All Summer Long

Larson, Hope. All Summer Long. 2018. 170p. ISBN 978-0-374-31071-4. Available in the graphic novel section of the library.

As long as she can remember, thirteen-year-old Bina and her best friend Austin have spent their lives together. Living next door to each other, Bina and Austin have experienced the last five summers through the Summer Fun Index, a way to calculate how much fun they are having at any moment. This summer, thought, it will be different. Austin is going away to soccer camp, and for the first time ever Bina will find herself without her best friend. How can she live the Summer Fun Index without her partner in crime?

Bina is determined to have fun on her own, but it is proving difficult without Austin. Within the first week she exhausts her quota of streaming programming, and her parents cut off her access. She’s trying to do her summer reading, but her heart is not in it. She loves to practice guitar, and enjoys finding new acts to listen to, but she’s got no one to share this side of herself with, since even Austin wasn’t into music. Things look up when, returning home one day, Bina notices she lost her house key. Thankfully, Austin always keeps a spare in his room so he can feed her cat when she’s away. She breaks in his house, and is caught by Charlie, Austin’s older sister. Bina soon discovers that Charlie and her both share a love of music, and they begin to hang out. Perhaps her summer won’t be as bad as she thinks it will be. But why is Austin ignoring her texts and acting so weird when he does texts her? And if he’s too busy to text her, how come he’s not too busy to post on social networks? As the days pass, Bina learns that she’s the only one responsible for her happiness.

Told in a graphic novel format, Bina’s summer is filled with trials and tribulations. Readers will clearly relate to Bina’s experience losing a friend at the worst possible time, and her quest to establish new friendships and become more independent.