That Summer

Dessen's first novel is full of the quirky characters and dialogue the acclaimed YA novelist is now known for--all played to the fullest by Mia Barron. School is over for 15-year-old Haven. Her summer plans, working at a shoe store and being a bridesmaid in sister Ashley's wedding, do not thrill her. She wishes she could return to that summer, when Ashley was dating Sumner, Mom and Dad were still together, and everyone was happy. Now Ashley is marrying boring Lewis Warsher, Dad is married to the Weather Pet--a woman not much older than Sis--and Mom is thinking of moving out of the house they've always lived in. The only thing keeping Haven sane is the return of Sumner, who carries the truth about that summer. Equal parts comedy and drama, this coming-of-age novel is made unforgettable by Mia Barron's touching portrayal of Haven. M.M.O. (c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine

Starred review from October 2, 1996
At five-foot-eleven ("and counting"), Haven is "all bony elbows and acute angles, like a jigsaw puzzle piece that can only go in the middle, waiting for the others to fit around it to make it whole." But it is not just a sudden growth spurt that prevents the 15-year-old from fitting into the comfortable grooves of her "old" life; her family is also changing at an alarming rate. Her sports-anchor father divorces his wife for Channel 5's "Weather Pet." Her jilted mother joins a set of aging, Barry-Manilow-listening, swinging singles and Haven's once plucky sister, Ashley, seems to wilt on the arm of her all-too-boring fiance. Amidst the flurry of preparations for her father's second marriage and her sister's wedding, Haven finds a connecting link to her more serene past when one of Ashley's former boyfriends appears on the scene. First-time author Dessen adds a fresh twist to a traditional sister-of-the-bride story with her keenly observant narrative full of witty ironies. Her combination of unforgettable characters and unexpected events generates hilarity as well as warmth. Ages 12-up.