4 stars for the illustrations, 3 for the story. The illustrations were good enough that I rounded up! 
 This one was recently banned by a school in Minnesota, so I obviously had to check it out. The illustrations are absolutely amazing. Tamaki captures the emotions of each character, and any scene involving Windy dancing was hilarious. But those are the only hilarious moments of This One Summer - it's a very bleak and sad read about a young girl named Rose and her annual family vacation to the beach. Her parents are fighting and her mom is clearly depressed. This tension trickles down to Rose, and not in a good way. As she and Windy take notice of the town's teenagers, who are drinking and sleeping around and calling each other "sluts," they try to make sense of what they are seeing and hearing. 
 This One Summer does a great job of showing how things we once loved as children lose their shine as we grow older. As I was taking in the book, I was trying to imagine why a parent would want it taken off the library shelves. The language and content is certainly 14+ - there are plenty of f-bombs, talk of sex, and derogatory remarks about women. I can see how this would shock a parent initially. But sadly, kids are hearing these things anyway. The weight these words can cast are depicted in the way Rose and Windy react - Rose somewhat idolizes the teens, while Windy can tell something isn't right. 
 Should a middle-schooler be reading this story? No. But I think This One Summer is a story that could speak to younger teens who are trying to figure out how to navigate through the world, as well as to older teens who don't realize how much younger kids look up to them. This One Summer doesn't glorify teenage sex or drinking - in fact, it shows how harmful those things can be, and how disgusting people can act in situations born out of them. It confronts real issues that teens face, whether we like it or not. And for that, I think it should stay on the shelves.