This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki

Tamaki, Mariko, & Tamaki, Jillian (2014).  This one summer.  New York: First Second.

       This One Summer is perfect for a summer read, as it is a great YA graphic novel and a coming of age story of two pre-teen girls, Rose and Windy.  Both girls are only children, so they bond with each other while their families spend summers at the lake.  In addition to the normal challenges that come with being early adolescents, Rose's parents are going through a "rough patch" in their marriage.  Also, Rose and Windy become indirectly involved with relationship issues of older teenagers in the neighborhood.  Fortunately, they are able to lean on each other.  The drawings in the book are beautiful, and the dialogue is realistic for the age group.  Although the book was published in the United States, both of the authors are Canadian.  They are the same duo who teamed up to write the YA graphic novel Skim, which tells the story of a Wiccan "gothic" girl who has a hard time fitting in at her private school.  The author (Mariko) and the illustrator (Jillian) are cousins, and I love the idea of two family members collaborating on a creative project.
     I can relate to the book on a personal level because of the many beach vacations my cousin Cindy, my sister Patty, and I spent together as kids.  In particular, summer 1997 was a pivotal time in our lives and in our relationships with each other.  Cindy and I were both in high school, and Patty was in middle school.  All three of us were going through a lot of changes, both physically and emotionally.  One night, after July 4th fireworks, we went out to the beach, just the three of us.  We each made promises to the ocean that to this date, we haven't told anyone except for each other and the Amelia Island waters.  The ocean still holds some of our secrets and, therefore, a key into our souls.  In This One Summer as well, water is a force that both gives and takes away.  I believe that like the characters in this book, other pivotal moments in my life will take place by the water.