

During this particular summer, it isn't all fun and games.  Rose's parents are fighting.  It has to do with her mother's desire for a second child, but her inability to make that happen.  Ironically, during their visits to the store, Rose and Windy witness a private conversation involving one of the store employees and a girl he has evidently gotten pregnant.  Since Rose has a crush on the older teen, she is fascinated with this bit of gossip and tries to play detective to see what she can learn. 

This Caldecott and Printz Honor book is a graphic novel you won't want to miss.  Gritty text and vivid sketches take readers into the minds and hearts of these summer vacationers.  Having spent my childhood summers at a lake, I could easily relate to the atmosphere so artfully presented in THIS ONE SUMMER.

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