44. That Summer by Sarah Dessen

That Summer by Sarah Dessen

ISBN: 978-0-14-240172-9

Speak, New York, 1996

198 p.

Plot Summary

Fifteen-year-old Haven has always felt a bit out of place.  Quickly approaching six-feet-tall, she towers over her petite mother and sister, as well as nearly everyone she meets.  For Haven, the summer is about to lead to even more alienation with her sportscaster father getting married to the weather girl that broke up her parents’ marriage and her sister, Ashley, getting married to boring Lewis Warsher.  Feeling abandoned by her father and constantly fighting with her sister, Haven longs for the days when her family was whole and happy.  When she runs into Ashley’s first love, Sumner Lee, Haven remembers the family vacation to the beach that Sumner came along on and the laughter that they all shared.  Everything was perfect until one Halloween night when Haven watched out her window as Ashley broke up with Sumner.  Soon, her father left the house for good and Ashley was no longer the sister that she knew.  Even worse, her best friend comes back from 4-H camp as a different person with a newly found confidence and a long distance boyfriend.  Feeling that no one understands her, Haven starts spending time with Sumner, hoping that he can help make everything right.

Critical Evaluation

Written in first person from Haven’s point-of-view, That Summer gives the reader a look into the mind of a teenager that is learning how to deal with all of the changes going on in her life, especially the changes that she wishes never happened.  The opening paragraph, as well as the title, reveals that Haven is looking back on the summer that stands out to her as the time when everything changed.  With her father’s remarriage to his mistress, her mother’s friendship with Lydia Catrell, and her sister’s upcoming nuptials, it is as if everyone is moving on without her.  This is all magnified when the one person she could count on, her best friend Casey, returns from camp changed, as well. Sarah Dessen was able to write the character of Haven as incredibly relatable.  Although I have not experienced what it feels like to deal with a broken home, I found myself pulling for Haven throughout the novel.  One scene in particular stands out to me; when Haven’s father sits in his car and honks the horn for her to come out to him, she sits just out of view, willing him to come up the walkway to the house and come get her.  After turning around in the driveway and honking a couple more times, he ultimately speeds off, leaving Haven with her dashed hopes.  His inability to walk up to the door broke my heart as I felt Haven’s pain over her father’s abandonment.  As the nice girl, Haven keeps everything inside, pushing it all down whenever she feels wronged.  The more that her sister patronizes her and her father dismisses her, the more I wanted her to speak up and get her feelings out.  However, when she finally releases her feelings, it seems more like she is having a tantrum and not really dealing with the issues, but simply blowing up at everyone.  Nevertheless, as a teenager resisting the changes before her, Haven cannot really be expected to know how to handle her feelings until she starts to mature and comes to terms with the truth about Ashley and Sumner’s breakup.  While That Summer may stand for the summer that Haven lost control of her life, it can also stand for the summer that Haven learned to adapt to change and recognize the people that are there for her no matter what.

Reader's Annotation

With both her father and sister having weddings, Haven’s summer has been taken over by weddings and she begins to feel alienated from her whole family.  When Sumner Lee returns to town, Haven finally has someone that understands her and listens.

Information About the Author

Sarah Dessen was born in 1970 in Illinois and grew up in Chapel Hill, NC.  Her parents were both professors at the University of North Carolina.  She’s been writing for as long as she can remember and got her love of reading from her parents.  When she was around eight years old, her parents gave her an old manual typewriter and a little desk to type up stories.  She attended college at UNC, where she studied creative writing and graduated with a degree in English, and then worked as a waitress, giving her time to write at night.  She sold her first book, That Summer, three years after graduating and has since published six more novels for young adults.

She finds a lot of inspiration for her novels from her group of girlfriends that she has had since high school, making it easier to put herself back into that mindset.  Also, she credits living in her hometown with giving her inspiration because she can bump into guys she had crushes on or people she had classes with while just running around town.  Although she did not intend on being a YA writer, she feels drawn to that part of her life and still has more memories to share.  Dessen recognizes the books she read as a teenager as the ones that had the most impact on her and, when she found a book that connected with what she was feeling, it stuck with her.  Although she has her good days and bad days writing, she still loves it and hopes that her books resonate with teens in the same way that the books she read as a teen did. (information from author’s website: http://sarahdessen.com/press-kit/#full-bio)

Genre

Young Adult – Chick Lit

Curriculum Ties

N/A

Booktalking Ideas

1. Focus on the relationship that Haven has with each of her family members.

2. Talk about Haven’s disappointment once her best friend returns from camp a changed person.

3. Identify what Sumner Lee represents for Haven.

4. Discuss the sense of isolation Haven feels with specific attention to her height and her place in the family.

Reading Level/Interest Age

12+

Challenge Issues

I do not believe that there are any potential challenge issues for this novel.

However, should complaints arise for this novel, librarians should become familiar with the material and its content.  Turn to reviews from publications such as Publisher’s Weekly, School Library Journal, and Booklist, as well as reviews from teens that have read it.  Also, it is beneficial for librarians to present reasons backed by the ALA in support of intellectual freedom.  As stated in the Library Bill of Rights:

I. Books and other library resources should be provided for the interest, information, and enlightenment of all people of the community the library serves. Materials should not be excluded because of the origin, background, or views of those contributing to their creation.

II. Libraries should provide materials and information presenting all points of view on current and historical issues. Materials should not be proscribed or removed because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval.

III. Libraries should challenge censorship in the fulfillment of their responsibility to provide information and enlightenment.

Why Include Book in Selection? 

I read a few Sarah Dessen books when I was younger and loved them, so I wanted to include one that I had not yet read for this project.