The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

Han, J. (2010). The Summer I Turned Pretty. New York: Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing. ISBN: 1416968296

Plot Summary

  Belly longs for her summers spent at the beach house on Cousins Beach with her mother, brother and the Fisher family which is made up of Susannah, her mother's best friend, and her two sons, Jeremiah and Conrad.

  Belly's summers are usually carefree and filled with bon fires and trips to the boardwalk, but the summer when she turns 15, everything changes. Romance blooms, problems arise, and sadness disrupts the beach house. Readers will grow with this coming of age book, and summers will never be the same.

Critical Evaluation

  There is something about books set during the summer and at the beach that breathes nostalgia into me. Although slow at some points, The Summer I Turned Pretty, is beautifully and tastefully written. It is a great novel for teens who are growing up and stepping foot into young adulthood. Teens will connect with the characters and the things that they go through. No emotions are spared in this book.

Readers Annotation

  Belly's summer will never be the same and she can't decide if this is good or not.

Author Information

  Jenny Han was born and raised in Richmond, Virginia. After attending the University of North Caroline at Chapel Hill, she went on to graduate at the New School in New York City. While here, she received her MFA in writing for children. She lives in Brooklyn and works part time at a school library on the Upper West Side.

  Jenny Han's first novel, Shrug, was published in 2006 and was followed by The Summer I Turned Pretty and it's sequel, It's Not Summer Without You and will be releasing, We'll Always Have Summer in 2011.

Genre

  Realistic Fiction

Curriculum Ties

  n/a

Booktalking Ideas

  - Do you have a favorite hangout? Why does it mean so much to you?

  - Do you think it is better to pretend everything is normal and pretend that the pain went away?

  - How do you usually deal with sadness and heartache?

  - Why do you think Susannah wants to focus on fun rather than her illness?

Reading Level/ Interest Age

  9-12th grade/ Young Adult

Challenge Issues

  Underage drinking/ drug use/ sex

  Libraries will refer challenged to their Collection Development Policy

Reason for Selection

  The YA Librarian recommended this book and I immediately read the sequel.