This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki (2014-05-06)

Mentions masturbation and and uses words that would get kids suspended from school. How is this a young adult book, why does it have a Caldecot award. While this grotesque behavior may be true to life experience for some kids, I don't want to promote it or condone it. I borrowed this book from the library and intend to take it back with some words. I don't ever believe in banning a book, but books marketed to children should not contain words that I am not allowed to include in this review... F CK anyone!? I'm just glad that I read the book before giving it to my kids ages 9 and 13.

The story is honestly very simple and bland, something very ordinary yet has almost relatable dialogue. It does have adult themes and should be rated 15 and up, and this is coming from a 20 year old. However it isn't the devil's work, pregnancy/miscarriage talk and sexual themes are involved as well as foul language but it is not visually graphic. The dialogue is realistic and much of it was conversations I would have had between 12-15 honestly, I don't know what the parents reviewing this think kids in that age group talk about. I had a higher hope for this as I liked the art a lot and found the parent's issues intriguing, but the pacing was not good at all. It's not amazing but it isn't as awful as some of these reviews are making it seem.

Summer is over? Already?? How did that happen? I know I shouldn’t be surprised as this has been the case every year since forever, but summer really did seem to fly by. If you’re still in the mood for some summery reading (say… if you’re at the beach this weekend and looking for a quick recommendation), I’d like to suggest This One Summer, a poignant graphic novel by cousins Mariko and Jillian Tamaki.

Rose and her parents head to the lake every summer – it’s tradition. It’s where Rose sees Windy, her friend and surrogate little sister, every year. This year’s visit is different, though. Rose is in that in-between stage between kid and teenager, and the atmosphere at the lake is fraught with tension. Her parents might be fighting. Her friendship with Windy doesn’t hold as much appeal. The locals have their own drama. And while secrets are being traded and/or coming to light, Rose and Windy are growing up.

This One Summer is an award-winner, and for good reason. It’s a beautifully-written and -illustrated coming of age tale. Rose and Windy are entirely believable characters and friends. Rose is on the cusp of womanhood, with all of the angst and feeling that entails. One of the book’s strengths is the way it outlines how familiar places and social landscapes can change shape faster than you can imagine. The book also shines in its portrayal of family conflict – resolved or not. Another strong point is unpacking the words society uses for girls and women. This book does so many important things well, it’s really impressive.

This One Summer was the most banned book of 2016. And that is because the Tamakis not only told a beautiful story, but a true one. There’s so much honesty in the text and the art – and in telling a story around the sorts of secrets that are real and terrible. This One Summer is a slice of summer life as it really is, not sugarcoated, but perhaps heading in a positive direction. I would not hesitate to give this book to any child aged 11-and-up – it will spark important conversations and questions.

I mentioned the art, so let’s talk about that. It’s great! The facial expressions in particular are fantastic – rendered in blue and purple colored pencil line work on white pages. There’s visceral feeling imbued in each of the panels, and the choice of subject is subtle and tender at some of the most anxious moments. This book shines in a lot of ways, but the harmony between text and art is really fabulous.

In all, This One Summer is an incredible book, and one that should rightfully become a classic. If you haven’t picked it up yet, do yourself a favor and relive the summer-ness of it (and maybe cry a bit too).

Recommended for: fans of excellent graphic novels and anyone who enjoys affecting coming-of-age fiction, á la Melissa Walker’s Unbreak My Heart.

The Tamaki sisters, the first writing the story and the other doing the art, made a splash a few years ago with Skim, about a rather geeky and overweight teenager. I really liked the true-to-life writing, though I had some reservations about the slightly strange artwork. This one again follows a young girl through a very ordinary piece of growing up, though it seems much more complicated to her. Rose, who is tall and skinny and appears to be eleven or twelve, has been stdaying at a cottage at Awago Beach with her folks every summer since she was five. (Since the authors are Canadian, that’s probably on a large lake someplace in Ontario.) She has a “summer friend” a year and a half younger (and smaller and chunkier) named Windy, whose personality is quite different from hers, but they seem to make a good match. And nearly every day, they swim in the lake and explore the woods and rent videos from the little convenience store, which is the only place in the vicinity to buy anything. All very quiet and unexciting, right? But Dunc, the sixteen-year-old who runs the little store (and whom Windy christens “the Dud”) may have gotten his girlfriend pregnant -- or so the overheard gossip leads the two girls to believe. And there’s the continuing tension between her parents, who have been trying with notable lack of success to have a second child. (Will Rose’s mom ever come out of her bedroom?) And there’s all those horror movies, watched on a laptop, which they aren’t actually old enough to have, and which scare the crap out of them even while they’re laughing at them.

As with their previous work, the writing is to notch, with entirely believable characters, plausible real-life situations, and reasonable (which is to say “not perfect”) resolutions. The artwork still feels a little odd -- I mean, not everyone in the world is really that strangely ugly, are they? -- but even that is an improvement over last time, with facial expressions being especially well done. My only caveat is that the suggested age range is 12-18, which seems a little low, given some of the themes. Not that younger teenagers don’t have to deal with this stuff all the time, of course.

Rose’s family regularly vacations at Awago Beach during the summer. It is a place of happy memories, a home away from home made all the more special by the addition of her summer bestie Windy. This summer though things are not as they have been. Rose’s parents are fighting, Rose is struggling with some issues of her own, and she and Windy unwittingly get pulled into the drama of Awago residents.

The first thing a reader notices about this book is its stunning monochrome art. Not quite black and white, not quite the color blue. It sets the tone for the whole story. It is fitting for the flashbacks to happier times and fitting for angst that overshadows this particular beach vacation. Twelve-year-old Rose is on the cusp of adolescence. That murky time between just being a child that is simply a part of all that is going on around her and noticing that the world is not quite as cohesive as she had once believed. She is trying to see where she fits. Fits in the changing dynamic of her family, fits in a world where suddenly boys are interesting and complicated, fits in a world where everything is constantly changing. The graphics brilliantly reflect the complexity of Rose's world and keeps the pace of the story even in the absence of words.
This book is written about 10- and 12-year-olds, but with the adult language and situations, I would suggest that it is geared more toward high school age than middle grade. It is probably a story that will resonate with most teens in some way.

The major reason I picked this title up was because I'd seen it before and heard good things about it. The second reason is that the art felt very manga-like and not comicy (there is a difference in my eyes! lol). It was the style that made it feel like this to me but also the fact that it was in monochrome, using just the one bluish, purple tint in everything. And speaking of the art, I already mentioned I liked how it felt like a manga, but I also really liked how fluid and free and expressive the characters were, especially Windy. Plus the attention to detail in the illustrations!

But what is this book about? Basically what the title says: This One Summer. I found this to be sort of lacking but also very nice. There is no actual plot or even moral to the story, which could turn some people off but the story that we get is very explicit. It's kind of like a coming of age story since we have preteens Rose and Windy starting to take notice of their bodies and saying they want big boobs, and even noticing the opposite sex and feeling attraction, possibly even jealousy of existing relationships. We have them taking notice of the different types of relationships guys and girls can be in and what they can imply (friends vs. lovers, the term slut). The book also touches upon topics like suicide, abortion, protection, miscarriages, and the different relationships a child can have with both parents based on omitted information

In a sense, we just have two teens being teens and being exposed to certain topics and how they come to deal with them. They're not always the right way and I like how this book doesn't judge the characters. It's a sort of "it just is" feel, which made me like it even more

Overall, I ended up giving this book a 4.5. The reason I didn't give it the full 5 stars is because, while a great read, I also felt like I needed more. Did Rose and her parents ever talk about the issues that plagued them? Did the Awago drama ever get solved? How did Rose grow as a character? But like the title says, this is about the one summer. We don't really get the after. And if it wasn't clear, I definitely do recommend this book

I passed this book many times at the bookstore but opted to check it out from the library the other day. Firstly I love the artwork. The line art is whisky and flows well. The blue tones compliment the line art as well. Story wise this is a story written for 14 and up as the main girls are stated to be 15, so there is talk about sex and derogatory terms. However, most teenagers do talk about sex and things that happen in relationships. I felt this story was genuine in its depiction of an awkward Rose a girl unsure of what her life will be and her fascination with a boy at the store where she rents videos from. Her mind is conflicted about sex, relationships and her own future. It's a slice of life story so it's not aiming to be an epic adventure just a glimpse into the home life of a teen girl. It's worth a read as it has teachable moments about consequences and the awkward feelings many teens experience.

Beautiful artwork and strong storytelling. This One Summer became a new standard for graphic novels, especially contemporary, realistic ones. While the characters are both young, straddling the line between childhood and adulthood, parents may find the content too adult-level for their children.

If your kids know any other tweens or teenagers, they've heard and seen worse, but I completely understand not wanting to promote a book with "adult content" to a young person in your care! Do note that the mature content is portrayed in dialogue, not visually through the artwork. It references, not depicts, sexual acts in a way that might go over some kids' heads.

By the style of the cover and the Caldecott Honor, one would think this book was great for kids. However, after reading it, I felt the story was more for a 14+ age group. Even then, parents should know that this coming of age book uses a range of curse words, including the F-bomb, which is used frequently throughout the story. The topics of teenage pregnancy, porn, rated R movies, smoking, drug use, sex and oral sex are all discussed. I did like how the author demonstrated that a quiet, young girl can have a lot of questions and concerns under the surface. The young protagonist would boil over at her parents, which I felt was realistic. Sure, the main character is selfish at times, but she's a character under stress and she lashes, testing the boundaries, with those she feels the most secure with - her parents.

This One Summer is a moody, atmospheric, and beautifully illustrated slice of life story following a tween girl and her childhood best friend. Both girls meet up every year at the lake but this year is different - minor events have changed the situation for many of the characters. What makes the book remarkable is the very grounded, realistic, and character driven story and art. Both complement each other perfectly. But this is also a book where our main character is at the epicenter of events and yet none touch her directly. She watches from the sidelines as subtle events unfold around her.

Rose and Windy's mothers are good friends and each year their families meet up at the lakeside cabins for Summer. This year looks to be like the rest - days at the beach, exploring the local neighborhood, and movies at home in the cabin. But Rose becomes intrigued by the local shop boy, Windy doesn't understand Rose's new maturity, and Rose's mother is very unhappy and withdrawn for unknown reasons. Conflicts about conceiving children - both wanted and unwanted - will cause unhappiness and touch everyone This One Summer.

Part of my enjoyment of the book stemmed from having gown up in upstate New York and experiencing this exact type of Summer - driving to one of the Great Lakes and spending two weeks with the family. Everything in the book was pitch perfect and brought back so many memories. It was genuine - from the crowded little local store to the kids hanging out in the forest or beaches after dark: a town catering to the tourists but not necessarily making any great living from them.

The art, like the writing, was detailed in all the right places. This is not a book that was rushed or hurried - the languid pace of Summer is given time to organically evolve; the mundane joy of simple things like Twizzlers contrasted with the typical 'visit a tourist trap' day trip. Even having a grandparent who snores loudly and the tiny but sparsely decorated rooms loosely littered with the seashell treasures collected over the season. All the scenes were needed to tell the big picture of Rose's Summer.

The story arc doesn't have a moral, hidden POV, or Rose learning a lesson. It isn't about growth of character. It's a straight slice of life meditation, the foolishness of youth with the heartache of middle age. It's an observation rather than a lesson. I think some readers may be frustrated by that but really, how often did we really understand and learn from the lessons we were being taught by life when we were tweens? That always came later, if at all.

What I really appreciated about the book is that Rose and Windy are very average tweens. Rose may have the first stirrings of a crush but both are still very immature, underdeveloped physically, and a stark contrast to the older teens they encounter. Both girls keep their innocence, though, which is far more realistic to me.

This One Summer is a piece that could have been written in any era - from the 1950s to my 1970s childhood to the current age now. There really is nothing comic about it and yet the illustrations are so clean and organic to the story, the expressions so distinct, the characters so unique, that I could not imagine the story told without the graphic format. The author and illustrator really did capture the feel of the tween.

Reviewed from an ARC.

I had heard good things about this graphic novel before I got it. They were all correct. This graphic novel was wonderful. The artwork was extraordinary (charcoal and ink).

Rose is a girl at the threshold of teenage-hood. She is at that level that is commonly referred to as tween. She is leaving her childhood behind and entering an ever more adult world full of adult things. Every summer her family goes to a lake cabin in Awago. This summer is tough as the family relationship is strained as her mother deals with depression and her father is frustrated with the impotence of not able to help. Windy is her younger friend whose's family rents another cabin at the lake. They have known each other for a long time and they look forward to their time together.

Windy offers interesting perspectives to Rose's situation, comments and points of view. At time Rose presents naive and innocent comments akin to her age and other times (most often) she offers a tentative wisdom much older than her years.

I read this quickly in one sitting. I did not want to break the flow of the story. I felt drawn to the story and the enfolding plot. At times I found myself commiserating with Rose and I chastised myself for getting drawn back to my long-left-behind teenage angst. But, oh! it is so easy to revive, to go back to that space where it was all you you you against the world and this graphic novel so perfectly captured that. At the end, we are all reminded that we just don't know. We don't know what others are going through.

It was a simple story but it captured so much and it did it so well.

If you want to see the store's rating system failing this is your book. Award winning and beloved by so many readers and teachers, but then a bunch of goof balls review like it was supposed to be another "SMILE" and "DRAMA." This is a realistic story about characters with complicated problems. As an adult it is extremely moving to read. For a teen it should be refreshingly honest and familiar. We've gifted to teens who loved it and know plenty of others that do, as well. It's for teens and up. Not kids.

Originally posted to Nori's Closet (http://noriscloset.blogspot.com/2014/07/this-one-summer-by-jillian-tamaki-and.html)

If you’re someone who really appreciates the art of graphic novels, you’d love this one. It’s just beautiful. The artwork is just so honest and clear. People aren’t made to be perfect and crushes don’t look like prince charming; the whole thing just feels so authentic and most of that is because of the art.

The story was interesting too. There was this overlapping theme of babies. One main character is coming of age as young adult who was adopted. And it’s clear this adoption is fresh on her mind when comments are made about babies being given up for adoption. And the other main character has a depressed mother who miscarried her last chance at another child. The two girls (summer besties) are watching the slightly older teens in town go through a soap opera of sorts when the girlfriend of the boy Rose likes finds out he is a dad.

This book deals with some dark stuff. There’s teen pregnancy, depression, family arguments, first crushes, adoption, and more. There’s also some spot-on coming of age moments when kids go from cartoons to horror movies, from enjoying family outings, to being embarrassed at family outings, etc. The writers really understand that sort of in-between age where we don’t know if we’re kids or teens. And what better setting for such a story than a summer beach town?

The topics kind of reminded me of the old school Sarah Dessen books (though maybe with younger characters). And this brought back great summer reading memories. And I also connected with the setting because I live in a town like this beach town. I of course hated Rose’s crush and wanted to tell the girls to have more fun being kids while they can. (I guess that makes me a true adult now…) The side characters were great too. I loved Windy’s grandmother and Rose’s aunt and how they both inadvertently affect these girls.

I do wish that maybe a little more happened in the story, plot-wise. It was definitely more of an emotional/character driven book than an action-packed story. And that’s okay. I did wish for just a tiny bit more though. However, I loved the art, the characters, the subjects, and the style. I give it a 9/10.

I honestly don't appreciate this book. I went into this book with high hopes but the constant sexism was annoying and distracting. I kept expecting the characters to have a breakthrough and realize how negatively they were thinking of girls but it never happened. Yes the art was good and the characterizations were good, but an inspirational book for young girls? No. Not when the word slut was used to describe every minior female character and no one ever acknowledged it was wrong. I get they were trying to teach girls about growing up and introduce these concepts. But it's not okay to promote these views and never show these young girls it's wrong. And the concept of consent was brushed over. One girl says to the other about oral sex that you might have to go down on a guy if you're peer pressured, and that she's not sure if you have to do it if you don't want to. The one scene where they discuss sex they basically say "you don't have a choice." No this is not a good coming of age story. For young girls or young boys. Don't let good art cover this up.

As many of the reviewers mentioned, this book has cursing and complaining, it talks about sex and the use of the word "slut", it explores postpartum depression, suicide, teen pregnancy, and marital troubles. This isn't a book for kids in elementary school, as they don't understand many of these themes, but, this is an important book for 9th grade up. It might be too "real" for some parents, but the themes and the characters in "This One Summer" may very well show up in their teenager's life. It's a coming of age story is about two girls who are trying to navigate the very adult things happening around them. They will not see sex or have it, they will not get drunk, but they will talk about these things as abstract concepts. I would recommend this book to my 15 year old self and again to my 18 year old self and again to my 35 year old self as my experience comes, I can identify with the different characters and situations.

This One Summer is not your average “fairy tale love story”, that most young adults look for when reading however, it’s a story that involves real life events that many “tweens” are dealing with and have a hard time expressing. The main character Rose visits a lake house every summer, her good friend Windy is there every summer and they have a blast all summer however, things are a bit different This One Summer when Rose goes to the lake house. Rose's experience at the lake house is different because she is faced with many real life challenges that affect her mentally and physically but she doesn’t seem to give up. The author does a really good job making a connection with real life events, a great story line and keeping the audience reading because I didn’t want to put the book down. However, the book is very mature for a YA audience and the events that happen in the story. I agree with the author and keeping a realistic storyline but for a selective YA audiences, the book can be direct and scary to some readers. The events that Rose faces, many YA will never have to face and will not have a connection to what she goes through however, the events are real and some YA will see themselves as Rose. The story is age appropriate for a select of YA with an age range of 16+.
Overall, I enjoyed this vivid story and I read it all the way through in one sitting. I didn’t want to put the book down and wanted to read more even when it ended. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves comics and interested in a great story. 5 stars in my book!

This One Summer is about Jenny. She's spending the summer with her parents in a cottage on a lake, like they do every year. And like every other year, she's joined by her summer friend, Windy. Over the course of the novel, everything unfolds. Why her parents are fighting. If Jenny's crush's girlfriend is pregnant. What happened the summer before.

This really is a good graphic novel, and it bothers me that there are so many one-star reviews simply because the girls talk about sex and puberty. Is this 1979, everyone? Did Judy Bloom never exist? The bluescale art is captivating, and it's too bad that readers are spoiled by DC and Marvel titles. *****

Rose has been coming to Awago Beach with her family every summer since forever. Rose's summer cottage friend--and seasonal younger sister, of sorts--Windy, is always there waiting for a new vacation filled with fun and adventures.

But nothing is quite the same as it was even last summer. Caught uncomfortably between the familiarity of childhood and the wholly unknown world of growing up, Rose isn't sure anymore where she fits in at Awago, with Windy, or even with her parents.

In a summer filled with things left unsaid--with change lurking everywhere--Rose and Windy realize that even as life threatens to shift in a new direction things like friendship can remain rock solid in This One Summer (2014) by Jillian Tamaki and Mariko Tamaki.

This One Summer received a whopping six starred reviews over the course of 2014. It is also the first graphic novel to ever win Canada's Governor General Award for Illustration in an English Language Children’s Book (for illustrator Jillian Tamaki). (As Mahnaz Dar explains on SLJ this award has usually gone to picture books.)

It's hard sometimes to remember that illustrations are a key part of the reading experience when looking at something that isn't a picture book. Graphic novels, of course, are uniquely suited to demonstrate a perfect blend of illustrative and textual storytelling. Given the ways in which readers interpret visual and written "texts", it's sometimes hard to notice how well the two integrate. It is also, sometimes, too easy to ignore what is being done exceptionally well.

This One Summer is a deceptive book due in part to the seamless integration of graphical and verbal storytelling. In doing everything so very well here--so effortlessly--the Tamakis often erase their own work. Instead of seeing the intricate line work in each full page spread, we first see a beautiful picture. Instead of paying attention to how changing panels and page design move the reader through the story as easily as through a storyboard for a film, we initially only notice how quickly this book can be read.

Throughout the novel the Tamakis capitalize on the graphic novel format to push This One Summer in new directions and stretch just how a story can be told. The motion and physicality, particularly whenever Windy is on the page, becomes palpable with each new frame. The varied design as the story shifts between full page illustrations, two page spreads and smaller panels also serve to move the plot smoothly along.

With intricate illustrations and a nuanced, meditative plot, This One Summer is a subtle story about growing up and facing change that will resonate with readers of any age long after they read the final page.

Rose and her family have been coming to Awago Beach "since...like...forever" but this year is a little different than the rest. Rose's mother is depressed, her father is frustrated, and Rose and her summertime best friend Windy aren't connecting quite like they used to. As the summer unfolds, Rose becomes preoccupied with the older teen drama unfolding at the local convenience store surrounding an unplanned pregnancy as a way to escape the tension at home and secrets surrounding her mom's sudden depression.

This One Summer is a dreamy, beautifully drawn graphic novel. Rose's family issues plays out alongside the drama of the local teenagers that Rose and Windy spy on and interesting parallels are drawn between the two sets of characters involving pregnancies, love, and how relationships can withstand abruptly shifting dynamics. Rose is a flawed character whose behavior is believably awful at times as she struggles to comprehend why her parents are fighting and as she takes in the very serious consequences of the local teens’ actions. She's observant and strangely apart from the action for most of the story, but her quiet observations are what allow her to ultimately stand up and speak out when it really matters. This One Summer is a powerful story about bridging the gap between childhood and adulthood, and fantasy and reality.

The art in this book is really lovely. I love the indigo and violet, which does such a great job at conveying this sense of nostalgia for childhood and the past, but yet it's really grounded in the present. I've got it shelved in the YA section, and although I'd be very careful about who I'd hand it to as it does feature some more grown-up content, I'd recommend it to readers who like Raina Telgemeier's work, or are wanting something a little more mature. However, it's not quite as mature as the Tamaki cousins' first graphic novel, Skim. This One Summer is one of those books that slips between middle grade and YA, and easily appeals to readers of all ages.

Cousins Jillian and Mariko Tamaki again collaborate on a stellar graphic novel --- THIS ONE SUMMER. This time, the topic is summer vacation and the bittersweet pains of growing up.

Rose and her parents have been coming to a cottage on Awago Beach each summer since Rose was five. The time she's spent there forms a huge component of her childhood memories, her family stories and even her sense of self. It's the kind of place that's reassuring in its predictability, the kind of place you can return to each year and be confident that things will have stayed the same.

This summer, though, everything at Awago Beach seems different. Rose is on the verge of adolescence, for one thing, and she's developed a keen interest in the activities, liaisons, and interpersonal dramas of the older teen "townies," particularly Duncan, a beanpole of a guy who works at a little convenience store and always remembers Rose's fondness for Twizzlers.

Rose's family isn't quite the same, either. Ever since they stopped trying to have another baby, Rose's mom has been withdrawn and angry, and Rose's dad has been trying to put a smiling face on a bad situation. This contrast seems even worse at Awago Beach, where Rose's mom refuses to even go in the water while Rose's dad just wants the family to have fun. Rose, too, wishes that her family could revive the little traditions that meant so much to her in previous years, but that doesn't seem likely this summer.

Even Rose's friendship with Windy, who's like the little sister Rose never had, seems different somehow. Windy's a year and a half younger than Rose, and despite her apparent fondness for horror movies, she's starting to seem sort of childish (and occasionally embarrassing) to Rose.

Like many young teenagers, Rose's preoccupations alternate between her family and her social life, or the one she aspires to. Both the text and the illustrations do a fantastic job of balancing Rose's inner life with the world of Awago Beach. Jillian Tamaki's detailed illustrations are rendered in various warmly-hued shades of grey, and capture Rose's interactions with people and the natural world equally well. A pile of beach stones, a vista of bonfires stretching along the beach, a scene of a girl on a bike --- all add up to depict Rose's particular summer.

Cousins Jillian and Mariko Tamaki have previously collaborated on the graphic novel SKIM, about a girl trying both to fit in and stand out at her all-girls' private school in the early 1990s. With that work and this one, the cousins have shown themselves to be particularly adept at capturing the bittersweet life of teenage girls, full of hope, anxiety and heartbreak. THIS ONE SUMMER will have readers eagerly awaiting a return to their own summer place --- and will be remembered long after summer is over.

Reviewed by Norah Piehl

Our youthful heroine, Rose Wallace gets ready for still another vacation at a beach, where she would swim, munch on gummy candy, and watch horror movies with her pleasantly plump friend, "Windy".

Yet the two girls, who had not yet reached their puberty, are getting an unwanted glimpse of something very personal that usually happens to older people. It is not about breast jokes or getting a boyfriend. It is about having babies. And nope, it ain't pretty, either.

One woman - namely Rose's own mother - is struggling hard to conceive while the other woman - the girlfriend of a young shop clerk - may be knocked up. Both incidents are of a very different nature, yet they both turn grown men back into reluctant, sulking children prone to angry quarrels with their partners. And it is also casting a very dark, stormy cloud over what would have otherwise been a very sunny R and R.

Even worse, something serious had happened to Rose's mother while out swimming the previous year, so she has kept it a deep secret even from her own family. As a result, no one is very supportive of the poor woman - not even her own daughter. And it is also causing a very tense rift in the whole family and even threatening the marriage, too!

A very interesting read for young people (best over 13 due to language and adult situations) involving very realistic characters (of course not, they aren't drawn like flawless manga characters that Rose enjoys reading about. In fact, some kids are pretty pudgy, Windy's foster mother has a horse-like face, and "The Dud" is still ugly-looking in spite of his "stud" status.)

And the story is also beautifully illustrated (some splash pages of the Awago Beach are pretty astonishing!) and no detail is left out, not even the debris of discarded cigarettes, beer bottles, or empty packets of turkey jerky that is a favorite running joke for Rose's carefree, fun-loving, and - rather insensitive - father.

Wonderful book, amazing artwork, but a bit deceiving. It looks like a book that is fine for the 5th and 6th grade crowd (10 and 11 year olds) or younger, but I would be very hesitant. It does have more mature themes. There is alcohol, quite a strong dose of foul language, and some sexual comments, (I.e. b.j.), which I personally don't believe are appropriate for the age group it "looks like" it is for. This is most definitely one to stick with the suggest grade level of 8th grade, age 14 and up.

Otherwise it is an extremely well done book, deserving of the awards it has been given and those I am sure it will recieve.

Captivating illustrations and a good plot. Also, creating realistic teen dialogue is hard, but I think the author pulls it off perfectly. Some people are giving this book lower scores because the two teen protagonists in this book discuss somewhat sexual themes. First of all, it's not graphic in the least. And secondly, it's realistic dialogue for what kids their age would be talking about. The kind of situations that the characters encounter and talk about are exactly much what a kid in middle school or early high school would as well. If the mixed reviews have you feeling unsure, I encourage you to read this book and decide for yourself. It's an excellent book.

This One Summer does a fantastic job of capturing the magic of a lazy summer when you aren't quite old enough to fit in with the big kids and not ready to leave that little kid stuff behind. Rose and Windy meet at their family's beach retreat every summer and this summer starts out with lots of talk of developing bodies, crushes, and speculation about the older teens they encounter.

There are a lot of surprisingly poignant moments in this thoughtful book. It covers so many issues as young Rose deals with her parents fighting, her mom's depression, and the teen pregnancy drama that is playing out with the older teen crowd. She and her friend Windy find themselves without much supervision, wondering at times where the magic of summer has gone, and at other times finding it in scary movie marathons and giggle filled speculation about the nature of oral sex.

The art in this graphic novel perfectly complements the thoughtful, contemplative mood of the text. Emotions are clearly portrayed, which add unexpected layers to the drama. The writing is compelling, encouraging the reader to zip through this book, however I would encourage any reader to slow down and examine the art. The payoff is huge as many will see themselves in moments of hurt and confusion, and also joy and love.

This One Summer is a fantastic example of what constitutes a great graphic novel and is an enthusiastic recommend for readers ages 14 and up.

Told in hushed and elegiac tones this beautifully illustrated (art, Jillian Tamaki) graphic novel is a bittersweet summer story about family, friendships, crushes and loss cross punctuated with light coming of age overtones. The plotting by Mariko Tamaki is spare and economical and running alongside its violet-hued monochromatic artwork the book in its entirety effortlessly exudes a sense of melancholy with rifts of nostalgia.

Thanks to its lean plotting the book can be consumed in 1 or 2 sittings even with a sizable length at 320 pages unless, of course, you are captivated enough to soak in and savor the vast, generous quantities of Jillian's superb illustration.

Captivating illustrations and a good plot. Also, creating realistic teen dialogue is hard, but I think the author pulls it off perfectly. Some people are giving this book lower scores because the two teen protagonists in this book discuss somewhat sexual themes. First of all, it's not graphic in the least. And secondly, it's realistic dialogue for what kids their age would be talking about. The kind of situations that the characters encounter and talk about are exactly much what a kid in middle school or early high school would as well. If the mixed reviews have you feeling unsure, I encourage you to read this book and decide for yourself. It's an excellent book.

This One Summer does a fantastic job of capturing the magic of a lazy summer when you aren't quite old enough to fit in with the big kids and not ready to leave that little kid stuff behind. Rose and Windy meet at their family's beach retreat every summer and this summer starts out with lots of talk of developing bodies, crushes, and speculation about the older teens they encounter.

There are a lot of surprisingly poignant moments in this thoughtful book. It covers so many issues as young Rose deals with her parents fighting, her mom's depression, and the teen pregnancy drama that is playing out with the older teen crowd. She and her friend Windy find themselves without much supervision, wondering at times where the magic of summer has gone, and at other times finding it in scary movie marathons and giggle filled speculation about the nature of oral sex.

The art in this graphic novel perfectly complements the thoughtful, contemplative mood of the text. Emotions are clearly portrayed, which add unexpected layers to the drama. The writing is compelling, encouraging the reader to zip through this book, however I would encourage any reader to slow down and examine the art. The payoff is huge as many will see themselves in moments of hurt and confusion, and also joy and love.

This One Summer is a fantastic example of what constitutes a great graphic novel and is an enthusiastic recommend for readers ages 14 and up.

Told in hushed and elegiac tones this beautifully illustrated (art, Jillian Tamaki) graphic novel is a bittersweet summer story about family, friendships, crushes and loss cross punctuated with light coming of age overtones. The plotting by Mariko Tamaki is spare and economical and running alongside its violet-hued monochromatic artwork the book in its entirety effortlessly exudes a sense of melancholy with rifts of nostalgia.

Thanks to its lean plotting the book can be consumed in 1 or 2 sittings even with a sizable length at 320 pages unless, of course, you are captivated enough to soak in and savor the vast, generous quantities of Jillian's superb illustration.

Powerful coming of age story: a great read for mature readers. This One Summer is a page-turner that I have already shared with two friends--one an anthropology professor and the other a gender studies graduate and begun two amazing conversations. I will not spoil the plot, but a truly wonderful piece that I feel captures a lot of the angst, zeal and realization that Stand By Me did for boys in the 1980s.

A beautifully drawn “coming of age” graphic novel.

This is a YA novel, but I think it’s more for a younger YA crowd, 12-13 maybe. The subject matter is growing out of that innocent, unaware age and becoming more understanding of the complexities and unpleasantness of the world. Two main characters are young teen girls who for the first time face “adult” problems (unwanted pregnancies, depression) through observing adults around them and grapple with understanding them.

The novel is gorgeously drawn, in blue/lilac/grey tones.

I enjoyed it, even though it is a lot less mature than YA I prefer to read.

In short: The art is magnificent and the story is better suited for young teens than for young adults, but it's still a good read either way.

Let me get into more detail. The two main characters are two girls in their young teen years, so a reader between 12-15 years old might identify more easily with them. The story is not complicated and there isn't much depth to it, but at the end the message is clear.

The book addresses topics about growing up, family circumstances (adoption, dysfunctionality) and of course, teenage drama with some splashes of good humor and some insight on the mind of a teenage girl who is growing up but doesn't seem to be ready to let go of certain childhood memories yet.

It seems like I'm not talking about the art at all, but I said it is magnificent, and there's nothing else to say. The artist did a great job with the cool color palette, the facial expressions, the landscapes and the mood changes between scenes. Some pages doesn't even have (nor need) words, because the art is speaking for itself.

If you've read other reviews and aren't sure the story is right for you (like I was), but are interested in the style of a new artist, please buy this book. If you like these types of books already, this is a must-have.

I purchased this for my 12 year old daughter-only to find out it talks in graphic terms about oral sex, "sluts" and 15 year olds having sex, and a suicide attempt & an abortion!! I have no idea how this was recommended to anyone but full fledged adults -pretty horrified I purchased this.

There are some hard topics addressed in this book. I personally think they are important issues that, realistically, every teenager will face, no matter how much their parents like it. This is a gentle way to introduce topics like teen pregnancy and infertility to a young teen. I would suggest having a discussion before giving them the book, though. Read it first.

The art is beautiful, and the story is vibrant and realistic. I loved it very much, and I am a 23 year old woman.

The art is beautiful.

The story is poignant. The characters are, for the most part, realistic. I love the coming-of-age girls, and their friendship, the kind that happens only in the summer, is truthfully written. The scary, somehow alluring teens are well-written, too.

SPOILER ALERT: The parents of one character have a crisis with how they deal with the mother's some-time-ago miscarriage--which, in the story, happens while she is swimming one afternoon. This is how miscarriage happens in television, but in real life such a thing takes a long time. Think of a menstrual period happening in 20 minutes: that would be great, but it doesn't work that way. People who have experienced miscarriages or know people who have will be left wondering whether the character was lying about having one or the writer watched too many soap operas.

The age range listed seems a little young for the material, but as another reviewer said, you'll have to make up your own mind what is right for your family. My assessment would be older teens and up.

Very beautiful book and I am looking forward to more by these collaborators.

Every summer for as long as she can remember, Rose, her mom, and her dad head to a lake house at Awago Beach. It’s a refuge, a getaway, a chance to relax and recover from the stresses of the past year. And every summer Rose’s friend Windy and her family are there as well. Windy and Rose are like sisters and best friends. This year though...things have changed. Rose’s mom and dad just won’t stop fighting. Rose is growing up and beginning to notice the local boys and is interested in horror movies. And a couple of the local teens have an encounter that will change things for everyone. This is going to be a summer like no other.

This is one of those stories that is hard for me to write a review. Because I want to write so much about it, I want to tell you what happens, but I don’t want to spoil the story. And it’s also difficult, because the story is so realistic, so vivid, that I felt like I was reading Rose’s diary. It feels almost like an invasion of privacy, because the story is so well told that in just a few short sentences we can understand the swirl of emotions and drama and chaos that Rose is experiencing. Because we remember what it was like to go through that transition. We are no longer children, but we are not yet quite adults either. And it doesn’t matter if you’re male or female, we can all remember that time of struggle. Wondering what it’s like to be an adult, trying to be an adult, trying to figure out what love is and not make a fool out of ourselves. Mariko and Jillian have accurately captured the feelings of this age and make the reader feel like they're actually participants in what's going on, not just mere observers to the world.

I think what I like best about the story though, is that the dialogue feels real. It’s like we’ve stepped into a local school and we’re hearing teens from today talk about what’s going on in their lives. But we can also feel like we’re stepping back into time to the 90’s and the dialogue would still feel the same. So many authors struggle with trying to be real teens, it’s like they’ve forgotten what they were like and imagine that everyone talks in complete sentences. But not in this story. Here we have the broken sentences, half words, not real words, and everything in between.

The artwork for this story is absolutely gorgeous and breathtaking. The simple color palette of blue and white capture the emotion and intensity of the what's going on and have the characters leaping off the page into the real world. The blue and white also echo the idea of the lake and waves crashing against the shore nicely. It's that idea of swirling chaos and beauty that we see and feel when standing on the shore. The color palette also reflects the idea that we’re reading Rose’s diary or hearing her tell the story. Even more than that, it feels like we’re watching an old home movie, where the film has faded slightly, but we can still feel and be a part of the story.

The design of the characters though is my favorite aspect. There are no “perfect” bodies or super models. We see real people, real teens. Skinny, chubby, fat, slim, muscular, old, and everything in between. In other words real people. It isn’t something shows up often in young adult books, and I am so glad to see it here.

This is one of those books that I could give and recommend to so many different groups: to teen girls just at that age of childhood and adulthood with so much to look forward to and to fear; to women that want to remember what it felt like at that age--the first crush, the separation of childhood friends, of growing up; and to guys that just want to understand the depth and emotion that this age holds. I give this book 5 out of 5 stars and look forward to seeing what Mariko and Jillian do next.

ARC provided by Gina at First Second

The illustrations and characters were perfection (especially Windy). But there were some unresolved issues; I don't want to spoil anything, so I will just say that the book is definitely worth reading- it just wasn't the resolution I was expecting... it sort of just ended quietly.

I thought that the swearing and sex talk was spot on for girls of that age. Throughout the book I kept thinking that it was a great representation of what teens go through, plus it's in a fun setting. My 14 year old sister read it and loved it. She didn't say anything after she finished it but gave the "It was good" grunt. So, I guess that means it had some sort of emotional effect on her!

This is a beautifully crafted book in every way possible. Let me just say that when I bought this book I bought it solely based on Daniel Handler's endorsement of it. The book was tightly wrapped, so I couldn't even flip through it, but I loved the cover, I loved the synopsis, and Daniel Handler's name was there, so I thought, that's it...I'm buying it.

When I opened it to start reading it, I was very surprised to find that it was a graphic novel! I don't usually read graphic novels, not because I'm not a fan, but I just never feel like I get immersed in graphic novels the way I do with regular stories that really take you in deep with the descriptions and scene setting and feelings and so on.

However, This One Summer blew me AWAY. The graphics were absolutely beautiful, brilliantly crafted into pieces of art. Actually, no. I won't call it a piece of art, because the drawings were so real that it almost felt like watching a movie. The emotions on their faces, the scenery, the expressions, the movement, it was amazing. All depicted so well that the characters felt they could almost jump off the pages of the book.

But then comes the writing, although the writing was brief and mostly dialogue - because, yes, it is a graphic novel. The writing was still enough to convey the messages it meant to convey in the way they are meant to be conveyed. The characters all had depth, and the Tamakis were able to make them so real that you become invested in this story. It's literally a story that spans the length of a summer holiday, but in that time we witness the growth of a young girl at the cusp of adolescence, and her relationships with her friends and family, and those she interacts with around her. We see stories intertwined and played out, judgments made, arguments between friends, families torn apart and back together again, and people getting hurt in the process.

And the story suddenly becomes more than the art and the writing, it becomes all too real.

A great summer read, one you'll be able to finish in one go as you breeze through it.

Summary:
Rose spends every summer with her parents at a lake house. She looks forward to it because she gets to see her best friend Windy. This summer is a little different though. Her mother is depressed and her parents are arguing all of the time. To get away from it, Rose and Windy are intrigued by the local teenagers who are just a little bit older than the two of them. The convenience store clerk is cute and Rose has a little bit of a crush on him. Unfortunately, he's not the perfect teen that she really should be looking up to. This One Summer shows Rose finding her place in growing up.

My thoughts:
While this is a beautiful tale, it was not really what I expected. Based upon the back of the book, I felt like there would be a good amount of mystery and excitement. I mean "caught up in something bad...something life threatening" makes me think that someone is after him and the girls have somehow gotten mixed up in it. This is not the case. While there is a large conflict in the story, it is not an action packed mystery. This is a leisurely read about growing up. The real purpose of the story is Rose finding out more about who she is in the midst of all these changes around her. She is a bit too old for the things that she used to enjoy so much with Windy, but she is still too young for some of the things the older teens are doing. Expect some awkwardness, some sadness, and some hope, but nothing that will really get your heart pumping or have you jumping through pages to find out what happens next. It's a leisurely paced book about summer, which is perfect for this time of year.

"This One Summer" is a graphic novel by Mariko Tamaki with charcoal-and-ink art by Jillian Tamaki, a team of cousins whose first collaboration, Skim, won a New York Times Illustrated Children’s Book Award. "Summer" tells the complex and ultimately edifying story of Rose, a tween (her age is never stated) who deals with family tensions and—vicariously, by watching the local teens in the town where her family vacations—explores the mysterious world of near-adulthood.

Rose’s mom, Alice, is dealing with depression in the aftermath of a failed pregnancy, and this leads to conflict with Rose’s kindly (and slightly immature) dad. And as this conflict progresses from tension to acrimony to reconciliation, Rose finds her attention drawn—first as an observer, and then as a sort of spy—to a parallel drama playing out between a convenience-store clerk (and subject of a minor crush) and his apparently pregnant girlfriend. Her attention caught by these two stories, Rose seems to be pondering what role she can take on as an adult, and which one of the two roles that present themselves—familiar, beloved, but withdrawn mother, or emotional, liberated, but tragic teenage girl—lie closest to how she sees herself.

Also in the mix is Windy, Rose’s younger friend, who serves as a foil for Rose’s dilemma. Windy is full of slighting references to the teens’ drama, and whether this stems from sincere disdain or a desire to keep them at a safe distance, she gives voice to perspectives that are both younger and older than Rose’s. In this way, she serves as a representation of the ways in which the community around an adolescent can be both comforting and alienating.

Summer ends with these conflicts largely resolved. Rose’s search for a place to call her own in the adult world concludes with a rediscovery of the strengths of her family and community, which equates to a rediscovery of her own strengths. The reader is tempted to imagine that Rose will find that maturing will move her closer to her true self—to a role that suits her.

Given the language, Summer may not qualify as a YA title for some, except in the sense that it concerns young protagonists. But it has much to offer as a portrait of the confusions and consolations of life on the verge of young adulthood.

A graphic novel about an important summer for a young teen and her friend, as the girls grow and change, sometimes connecting and sometimes irritating each other. A very real look at a small summer in a person’s life.

Misogynistic book teaching kids to hate teenage girls who are pregnant, as if those teenage girls didn't have enough judgment to deal with in real life already. Book teaching kids that having a sexuality makes women "s***." Book using vulgarity for "cool" shock value. Can publishing houses please stop selling us garbage like this? YA authors have the responsibility to be careful what messages they put into young readers' minds. Young girls don't need to be taught to view others as "s***." Our patriarchal society already does enough of that, thank you very much!

Rose, 12 and her parents head off in their beautiful Acura to their lake house getaway at Awago Beach. Rose and her best friend Windy and Windy's family join them in the fun. However, this one summer everything comes to a head. Puberty kicks in. Hormones are ratched up into overdrive. Rose's parents quarrel constantly. Rose is interested in boys. Some local teens enter the picture and the world changes for all the main characters.

The book is written in an ersatz manga style. However unlike Japanese books, this one is written in "Western" format, that is from left to right. Japanese books are read from right to left and you follow the sequence of the illustrations. That made for a more interesting presentation.

Rose's story reads like a diary and her emotions are a swirling vortex that pulls readers in. Few words are written, but the literary parsimony is very effective. So is the artwork. However, the F bombs DID get old fast. Readers really do feel the swell and rise of the water from the lake which swells and rises in time to the emotions of the characters.

This is an edgy story that many will enjoy. However, due to rough language and adult themes, I recommend this for older teens. Readers will certainly identify with the adolescent angst, of teetering on the precipice of adulthood while still maintaining some vestiges of childhood.

Blondie's "The Tide is High" could well be the soundtrack of this book.

Most Caldecott books are suitable for children in grades one through three--this one is not!! Although the cover makes it look like a cute summer romp, the language and some of the content are for a considerably older audience. It is quite an affecting story, and a nicely illustrated graphic novel. But the four letter words that abound throughout make it objectionable for young girls. On the other hand, the main characters are young and somewhat immature, and I'm not sure it would appeal to an eighth grader. This book left me unclear about its intended audience.

This One Summer recently won a Printz Honor and Caldecott Award, two of the most prestigious awards in children’s literature. In fact, this is the second time a graphic novel has ever won the Printz (the first being American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang) and it’s a groundbreaking achievement for graphic novels who are usually not recognized as literary. I can definitely see why this one has received such acclaim with its gorgeous artwork and the fact that it discusses important issues, but at the same time I desired more. This graphic novel merely touched upon these issues and its story didn’t really have much momentum.

This One Summer tells of two friends as they navigate of a summer in which they try to find themselves. What ensues is swimming, watching horror films, talking about boys, eating Twizzlers and a bunch of other activities. While I did like the characters especially Windy, not enough went down in this book and there wasn’t really a plot perse. I wanted to feel something, but I just couldn’t because there wasn’t enough heart and emotion in this story. Even when the novel ended, I didn’t feel any sort of closure and the lacking of a formal conclusion irked me to no end.

Even when This One Summer discussed issues like divorce, teen pregnancy, falling out of love, it just didn’t push these issues far enough. When it did talk of these issues, it was with grace and I was extremely intrigued but it just a taste of what I wanted. I felt that the authors held back on their readers and as a result, this novel just doesn’t feel true or as poignant as it could’ve been.

Artistically, This One Summer is a huge success, but the story just wasn’t developed well enough for me. I’m interested in reading the authors’ other novel, Skim, in hopes that it has a stronger story.