Seventeenth Summer

Seventeenth Summer by Maureen Daly

Bibliographic Information:

Daly, M. (1942). Seventeenth summer. New York: Simon Pulse. ISBN 9781416994633

 (Reprinted trade paperback available with an updated cover – 2010.)

Summary:

Imagine yourself wanting to fit in, yet not knowing how. Then as summer begins, you chance upon someone who makes you feel completely comfortable in your skin. Seventeenth Summer is the endearing diary-like-tale of Angie Morrow, a seventeen-year-old girl, looking to find herself and happens upon love. Will this love last forever, or is it just for Angie’s seventeenth summer?

Critical Analysis:

Maureen Daly has managed to timelessly capture a standing young adult challenge that faces almost every youth at some point and time during their teen years in just a summer. The format of the novel is somewhat untraditional for a chapter book as it is written in only three chapters titled “June,” “July,” and “August.” The use of this chapter format allows the story to flow smoothly from one day to the next.

Daly’s language and writing style are beautiful and actively engage the reader. Often times the reader will find Angie, the first person narrator and main character, speaking with the reader. For example, Angie addresses the reader by stating, “You would like Pete’s, I know. There’s no other place quite like it” (Daly, 1942, p. 43). The reader immediately finds him or herself agreeing with Angie eagerly wanting to know more and to be a part of her world. Daly has a way of emotionally investing her reader.

The majority of the story is told in dialogue between Angie and other characters, between Angie and herself, or Angie and the reader. Because the setting and time period are fairly vague besides references made to places in and around Wisconsin, the reader can easily imagine this happening to him or herself in their own hometown. Daly uses beautiful language that makes the story and setting come alive. She certainly has a way with words in her use of figurative language (e.g. simile, metaphor, and personification).

            Simile

                        “thunder rumbled like a slow freight” (p. 25)

   “the moon was thin like a piece of sheer yellow silk” (p. 26)

            Metaphor

                        “as soft and silent as a pussy willow” (p. 69)

            Personification

  “wind was fingering through my hair” (p. 26)

Although, most young adult readers will easily connect with Maureen Daly’s story of Angie and Jack, the novel is more accessible to young female readers simply because of the underlying themes of self-acceptance and romance or first love. Both of these themes are highly impressionable on a young teenaged girl. Some readers might also find it challenging to gloss over the references to the specifics of the time, such as eighteen-year-olds drinking beer at Pete’s Nightclub. When I came across several of these time specific references, I had to quickly remind myself that it was not the year 2016. Besides these minor setting and time references though, the story is a true young adult classic and is a tale with which many generations to come can enjoy and find oneself.

Creative Activity:

Character Collage

One of Angie Morrow’s greatest struggles is acceptance, whether that is acceptance by her family, her peers, or herself. Many young adults struggle with acceptance and self-identity. In order to promote self-acceptance among the readers of Daly’s novel Seventeenth Summer, readers can participate in a self-collage activity.

This activity can be completed a number of ways. Readers can create and cut out outlined side profiles and fill the profile with words, pictures, images, quotes, and clipart that represent themselves or their character. Another option would be to collage words, pictures, images, quotes, and clipart that represent oneself on a canvas with a headshot photograph. Since technology is easily accessible and utilized readily by teens, young adults can also use Internet based programs to create word clouds or collages, such as WordClouds.com available at www.wordclouds.com.

Finally, the young adult participants should be encouraged to place their collage in a prominent place where they will see it daily and be able to reflect on all of their strengths and unique character qualities. It is a beautiful way to see one’s reflection.

Related Resources:

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

Rowell, R. (2013). Eleanor and park. New York, NY: St. Martin’s Press. ISBN 9781250012579

-       Eleanor & Park is yet another romance this time set during the 1980s. This romance novel explores how two completely different individuals can develop a deep friendship that turns to love. This is a great and connected text that fans and readers of Seventeenth Summer will enjoy.

Looking for Alaska by John Green

Green, J. (2006). Looking for alaska. New York, NY: Penguin Young Readers Group. ISBN 9780142402511

-       In Looking for Alaska two unalike teens develop a liking for one another. They both learn what it means to be oneself through the interaction with the other. This book directly connects to the Maureen Daly’s text in that it is yet another romantic novel about finding and being true to oneself and explores the many troubles that young adults today encounter in self-acceptance, school, friendship, and love.

American Academy of Pediatrics. (2015). Ways to build your teenagers self-esteem. Retrieved from https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/teen/Pages/Ways-To-Build-Your-Teenagers-Self-Esteem.aspx

-       This resource was pulled in order to offer support to parents who have teenagers or young adults struggling with self-esteem. This is an issue that many teens face blindly by themselves. Parents need to be aware of the issues young adults face, and this resource provides some practical ways parents can support their children. The webpage affiliate also offers information regarding other tough subjects facing young adults today, such as dating and sex, nutrition, and driving safety.

Published Review:

“Book Review: New to Me – Seventeenth Summer”

Rabey remarks Seventeenth Summer, “Feels like a book of its time… it manages to retain a sense of freshness.”

Rabey, M. (2011). Yalsa: The hub: Your connection to teen collections. New to me – Seventeenth summer. Retrieved from http://www.yalsa.ala.org/thehub/2011/02/03/book-review-new-to-me-seventeenth-summer/

Hopeless romantics and young adults are sure to LOVE this one! This is a summer you'll never forget! 

~ Mandy :)

*cover image borrowed from www.barnesandnoble.com*