The Summer of Broken Things by Margaret Peterson Haddix - OPTIONAL

The Summer of Broken Things by Margaret Peterson Haddix, 387 pages.  Simon and Schuster, 2018.  $18.  

Content: Language: G; Mature Content: PG; Violence: G.  

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS – OPTIONAL  

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE  

Avery is an entitled fourteen-year old who is going to Spain with her father for the summer and she rather be at soccer camp with her best friends.  To make matters worse, Avery’s father is inviting a girl named Kayla who used to be Avery’s friend when they were young, and Avery is bitter that she doesn’t get to pick her own traveling buddy.  As the summer develops, Kayla and Avery’s lives intersect in a big way that throws both girls for a loop. 

I didn’t mind this book, but the context isn’t very believable.  Kayla is easy to empathize with and resilient, but Avery is overly dramatic and not likable.  There was an overarching feeling of gloom and doom throughout that in the end made it frustrating.  The content includes an unsolicited breast grab.  

Reviewer, C. Peterson.