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THE SUMMER I TURNED PRETTY      by Jenny Han

5/23/2016

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Guest Blogger:  Scarlett
I am a freshman at East Rockingham High School.

Picture
It all started when I was a little girl, probably around the age of nine. I never thought I was as pretty as anyone else. Each year was the same; I would have a summer pool party for my birthday, and nobody would come toit. I felt “ugly” because all the guys would go to all the “pretty” girls’ parties but never mine. As I got older, my confidence level improved. Each year, I felt prettier and prettier. I choose the book The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han. I highly recommend this book for the following reasons: it’s romantic; it’s suspenseful; and it’s also very relatable for many teenage girls between the age of 12 to 18.
The book is about this girl named Belly Conklin, aka Belly Button. She and her family spend their summers in her mother’s best friend’s house at a beach that everyone calls Cousin’s Beach. They are accompanied by none other than Savannah, the owner of the home, and her two sons, Conrad and Jeremiah. Belly secretly (well not so secretly) likes both Conrad and Jeremiah. Some days she likes Conrad;other days she like Jere. She grows up and starts losing feeling for Jeremiah, and gains twice as many feelings for Conrad. The romance comes to a beginning.
Then she starts to feel as if Conrad is getting feelings for as well. But little does she know that an eighteen year old male, doesn’t have feelings for a fifteen year old girl, who he’s known since he was a kid. He looks to her more as family rather than datable quality. So she thought. She starts to notice that he makes excuses on why he can’t go out with the guys, and why he would rather stay home with Belly instead. The suspense thickens when she contemplates whether or not there could be a “them”.
For many years she always seems to feel as if she’s not pretty enough. “Will I ever be pretty enough? Will Conrad ever notice me? Will I ever have a great summer?” She constantly thought about many things that would bring her down. Just like many girls her age, she never felt good enough, pretty enough; she always felt as if she lacked what the other girls had. But this year she has heard many upon many positive remarks that would boost her self esteem. She can relate to the average teenage girl in many ways.
Finally, I felt as if I am becoming pretty. I got a boyfriend, and had pool parties with REAL guests. Whether it was because of my boyfriend or because of me, I didn’t care. I was finally popular, and PRETTY. I was pretty, me Scarlett Rose, the girl who used to stay to herself and cut her stuffed animals, finally had friends. Real friends. It proved to me that time isn’t everything. Or is it?

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    Author

    Kimber Tate, 
    Coordinator of English, Reading, and Libraries

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    BLOG USERS-"Right fit" books are based on interest and reading level.  If you want to explore books recommended by readers for particular grade levels, click on the category that you desire below, and you can sort titles. Our guest bloggers are students, teachers and staff members from Rockingham County Public Schools.  We are a community of readers who wish to share our favorite books with each other and with the global community. 

    Thanks to Goodreads for the book cover images.  Visit their site to join a global community of readers.

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