One Crazy Summer
By Rita Williams-Garcia
- Release Date: 2010-01-26
- Genre: Family & Relationships in Kids Fiction
Description
In this Newbery Honor novel, New York Times bestselling author Rita Williams-Garcia tells the story of three sisters who travel to Oakland, California, in 1968 to meet the mother who abandoned them. A strong option for summer reading—take this book along on a family road trip or enjoy it at home.
This moving, funny novel won the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction and the Coretta Scott King Award and was a National Book Award Finalist. Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern's story continues in P.S. Be Eleven and Gone Crazy in Alabama.
Readers who enjoy Christopher Paul Curtis's The Watsons Go to Birmingham and Jacqueline Woodson’s Brown Girl Dreaming will find much to love in One Crazy Summer. Rita Williams-Garcia's books about Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern can also be read alongside nonfiction explorations of American history such as Jason Reynolds's and Ibram X. Kendi's books.
In One Crazy Summer, eleven-year-old Delphine is like a mother to her two younger sisters, Vonetta and Fern. She's had to be, ever since their mother, Cecile, left them seven years ago for a radical new life in California. But when the sisters arrive from Brooklyn to spend the summer with their mother, Cecile is nothing like they imagined.
While the girls hope to go to Disneyland and meet Tinker Bell, their mother sends them to a day camp run by the Black Panthers. Unexpectedly, Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern learn much about their family, their country, and themselves during one truly crazy summer.
This novel was the first featured title for Marley D’s Reading Party, launched after the success of #1000BlackGirlBooks. Maria Russo, in a New York Times list of "great kids' books with diverse characters," called it "witty and original."
"This vibrant and moving award-winning novel has heart to spare," commented Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich in her Brightly article "Knowing Our History to Build a Brighter Future: Books to Help Kids Understand the Fight for Racial Equality."
Reviews
This book is absolute trash
1By ThejazzystuffAs I said in my intro this book should be a garbage filler it has no action or any sort of interesting problemone crazy summer
1By emamamamammaahow long is this book? like how long is the audioITS AWSOME 😋😄
5By love is always the key❤️Great Book
5By saddy2344556Loved it soo much just its really longEnjoyed!
5By Promise316I enjoyed reading this book and it’s message of overcoming adversity!One of my favorites
4By TheEvilArtQueenI think that this book shows hard work, courage, and comedy. This book is definitely one of my favorites. It shows that life is hard and sometimes things happen out of your control, for example when the girls’ mother left they could do nothing about it and they were all upset. This book shows that things happen unexpectedly, also for example; the girls did not expect their mother to leave, they did not expect to see in the summer, and they did not expect, oh wait I’ll let you figure it out when you read it,🤫😉. I got this book in 6th grade in a 6th grade-must-read-books packet, so I read when I was 11. I just finished 6th grade four days ago and have gotten some compliments on the book when my classmates read the description this year. If you buy this book, which would be a good choice, I hope you enjoyed it, I hope this review helped you, and I hope give a review, Yours Truly, Katrina PollenAmazing
5By cute girl princessThis book was absolutely amazing I loved it it was very intriguing and I love the adventure they took to go see their mother Cecile and then having to leave big Ma and Pa I was so excited to see the ending I hope she comes out with more bucksAWESOME
5By Ninth wardI love itGood
5By OlololololololololololololoGoodExcellent
5By BouenishiaThis is an absolutely amazing book! I love how it expands on the African American culture and the life lived by colored people. I would recommend to anyone who enjoys books about African American culture!
