[Welcome to the EL Book Introductions series. These posts are all short (<180 words) introductions/reviews of books in the EL library. They focus on telling you what we think will be interesting for you, a college student and English learner, so use them to help you find the right book for you. You can also use the tags to find books about topics you might be interested in.]
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Every year, Rose and her family go to Awago Beach for the summer. Every year it is a fun escape from school, work, and responsibility. But this year is different.
This One Summer follows several storylines from Rose’s perspective. One is about her mother’s recent miscarriage and the strain it puts on her parents’ relationship. Another is about the local teenagers and the drama that occurs when one of them accidentally gets pregnant. Another is the relationship between Rose and her summer friend Windy as they with grow up and grow together and apart. This involves experimenting with rated-R scary movies, talking about sex, and trying out adult language together. Filling in the details that Rose cannot see—about her parents, the teenagers, and especially Rose—is one of the things that drew me back to this book.
My two cents: Although this is a thicker book, there are very few words per page. Reading it is like a long summer vacation: you can slowly enjoy the pictures of the beach in between bursts of action and conversation.
