SOMEONE LIKE SUMMER
M. E. Kerr
HarperTeen
Fiction
Hardcover: 9780061140990
Paperback: 9780061141010
272 pages

• Read an Excerpt

It's the summer of 2005. A war rages in Iraq, political discussions are frequent and heated, and a hurricane named Katrina bears down on the Gulf Coast. But on Long Island, 17-year-old Annabel Brown is largely oblivious to these world concerns because she's in love.

The object of Annabel's affection is Esteban Santiago, a Colombian immigrant who she first spots playing soccer. Esteban also makes girls swoon at the local hangout on the weekends, where he plays the guitar and sings in Spanish. Soon Annabel is head over heels in love with Esteban, despite Esteban's reluctance to make their relationship physical and Esteban's sister's rejection of Annabel, calling her "flour face" and "easy."

If Annabel were honest with herself, she'd realize that her own widowed father probably wouldn't be crazy about her relationship with Esteban, either. Annabel's father, a contractor, hires undocumented workers and pays all his Hispanic employees a barely living wage. Fortunately for Annabel, though, her father is busy with a new relationship of his own, and he largely keeps his intolerances and prejudices to himself.

But when Esteban is hired to work on the family's house, a mistake sends Annabel's father into a fury. What's more, the influential local veterinarian (who is employing Annabel's older brother for the summer) is determined to crack down on the numerous illegal immigrants in his neighborhood --- including Esteban. Does her relationship with Esteban have any chance at a future?

M. E. Kerr is an acknowledged master of young adult fiction, having written a number of novels under her name and various pseudonyms. Here she again turns her talent to fiction that profiles social issues, bringing a number of current hot-button issues (including the Iraq War and illegal immigration) into the context of a compelling, tension-filled love story.

Although the dialogue often feels stilted and unnatural here, the emotional issues are genuine. What's more, by showing how current political issues impact the lives of her protagonists, M. E. Kerr ensures that teens who read SOMEONE LIKE SUMMER will be talking not only about romance but also about real-world issues.

    --- Reviewed by Norah Piehl

Click here now to buy this book from Amazon.com.