EDU 330- Book 10

This book was not one that was on my independent reading list. I had planned to read “Crooked” but something made me change my mind before I even read more than two pages of the novel. So I picked another book recommended to me by friends from home, “The summer I turned pretty” by Jenny Han.

This novel “begins” with Isabel, who has always been and always is referred to as Belly, going to the beach house for the summer. Her mom and her mom’s best friend Susannah, who owns the beach house, all travel to this quaint little place to spend their summers in the sun. Every year, Belly struggles to get through the school year, but manages to do so with the thought of summer ever present. Summer comes yet again, and Belly, her mom, and Susannah are off to the beach house, with a pool, the sun, and of course the beach waiting to give them another great summer experience. At the summer beach house Belly also has Steve, her older brother who continues to drive her crazy all summer long. Belly also reunites with Conrad and Jeremiah, Susannah’s two sons. She always feels left out, stuck in the middle of the three boys, wishing that she could be a part of their fun, but she manages, year after year to deal with it. Somehow, year after year, things never change from the first night meal, to her late, midnight, swims, and Belly continues the cycle.

But something changes this summer. Belly is seen differently, Conrad and Jeremiah don’t react the same to her, and she doesn’t react the same to seeing them either. The boys notice something unusual about Belly and invite her to a bonfire where she meets a new boy named Cam. Instantly things seem different and she is drawn to Cam who speaks multiple languages, doesn’t like the party scene, and really wants to be around her. But when the summer is coming to an end, Belly, and the reader, wonder if Cam will be the one to help Belly move on from the young girl, clinging to the “boy group” of Steve, Conrad, and Jeremiah that she once was and transform into something more. Belly, as the reader, sees wants so bad to be liked, to be a part of a group, especially with Conrad and Jeremiah. This story is one that most young girls could relate to, wanting a boy to like you, wanting to grow up faster, and trying to figure out who you are in relation to who you are in the eyes of others.

This was a different book from the ones on my reading list. Light-hearted and filled with teenage love, parties, and girl-emotional issues, the reader really can relate to Belly and her story. She continually tries to see the best in life, trying to be what others see her as being. But in the end Belly has to face not the boys she likes, or even ones that like her, but rather herself and who she is becoming. In this novel we see Belly transforming, at the age of 16 from a girl to a woman, as well as dealing with hardships that are thrown into your life. With some topics such as language, teenage drinking, divorce, even death the writing gives the novel a lift in spirit. I would recommend this book to many students. However, with more of a personal enjoyment, I wouldn’t consider using this in the classroom. It is geared towards a specific female audience and issues. Although I hope more read books by this author, this is not a classroom book for me. Although I can say that I would love to read more by Han.