I did not go into reading this book with high hopes. I mean, let's face it, I am not a teenage girl which is the market audience for this book and the series, but I was pleasantly surprised. While The Summer I Turned Pretty is not a Literary masterpiece by any means, I can see the appeal. At the center of the story is Isabel or Belly, as she is know by her family and childhood friends, and a beach house in Martha's Vineyard's. The reader gets to hang around with Belly as she navigates the summer and grows into her new persona of being an attractive young woman instead of a little kid. There is a little drama and some romance as well as a bit of coming of age feel to the book. The story isn't too heavy and the writing and character development is well-done. There is some underage drinking and smoking, sexy actions and talk, and some sexual situations so definitely be advised before you decide if this book is a good fit for you or your intended reader. This is the first book in the series, so if you enjoy it, you have a few other books to continue the storyline. Approximate Grade Level- Grades 7th-10th - the overall reading level is not high but the content might be questionable for younger audiences.
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Takedown by Laura Shovan is one of the novel choices I gave my students this school year. From a teacher perspective it contains some concepts I wanted to highlight - point of view, dynamic characters, figurative language, a male and female protagonist, and different perspectives; plus, it is a good story, Overall I feel like my students enjoyed this read that highlights two wrestlers (Lev and Mikayla) who become training partners and form a strong bond as they learn to stand up for each other and themselves while navigating the often difficult world of becoming a teenager. I also enjoyed that this novel highlights a sport that is not often presented in fiction - wrestling. My students seemed to be interested in learning about the sport and the moves mentioned within the book. They also related to the characters and the difficult decisions they had to make for themselves. As an added bonus, Lev is Jewish while Mikayla is not, so the reader was introduced to some religious and cultural elements of each protagonist. Approximate Grade Level - (5th-7th grade) Although students younger than 5th grade can most certainly read the book, I do not feel they will yet be able to fully relate to the eleven/twelve year-old-protagonists who are on the cusp of becoming teenagers. Be forewarned that there is a lot of "girl power" in this novel, as well as, some religious references (to people in the Bible and Jewish customs). |
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