This One Summer - by Mariko Tamaki (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Rose and her parents have been going to Awago Beach since she was a little girl. It's her summer getaway, her refuge. Her friend Windy is always there, too, like the little sister she never had, completing her summer family. But this summer is different. Rose's mom and dad won't stop fighting, and Rose and Windy have gotten tangled up in a tragedy-in-the-making in the small town of Awago Beach. It's a summer of secrets and heartache, and it's a good thing Rose and Windy have each other."--Front flap.

Book Synopsis

A New York Times bestseller
A 2015 Caldecott Honor Book
A 2015 Michael L. Printz Honor Book
An Eisner Award Winner

Every summer, Rose goes with her mom and dad to a lake house in Awago Beach. It's their getaway, their refuge. Rosie's friend Windy is always there, too, like the little sister she never had. But this summer is different. Rose's mom and dad won't stop fighting, and when Rose and Windy seek a distraction from the drama, they find themselves with a whole new set of problems. One of the local teens - just a couple of years older than Rose and Windy - is caught up in something bad... Something life threatening.

It's a summer of secrets, and sorrow, and growing up, and it's a good thing Rose and Windy have each other.
This One Summer is a tremendously exciting new teen graphic novel from two creators with true literary clout. Cousins Mariko and Jillian Tamaki, the team behind Skim, have collaborated on this gorgeous, heartbreaking, and ultimately hopeful story about a girl on the cusp of childhood - a story of renewal and revelation.

This title has Common Core connections.

Review Quotes

"In their second graphic novel - another impressive collaboration - the Tamaki cousins examine the mix of uncertainty and hope a girl experiences on the verge of adolescence . . . A poignant drama." --The Horn Book, STARRED REVIEW

"This book is poignant and melancholy, and it will be swiftly recognizable to those who only recently hovered at the cusp of adolesence." --BCCB, STARRED REVIEW

"This captivating graphic novel presents a fully realized picture of a particular time in a young girl's life, an in-between summer filled with yearning and a sense of ephemerality." --School Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW

"A summer of family drama, secrets and change in a small beach town . . . Keenly observed and gorgeously illustrated - a triumph." --Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW

"With a light touch, the Tamakis capture the struggle of growing up in a patchwork of summer moments . . . Wistful, touching, and perfectly bittersweet." --Booklist, STARRED REVIEW

"Jillian's art is simply gorgeous, and the perfect companion to the beautiful-and sometimes painful-truth behind Mariko's every word." --Stephanie Perkins

"This One Summer teeters on the fault line of preadolescence, as cozy childhood naivety washes away to reveal the dark complexities of adult life. Jillian Tamaki might be the best illustrator in the entire biz - her drawings are immersive, sensual and overwhelmingly beautiful. A magic synergy is kindled when paired with the storytelling of her cousin Mariko, who implements the best elements of graphic novels, manga, bande dessinée and modern literary prose to awaken a world of sophisticated naturalism. I loved it." --Craig Thompson

"I just want to live forever in the pages that Mariko and Jillian create. Exquisite, subtly layered storytelling of both words and art, and a punch when you least expect it-a rare treasure of a book, like a summer caught and pressed between the pages." --Svetlana Chmakova

"I read this in July, and spent the rest of the summer thinking about it. Every bike on a dusty road and gleefully swimming kid made me think about this book, and how it so eloquently and perfectly captures the feeling of summer-- slow, lazy and somehow hectic and astounding and full-- that we spend every year after the age of 18 trying to remember." --Lucy Knisley

"This One Summer is a precisely written, exquisitely illustrated exploration of the moment when childhood tips over into adolescence. For the second time the Tamakis have raised the bar for young adult comics." --Hope Larson

"The most beautiful thing I've ever seen." --Faith Erin Hicks

"This One Summer is a beautiful, relatable story of that summer everyone has had, where things happen around you but nothing happens to you." --Julie Halpern

"Read this and remember that time. Read this and feel the innocence and the intimate, wrestling out at the beach. Read this and keep it like a secret, or let it run wild like a bonfire night. Read this for the joy and the grit, the tears and the sunburn, what you can't remember and what you'll never forget. Read This One Summer and swear you were there." --David Handler

About the Author

Mariko Tamaki is a writer of comics and young adult novels. Her books include the graphic novels Skim andThis One Summer with Jillian Tamaki, and Emiko Superstar with Steve Rolston.

Jillian Tamaki is a Canadian illustrator and comics artist living in Toronto, Ontario. She is the creator of two books of personal works (Skim and This One Summer, with Mariko Tamaki) and the ongoing webcomic, SuperMutant Magic Academy.