Every Summer, Rose and her parents spend a few weeks at their vacation home near Awago Beach. Here Rose hangs out with her Summer friend Windy, unwinds with her parents and soaks in the natural beauty surrounding her. This trip is somewhat monumental because it will be the last time Rose visits as a “child.” Rose’s mother, Alice, is unfortunately being a pill for mysterious reasons.
The book mainly follows Rose around as she has numerous conversations with Windy while they go swimming, watch horror movies, discuss school, other Summer camps, etc. The Tamaki Cousins do a great job capturing the topics and tones of adolescents, ergo, Summer passes the Bechdel Test which I knew it would. Girls, or pre-teens in their case, talk about many things other than boys. At their age, boys are starting to become less “icky” while they’re undergoing the awkward transition into womanhood. This is illustrated through Rose’s crush on the older boy who works at the convenience store. He’s a local and Windy likes calling him “the Dud” since most Awago residents are small-town yokels with no future. I think Windy does this out of jealousy too. Rose is over a year older than her and she doesn’t want to lose their friendship to a boy, especially to someone deemed a loser in the eyes of Toronto residents.
I highly recommend reading this graphic novel. It’s appropriate for adolescents and/or tweeners too. Trust me, the girls discuss topics your children are well-versed in unless they’ve been raised in a cave. It’s also a compelling story for adults. Summer isn’t a rapid-fire series of events, it flows more like an extended vacation at a resort away from a metropolis; meandering, easy-going and laid back. The Tamakis do an excellent job on Rose and Windy. To me, they reminded me of an amalgamation of girls I knew growing up in grade school. It’s no wonder Summer won a couple awards in YA literature.
If you live near me, I’ll gladly loan it to you. Elsewhere, The One Summer has my money-back guarantee. Should you not like it, I will buy your copy off you.