Rose and Windy are summer friends. They hang out together every summer when their families go to their summer cottages in Awago Beach. Their one-and-a-half-year age difference never mattered until this one summer when the pivotal tween years bounce them back and forth between wanting to play their childhood games and wanting to be grown up. I enjoyed the Canadian setting. The tween angst is perfectly captured as the girls renegotiate their friendship. Rose, in particular, is in the completely self-absorbed stage and the dramas going on between her parents and between some older teens is perceived from an "all about me" viewpoint. On the other hand, I did not find the drawings appealing, especially the dull purple-toned palette. There were several places where I was unable to seamlessly follow the narrative flow and had to really study the drawings to try and figure it out. The narrative felt very jumpy and the art often didn't help clarify things for me. Utterly compelling, and more edgy than I'd expected.Rose and her family are spending their usual summer at Awago Beach. Rose hooks up again with her younger friend Windy, and the two girls have a memorable time swimming, watching horror films, and trying to figure out the drama going on at the local convenience store.If you've ever had a summer place, or even a place that you associate with summertime, the atmosphere of this story will resonate with you. The tension between Rose's parents is palpable. I love how the Tamakis make you feel Alice's pain and depression over her miscarriage, and relate to Evan's struggles to keep things fun for his daughter.Teenagers, and parents of teenagers, are well served here.
What do You think about This One Summer (2014)?
Just okay. While the art was beautiful, the story could have been better written.
—Angie
Totally not appropriate for my middle school library. Oops!
—Plum
