This One Summer

Genre: 

I selected This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki for the Graphic Novel category.

Target Age Group:

The target age group is 12-18 years.

Summary:

    This One Summer is a bildungsroman graphic novel wondrously written by Mariko Tamaki. A young teenager named Rose has vacationed at Awago Beach every summer with her parents since she was 5. Windy is her summer friend at Awago and Rose, who is a year and a half older than Windy, is experiencing a blooming sexual awareness. She is also dealing with, since last summer, her mother's deep-rooted sadness. Rose is insistent on capturing the happiness she has experienced at the beach in the past but the sadness and coldness of her mother seems to permeate any and all of her joy. She suffers through these negative feelings from her mother while hanging out at the beach with Windy or walking to Brewster's (Awago's general store) to rent a scary video. It takes a momentous incident in the lives of Rose and her mom, to come to the obvious realization that family and friendship are something to be treasured.

Justification:

    I chose This One Summer because I needed to find a balance in the literature I was to read for this class. As I mentioned in my previous blog post, the serious nature of some of the books I chose led me to peruse the list of Printz Award winners for some lighter fare in this category. This One Summer stood out from the rest because of the happiness conveyed on the cover of the book and the multiple enthusiastic reviews I read online. Joy, friendship, and the ocean are depicted on the cover and I was hopeful my choice would be thoughtful, interesting, and a bit easier on the heart.

Evaluation:

    For this review I will be evaluating illustrations, tension, and setting. The art work by Jillan Tamaki for This One Summer is phenomenal. The black and white drawings add so much depth to the story. The distraught expressions on the face of Rose's mother when she is unable to experience a morsel of joy at the beach is distressing. Ms. Tamaki's illustrations empower the text of this emotional story. The reader can also honestly feel the joy of Windy's dancing through Ms. Tamaki's art. It is a formidable task to reinforce and enhance a poignant story and Ms. Tamaki has successfully elucidated the beauty and tribulations of a friendship and of a family. 

    Although This One Summer seemed as if it would be a palatable read from its cover, the tension was noticeable in the car ride from Rose's mom, Alice, as Rose and her parents were going toward the cottages at Awago Beach. Alice, as the reader discovers, has been having a difficult time since she had a miscarriage last summer. Unbeknownst to Rose of this incident, Rose wrongly concludes that her parents aren't satisfied with one child and that they have lost hope in appreciating their small family unit. Rose is desperately trying to enjoy her summer with Windy but her mom's sadness and her awkward attraction to "Dunc," a clerk at the local market, create unforeseen conflicts. It is Windy's innocent resolve to remain untroubled and cheerful and Alice's cathartic experience that allows Rose to come to terms with becoming a full-fledged adolescent.

    The setting is pivotal in This One Summer. The cottage, the beach, the woods, and Brewster's Market create what should be a place to relax but instead there is this undercurrent of uneasiness. What these places, especially the woods and the beach, actually give to Rose is some time to reflect on the mystifying changes that are happening in her life. Adolescence, her mom's detachment, and even Windy's irrepressible happiness confuse Rose but her peaceful and thought-provoking surroundings enable her to attain a sense of self which permits her to be the friend and daughter she aspires to be.   

Citation:

Tamaki, M. (2014). This one summer (J. Tamaki, Illus.). First Second Books.