Summer Sisters- Part 2

The second part (check out the first part) of the Summer Sisters Fantasy Cast finds the two main characters, Caitlin and Vix, as teenagers. This part of the book, spanning from the age of 15 until they graduate highschool, details the fact they’re no longer children and therefore, open their story up to a whole new cast of characters and situations – most of them involving boys. In a film version of this story, the girls’ teenage years would cover almost the first half of the film, as a lot of very important plot points happen during this point in their lives. I could see these actors playing out the characters until the girls graduate from high school. Once they move onto college, it would easy for the characters to transition into adult actors.

At 15, Caitlin is disarmingly beautiful and she uses this beauty to her advantage as her wild side starts to become reckless. She flaunts her beauty in front of men and uses it to get what she wants. She tells Vix time and time again of her sexual escapades and how she’s lured men into her arms. She is sassy and bold but still remains vibrant and bright, a likable character. The actress who plays the teenaged Caitlin has to be believable as a beautiful, smoldering temptress who seems conniving and selfish but who can still play the part of the loving, faithful best friend to Vix. I picture Taylor Momsen taking on this role.

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 Vix, as a teenager, is a little bit more down to earth than her wild best friend. She’s coming into herself though, and the boys are starting to notice her. (Vix’s boobs grow twice as fast and twice as big as Caitlin’s – a fact that Caitlin never lets Vix forget.) She doesn’t compare herself to Caitlin in looks or behavior but she’s still beautiful in her own, quiet “Victorian” way. Caitlin’s personality shines past Vix’s subtleties but Vix is now coming out of Caitlin’s shadow, especially as they turn 17 and their lives become more separate. I didn’t want Vix’s actress to be too beautiful but that’s almost impossible with Hollywood today. However, I can see Lyndsy Fonseca  portraying Vix perfectly.

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 There are a lot of men who come into the story when the girls are teenagers who play significant roles throughout the rest of the book. The two main male characters are the girls’ first loves – Von and Bru. The girls have known of them since Vix’s first summer on the island. They’re older than the girls by about three or four years and are in their very early twenties when the pairs begin dating. They’re cousins – both island boys – and both very handsome. Von is described as more of a pretty boy type with a bit of a dangerous charm, while Bru is portrayed as the strong, silent, passionate type, the guy with the muscles and a rough but sexy charm. 

For Von, I immediately pictured Ian Somerhalder 

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and for Bru, Taylor Kitsch. They’re both ridiculously handsome but I think they could be believable as family to each other and as boyfriends for each of the girls. The actors could also potentially carry the role throughout the rest of the film, too, as both Von and Bru appear throughout and later in the plot when the girls are older.

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The Chicago Boys come into the plot when the girls are teenagers and are 17, much younger than Von and Bru. Daniel is Abby’s son and Caitlin’s step-brother and Gus is Daniel’s best friend, flown in from Chicago every summer to keep Daniel company – he’s kind of like the male equivalent of Vix’s placement in the Somers family. So, in a way, they are very alike. In the story Caitlin also has a biological brother, Sharkey, but, in my opinion, he doesn’t add much to the story. Pick any tall, lanky, awkward looking young actor and he’s cast. The Chicago boys, and Gus especially, are important to the story but this doesn’t become apparent until much later in the plot. 

Daniel is every bit the rich, entitled prep-school boy and for most of the book he remains this way but especially so as a teenager. He’s very protective of his mother and her feelings and therefore, he doesn’t get along with Caitlin. I see Lucas Till fitting into this role with relative ease. 

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 Gus is Daniel’s best friend and together they make a pretty formidable duo. Daniel has the bad attitude and Gus has the size. Throughout the book he is described as being very large, muscular and strong, and he looks much older than his actual age of 17. He keeps Daniel company and for the first part of the book, holds his weight as a filler character, until he takes a larger role later in the story. I see Robbie Amell playing Gus as a teenager.

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 Heather blogs over at New German Girl about being an au pair and the glories of slave labor. Kidding. Sort of. But not really.

Guest Blogger: Summer Sisters

Hallo, guten tag, wilkommen. Heather, here. I come to you from New German Girl, a blog about living in Germany and the nuances of paid slavery. Just kidding. Not really. Anyway, I’m incredibly pleased and honored to be given permission to borrow a little bit of space on Gina’s most wonderful blog. The minute that I discovered that this blog existed, I’ve been a faithful reader, almost to the point where I’m obsessed. Okay, not really. But I thought that would make Gina smile*. Did it? Well, good! Seriously though… Fantasy Casting is a brilliant concept and I’m kicking myself for not thinking of it sooner. Kudos to you, Gina! Needless to say, I’ve done this kind of thing inside of my head and there isn’t a fantasy casting project more dear to me than that of my favorite book (meaning I’ve read it at least twelve times by now), a Judy Blume “grown-up” book called Summer Sisters. And Gina’s agreed to let me take it out of my head and onto her blog. So, here goes!


Summer Sisters follows the lives of two friends, Caitlin Somers and Victoria Leonard over the course of twenty years. It begins when they are 11 and ends when they are in their early 30’s. Although the two girls are the main characters, the story has so many other important characters, all of whom and growing and interacting with the girls and changing them, for better and for worse, that it’s hard to leave them all out. Therefore, this Fantasy Cast will be broken up into three parts. Imagine how honored I am to steal Gina’s show three times! Ha. Seriously. I am excited.


Caitlin Somers is one of the most dynamic, interesting, and realistic literary characters I’ve ever read in this genre of chick literature. She is beautiful, even at the age of 11, and has the kind of beauty that she can use to her advantage. She’s beautiful, smart, and vibrant and, as a reader, you instantly fall in love with her, especially through the eyes of Victoria, or her summer sister. Vix describes herself as an ordinary, mousy brown girl who isn’t very interesting or eye catching, not at all like Caitlin, the most popular girl in her school. Despite their perceived differences, 11-year-old Caitlin invites Vix to join her for a summer at her house on Martha’s Vineyard and the rest is history. The story follows the two girls through twenty or so summers, through friendship and lovers, through epic fights and reconciliations, through betrayal, and redemption and focuses mainly on two periods of their lives together, their adolescence and their journey through adulthood and closes with a devastating end.


It’s important to first cast the girls as children because this is where they start and you can’t have an end without a beginning. Also, the purpose and intent of some of the major and more static characters, takes place in the beginning of the book as well.


Caitlin at eleven would need to be played by a versatile actress – a child star that has a lot of credit and whom can effortlessly pull off the part of a vivacious, carefree, and sassy eleven year old girl. The first summer that they spend together, Caitlin doesn’t wear shoes, doesn’t shower, and hardly even changes her underwear. Throughout the story, the actress has to play two different sides of the character – popular, coveted, and beautiful Santa Fe Caitlin and the relaxed, crazy, and carefree, Vineyard Caitlin. She is a beautiful girl with a wild personality. I immediately sensed Elle Fanning for this role as she has great range as an actress

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Vix is the complete opposite of Caitlin in personality and in looks. She is quiet and reserved and goes along with whatever Caitlin wants because she’s so infatuated with her and wants to always be the one that Caitlin chooses as her summer sister. At the beginning of the friendship, you see Vix’s hesitance to jump in but eventually, the two girls come together as a dynamic team. Their chemistry together has to be questionable at first so the actress who plays the 11-year-old version of Vix has an incredible job to do in making their inevitable bond believable and to seal it completely. I picture Perla Haney-Jardine. She’s cute and not overtly beautiful but has a delicate, submissive look about her – a perfect blend to the wild force that is her companion.

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Some of the main characters that are featured throughout the book are the girls’ parents. Lambert Mayhew Somers, affectionately nicknamed, Lamb, is Caitlin’s father and he’s the strongest male role model in the book. He loves his daughter with all of his heart, body, and soul but he just doesn’t know how to hold her down or understand her wanderlust as she grows up and leaves the island behind. He’s an island man, with a rugged, laid back appeal – the perfect role for the unbelievably handsome, Dennis Quaid

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Vix’s mother, Tawny, also plays a large role in the story – especially when it comes to understanding Vix’s past and how she guards herself as she grows older. Throughout the story you sense that Tawny loves her husband and her children but that she doesn’t know how to express it to them or that she’s just grown weary of trying so hard. She isn’t an easy character to love but in the end, she redeems herself. I see this character perfectly portrayed by Felicity Huffman.

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Abby is Lamb’s second wife, Caitlin’s step-mom. She is introduced to the girls during the first summer that Vix stays with them and Caitlin instantly hates her. Throughout the book Abby remains to be a wonderful role model (and mother) for Caitlin and she tries desperately to win her step-daughter's approval. In the end, Abby becomes more of a mother to Vix and she holds her weight in the story as an anchor for the whole family as they slowly fall apart and then come back together. I see Maura Tierney fitting this role perfectly.

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Phoebe is Caitlin’s mother and although she appears in only just a few chapters, she’s essential to the story because she allows the readers to understand not only where Caitlin’s beauty comes from but also, where she gets her sense of adventure and her care-free attitude. Michelle Pfeiffer fits this part like a glove. She’s great at doing parts like this that showcase all of her beauty and diverse acting skills in a small but deliverable package.

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*A note from Gina: I did not pay her to gush like this. Although I'm certainly not above such devious tactics, she really did say all these nice things about me on her own. Also, she concocted this fabulous fantasy cast. Show Heather some comment love, and maybe swing by her blog, too. That would be nice of you :)

The Book Thief

I am so excited to do my Fantasy Cast for The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak!


I just read this book last week, and for the first time in a long time, I found myself just naturally imagining certain actors in the roles of the characters. Usually, I have to do a fair bit of hunting around for somebody who fits with the image in my head, but this time it just popped, and I could not wait to get to the computer and put together my fantasy cast for this book! (nerd alert!)


First up, our narrator. Death. This is the character that one name, and one name only, stuck with me throughout the entire story: Paul Bettany.

First of all, I love Paul Bettany. Other than his penchant for showing his skinny rear end in movies, that is. I think he can handle the stoic persona of Death. I also think he can make you believe that he wants to feel and be involved, even though he can't be. It's a big enough part, with enough lines to demand a big name, but not so much screen time that a studio will demand it be some run-of-the-mill pretty boy. No, Paul Bettany it is. I demand it!


Leisel Meminger- While Death is our narrator, Leisel is actually our star. The protagonist, if you feel you must narrow it down to just one person. She is the Book Thief, and she is the girl the story revolves around. Leisel is young when the story starts, but the bulk of the story is told while she is a teenager. I think Dakota Fanning could do it if they started production, like, now, but they aren't starting production right now. So, instead I submit Chloe Moretz as my choice.

The Hubermans are people that, at first, are rough and intimidating, and thoroughly a part of the typical Nazi Germany landscape. As time goes by, Leisel learns to love them, they love her and you see a peek into the people they were before all this madness started. 
Hans "Papa" Huberman- Eric Roberts

Rosa "Mama" Huberman- Ashley Crow

Did you know there is a severe shortage of famous young men in this world? Yes, there is. There is a plethora of young girls (is that a result of perverted studio executives or stage moms living vicariously... you decide) but not a lot of boys. And most of them look a little... dumb (I'm looking at you Cole and Dylan Sprouse!). But, have no fear, I found a kid the right age that I think is a reasonable Rudy Steiner- Alexander Ludwig

The Mayor's wife, Ilsa Hermann- Marian Seldes

And the crazy neighbor lady, Frau Holzapfel- Rosana Arquette

Max Vandenburg- In general, I am not one to be a stickler for authenticity. Yes, of course, the people of Nazi Germany need to be played by white, blond people, but they don't all need to necessarily be German to pull it off. In general, I think an actor puts on a persona, and sometimes that persona is of another heritage or culture. There are few exceptions to this rule in my mind, and Jewish victims of the Holocaust are one of those exceptions. I don't think anybody else has the right, let alone the ability to capture the haunted feeling of these people in this time. Max Vandeburg must, absolutely must, be played by a young man of Jewish descent. No questions about it. I submit to you, Jake Hoffman.

And, for the record, I am requesting here and now that the dream sequence of fist fighting the fuhrer be in the movie.


Agree? Disagree? Post your thoughts in the comments?
Images: Google Images