My Almost Epic Summer

Griffin, Adele. My Almost Epic Summer. G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2006. ISBN-10: 0-399-23784-4


Plot Summary
Irene hopes to have a really epic summer, the kind that she reads about in her books with a fabulous heroine and a great story. Irene hopes to have a story worth writing to her friends about. But instead, Irene is fired from her own mother's beauty salon and finds work babysitting the Prior kids, who don't even have a TV. Irene and her charges spend most of the summer at the lake swimming where they make the acquaintance of Starla the stunningly beautiful and popular lifeguard. Starla and Irene are sorta friends, but then there is this particular boy that works at the snack shop...

Critical evaluation
Fans of the Traveling Pants series with find much to like in My Almost Epic Summer. At first, Irene seems a little ditzy and I was put off by the  cutesy cartoon cover. However, Irene reads classic literature for more than just great hairstyles (although she does make note of the hairstyles, especially if she likes the heroine) and she ends up being a great babysitter. Irene is an admirable mix of self-concious, childish, grown up,  and romantic.The characters are well developed and their interactions are both honest and humourous.

Overall Recommended

Readers Annotations
Irene may not have the glamorous life she hoped for and she's certainly no literary heroine, but by the end of the summer she finds herself to be a hero to at least one little girl and the star of Starla's not so nice blog.

Information About the Author
Adele Griffin lives in New York City and has written many books for young adults including Amandine an ALA Best Book for Young Adults.
Genre


Curriculum Ties


Booktalking Ideas
Literary Hairstyles

Reading Level/Interest Age
Grades 5-8

Controversial Subject Matter and Defense of Ideas
none

Why Book Included
Cover looked light-hearted. Like a guilty pleasure, girly book. Which it is.