Author: Blume, Judy
Title: Summer Sisters
Plot Summary: Caitlin
and Victoria become summer sisters when Caitlin first invites Victoria to
come with her to her Vineyard house for the summer. For every summer after
that throughout junior and senior high school, they share secrets and make
memories about love, life, and growing up, in the house and on the island.
They each fall in and out of love as they grow older from their early teenager
years to after college years. Then, when Caitlin announces to Victoria that
she is getting married, Victoria is forced to remember all of the times
she and Caitlin shared in the Vineyard house.
Review: Through the whole story, both main characters, Caitlin and Victoria, stay the same person. They both grow up, and the feelings they have for people, places, and things that have happened (and will happen) change, but how they look at things and how they perceive things stay the same.
Caitlin is emotional, spontaneous, flamboyant, spontaneous, and very open with her feelings. Victoria, on the other hand, is quiet, keeps to herself, and doesn't want the world to know how she feels. She doesn't often tell other people how she feels. Victoria is easier to relate to, and she thinks the way many teenagers today think. The characters get along well because of the "opposites attract" idea. I think both of the characters were very well described by the author. Judy Blume did a very good job making the characters come alive and making you feel what they feel throughout the story.
I think that the universal idea behind the story is "Never judge people". I think the author did a very good job relaying this message because she shows how Caitlin never judges people by being so spontaneous about everything, and always looking on the bright side of a person. She also shows how Victoria doesn't judge people because of the way they act or dress.
I like Judy Blume's style of writing very
much. She speaks as both a 3rd and 1st person. It is very interesting but
somewhat confusing at the beginning. For example, Ms. Blume would say "Caitlin
feels loved". She writes in a way that she knows how the character
is feeling or what he or she is thinking, but she is not the character.
I found it to be really different and really interesting to read. It is
a different style of writing then most other authors use.
Interest Level: Grade 10
Genre: Adventure
Quality: 5Q Popularity: 5P
(On a scale of one to five with five being the best.)
Reviewed by: Midori W.
Grade: 8
Date Reviewed: Dec. 16, 1998
School:Littleton Jr/Sr High School
City, State, Country:Littleton, Massachusetts. USA