Rating: 
Summary: Review of That Summer, by Teal Federman
Review: The book That Summer is nothing like any book I have ever read before. The main character is Haven McPhail. She is a sophmore in her school and loves to shop. Haven lives with her mom and has one sister, Ashley. Once a week Haven goes to dinner with her dad that lives close by.
Haven and Ashley are very different! Ashley is always the best, better or greatest at everything. She is pretty, cute and has a well balanced figure. Haven is tall, unporportioned, and dealing with adolencent problems. Ashley is a material girl and throughout the book is stressing about her wedding. Lewis is Ashleys fiance and is not too much fun, from Haven's perspective. Haven's favorite of all Ashley's borfriends is Sumner Lee. He went on vacation with their family to Virginia when Ashley and him were together.
Haven and Ashley's mother is energetic and lively. She always knows what is wrong and what is right- like every mother knows. Also she is the first person to know that something is up. Their father is a News broadcaster for the local television channel. His newly married wife is the weather forecaster for the same channel. Her name is Lorna Queen, but most people call her the weather pet.
Sarah Dessen, the author, expresses the moods of the characters and describes their reaction very vividly. She uses the best techniques to wirte with expression. Sarah Dessen also paints a qicture of the scene in your head. This use of imagdry is very helpful throughout the book. Also it makes the characters come to life. "I went down stairs and opened the door. Sure enough, there was Lewis in one of his trademark skinny ties and oxford shirts." Quoted from the book this is an example of the way she paints a picture.
Another writing technique she uses is irony. Throughout the book she mentions and describes in great detail a certian person. At the end of the book we realize how that character isn't who we thought he /she was. This change in a person's identity was a large use of irony because it changes most people opinions about this person. The author is an excellent writer and should write more books with the same theme. She also is good at describi ng feelings of problems and adolencence.
My opinion of this book is that it is very good. I couln't put it down. Everyday had an issue I could relate to. Other people deffinately could relate to this book too. This book shows the challenges of an average tennage girl and how she deals with them. Today I could use some of her stratagies to make my problems easier.
Rating:
Summary: Review of That Summer, by Teal Federman
Review: The book That Summer is nothing like any book I have ever read before. The main character is Haven McPhail. She is a sophmore in her school and loves to shop. Haven lives with her mom and has one sister, Ashley. Once a week Haven goes to dinner with her dad that lives close by.
Haven and Ashley are very different! Ashley is always the best, better or greatest at everything. She is pretty, cute and has a well balanced figure. Haven is tall, unporportioned, and dealing with adolencent problems. Ashley is a material girl and throughout the book is stressing about her wedding. Lewis is Ashleys fiance and is not too much fun, from Haven's perspective. Haven's favorite of all Ashley's borfriends is Sumner Lee. He went on vacation with their family to Virginia when Ashley and him were together.
Haven and Ashley's mother is energetic and lively. She always knows what is wrong and what is right- like every mother knows. Also she is the first person to know that something is up. Their father is a News broadcaster for the local television channel. His newly married wife is the weather forecaster for the same channel. Her name is Lorna Queen, but most people call her the weather pet.
Sarah Dessen, the author, expresses the moods of the characters and describes their reaction very vividly. She uses the best techniques to wirte with expression. Sarah Dessen also paints a qicture of the scene in your head. This use of imagdry is very helpful throughout the book. Also it makes the characters come to life. "I went down stairs and opened the door. Sure enough, there was Lewis in one of his trademark skinny ties and oxford shirts." Quoted from the book this is an example of the way she paints a picture.
Another writing technique she uses is irony. Throughout the book she mentions and describes in great detail a certian person. At the end of the book we realize how that character isn't who we thought he /she was. This change in a person's identity was a large use of irony because it changes most people opinions about this person. The author is an excellent writer and should write more books with the same theme. She also is good at describi ng feelings of problems and adolencence.
My opinion of this book is that it is very good. I couln't put it down. Everyday had an issue I could relate to. Other people deffinately could relate to this book too. This book shows the challenges of an average tennage girl and how she deals with them. Today I could use some of her stratagies to make my problems easier.
Rating:
Summary: Great book!
Review: The book was good it really was but I found soem parts boring but I still liked the book,very well writtned and I like the characters.But I like Someone Like You better.But I still think this book was really good
Rating: 
Summary: That Summer by Sarah Dessen
Review: The book, That Summer by Sarah Dessen was honestly one of the best books I have ever read. It was about a 15 year old girl named Haven who dealt with everyday situations just like teen- agers like us really do. She was dealing with the fact of always getting picked on because of how tall and thin she was and battleing with her parents getting a divorce, her father re-marrying, and now her older sister,Ashley, getting married and leaving the house. With everything that's going on Haven always finds comfort when she thinks back to that summer when Ashley and Sumner,(Ashleys old high school boyfriend) go on a trip to Virginia Beach. Where everyone was happy and having fun. She just wishes that things were like they used to be. Months later Haven starts to see Sumner around more aften, after him not being around because of Ashley breaking up with him. Haven now sees Sumner in a totaly different way and feels like he's the only one who understands her. Shortly after that things start to heat up again and Haven gets her point acrossed out to everyone about how she really feels.
Dessen did an incredible job with writing this book, and describing her character's. Most of the time I actually felt like I was right there captured in the story. In my opinion I thought she really reached out and made teen-age girls know that they aren't the only ones facing problems like that in everyday life. I totaly reccommend this book to all teen-age girls who are in for a unique and dreamy treat.
Rating:
Summary: Pleasant Summer Read (or any time for that matter)
Review: The relaxed and believable voice of the young female narrator in this novel for young adults is something that not just teens can enjoy. Her dry wit and thoughtful observations about the ups and downs of her simple life recently complicated by the impending marriage of her older sister allow readers to smile and understand the agony of being "second born," living in a home altered by divorce, and feeling like everyone around you is different. This is a realistic, often sadly humorous look at one girl's struggle with change -- something we can all relate to.
Rating:
Summary: 'That Summer,' a great book
Review: This book has so many great things going for it- it's warm, flowing, and observant. Haven's voice is so real; she a girl we can all relate to, at least in part. Dessen's writing style, especially the introduction at the beginning, will draw you into Haven's life and reads like poetry. 'That Summer' deals with so many issues on so many levels, such as Haven's father's remarraige, her mother's tranformation, her friend's return as a very different girl, her sister's marraige to dull Lewis, her job, her past, and stereotypes. Nothing and no one escape Haven's observations; some will make you angry or sad, but most leave you laughing. This book is sweet and sad without being sappy, and the characters are all well-drawn, although perhaps a bit stereotypical.
You'll find yourself rooting for Sumner to make everything perfect again, just like that summer. Its ending isn't too pat- issues are resolved, one way or the other, but you still have some questions on your lips and tears in your eyes. Although its title may tell you otherwise, this book is a great read for anybody, any time of the year. Read and savor it. Then go back and read it again.
Rating:
Summary: A must read
Review: This was the first book I have read by Dessen and I will certainly be reading more of her books. I loved the wit of Haven, a fifteen year old with a less than perfect life. Her strong personality really got me hooked. It was not Brady Bunch with perfect solutions to everything. She certainly had some conflicts but it was not depressing at all and it did not bring me down like some books can do. The way the tough situations were handled was almost inspiring.
Rating: 
Summary: Hm...a little disappointing
Review: though i am a fan of dessen, this book really disappointed me. i read this right after 'someone like you' and it doesn't even compare. in this book, haven's character is poorly developed. you never really get to know anything about her besides that she gets angry at the world. dessen's usual strong maincharacters did not appear in this book as we learn that haven acts as a doormat for most of her life, going along with things she doesn't believe in without a peep. when i read other people's 5 star reviews of the book i am definetly surprised and wonder whether they were fully conscience while reading.
Rating:
Summary: Teenagers will enjoy listening to this story
Review: What teenager hasn't felt ill-at-ease in his or her own skin? Haven is one of many, but in addition to a spurt of growth that brings her to almost 6 feet at the age of 15, she's facing her father's wedding to a mini celebrity from the local TV station and her sister's upcoming nuptials to a really dull fellow. Mia Barron's reading of this story of teenage angst and recovery is pitch perfect from the family arguments to the mayhem at a mall where Haven works to shared confidences with her sister, Ashley. When Haven's life is turned upside down by all the changes to her physical appearance and within her family she remembers what she believes to have been a perfect summer - the vacation when her parents were together and Ashley dated Sumner Lee, a really likeable, charismatic boy. Memories aren't all Haven has because Sumner turns up once more. Listeners will find out what this means, and may very well be surprised. - Gail Cooke
Rating:
Summary: That Summer
Review: While it is true that Haven isn't as developed as some of Dessen's other characters, I still found this book thoroughly enjoyable. I don't think this book was meant to be an in depth epic novel, it's just a simple story about a girl and the summer that changes her life. She is a doormat to the world, tolerating her dominant sister and her inconsiderate father who goes off to start a new life and family, but she still hangs on to the good times and that is how she is able to tolerate. Well, tolerance only goes so far.
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