This One Summer by J. & M. Tamaki

Authors

  • Corine Doiron

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.20361/G2GS32

Abstract

Tamaki, Jillian and Mariko Tamaki. This One Summer. Second Publishing, 2014. Print.

Summers at the cabin are somehow outside of regular time in our collective memories; they inhabit a special sphere, hazy and nostalgic. Yet these summers are often the time of great growth and learning. For Rose and her young friend Windy, This One Summer by Jillian and Mariko Tamaki, is an account of just such a time; it is time to grow up and start to understand the world while still in the somewhat protective environment of Awago Lake.

Rose and Windy are smart and precocious preteens that are no longer interested in ‘Kid’s stuff” but are not yet fully ready to join the adults. They exist in a fairly unsupervised free space within the town this particular summer. As a result, Rose and Windy sneak horror movies and flirt with older boys, but find they are unable to really comprehend the adult situations surrounding them. The most pressing problem is Rose’s parents’ estrangement and her mother’s depression. As the summer goes on Rose slowly starts to understand her parents, her mother’s depression and the secret loss that preceded it. Rose and her mother grow closer as the secret is revealed, helping to bring Rose into adulthood. Meanwhile, Windy is just a few years younger and not yet ready to leave childhood. The inevitable distance that grows between Windy and Rose feels realistic and wistful.

The beautiful blue illustrations will attract students of all ages and remind them of the rich beauty of summer holidays, but This One Summer is probably best suited to high school students because of the main theme of entering adulthood and the adult nature of some of Rose' discoveries. Students near the end of high school will recognize themselves in Rose and Windy and feel nostalgia over this time of transition. It is a beautiful book that wonderfully captures the in-between-ness of adolescence.

Recommended: 3 out of 4 stars
Reviewer: Corine Doiron

Corine Doiron is an English teacher at St. Joseph High School in Edmonton, Alberta. She is currently completing her Masters degree in Teacher Librarianship and enjoyed reading a variety of graphic novels for a school project. The graphic novels she reviewed are ones she would love to introduce in the classroom.

Published

2015-04-20

How to Cite

Doiron, C. (2015). This One Summer by J. & M. Tamaki. The Deakin Review of Children’s Literature, 4(4). https://doi.org/10.20361/G2GS32

Issue

Vol. 4 No. 4 (2015)

Section

Book Reviews

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