One Crazy Summer

excellent

this book is amazing. enjoyed it a lot and would recommend to everyone.

2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Reviewed by Sarah Bean the Green Bean Teen Queen for TeensReadToo.com

It's 1968 and Delphine and her younger sisters, Vonetta and Fern, are being sent to California to visit the mother that abandoned them soon after Fern was born. The girls have grand ideas about a mother who will hug them and take them to Disneyland.

Instead, their mother, Cecile, doesn't want anything to do with them, cares more about her poetry, and sends them for Chinese take-out every night. She's more concerned about her work and sends the girls to a Blank Panther-run summer camp during the day. The girls learn about revolution and family in a summer they will never forget.

It's hard to express how wonderful this book is and how much I adored it. I was pretty sure I would enjoy it, since I had been hearing a positive buzz. But I was completely unprepared for how much this book would pull me in and not let go. I couldn't put it down.

This is a quiet book. It's not an action filled book, and there wasn't any suspense that made me keep turning pages. It was just the beautifully written story of three sisters discovering their mother and themselves. There was just something about it that really resonated with me as a reader and I had to keep reading this one; I couldn't stop.

The writing is superb. This is a middle grade novel, but the author never writes down to her audience, and the characters are beautifully realistic and the dynamics between the sisters is spot-on. I loved Delphine - I think she's one of my new favorite characters in children's lit. In many ways, she is wise beyond her years, being the oldest sister and having to care for her younger sisters and mediating their quarrels. But she's also a child herself, and she lets herself finally be a child during this summer. The reader gets to know Delphine so much during the course of the story that the reader ends up growing with her - and Ms. Williams-Garcia pulls it off beautifully.

I really could keep gushing about this book, but instead you should get yourself a copy. Highly recommended for tweens and up.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

One crazy summer

I loved the book! It was a insperation! I loved it!

Best book ever

This book is the best book i wish they had a series

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

A MUST READ GREAT BOOK!

This book is the first book i have ever read with the Black Panthers in it. Ms.Rita Williams-Garcia i thank you for writing this wonderful book because it taught me a lot about what African Americans were going through. To me this book is both educational and entertaining. My favorite part of this book was when Cecile was questioned by Delphine on why she abandoned Vonetta,Fern and herself. Cecil remembered what it was like needing a female figure to help grow up. That was when Cecile realized that they were going to find out anyway so it was best to find out from her. Also Delphine got sick of being curious of why she did it. Surprisingly, Cecile told Delphine and what also slipped out was Fern's real name,Afua. This book is filled with curiosities that everyone will like.

one crazy summer

i would recomend this book to a friend. i would recommend this book because i like this book. also it is written by Rita wiliams Garcia .when I ask my other friends is the book one crazy summer good they say that the book is good. this book has earned lots of awards.


This book is for 7th and 8th graders and most of my friend are from those grades. Now i will tell you about the book one crazy summer. In this book there is 3 sister ,Mom ,Dad, and a Grandmother. There dad and the grandmother sends the sisters to California for a cople weeks to live with there mother. when they were in the plane they were imagining about California , how fun it is. But when they got there the mother would not hangout with them and she would take them to a Chines takeout

Book Review

I would recommend this book to a friend because it about three sisters who to visit there mom. There mom left them when the youngest sister was born.Few days before they are about to leave there mother's house and go back to there father's house there mother gets arrested.When she comes out of jail she heard her daughters reading one of here poems.

I would reccomend this book to an oldest sibling.

I would recommend this book to a friend because this book is very touching. I liked that it made you feel like you were really there. This book is about three girls that went to visit their mother in Oakland. Their mother had abandoned them because she wanted to name Fern Afua. The good thing was that Nzlia realized that she wasn't acting like a mother. I liked when Delphine defended Afua when the three other sisters when are calling Afua a little baby because she carried a toy doll around with her when they where in the summer camp of The Blank Panthers. When Delphine told Fern that her name was Afua, Delphine and Vonneta were teasing her and then Nzila acted like a real mother and told them to cut it of.The good thing was that Nzlia realized that she wasn't acting like a mother. The good thing was that Nzlia realized that she wasn't acting like a mother. I really loved it when Afua read the poem about crazy Kelvin and when Nzila and when did you write that poem she said I didn't write it i read it. Even though Vonetta went to the other three sisters to play Delphine and Afua stuck together.One of the other sisters and Vonneta liked a boy that was in the summer camp so they were always competing and playing with him. Vonneta was very nervous when they were going to read their mothers poem when Delphine noticed she was nervous on the stage she said Horothio is watching and she said Janice hopes you trip.

One crazy mother

One mother like no other!!!

My absolute favorite book ever!

I read this book in school and loved it

A must read

My daughter is in her first ever book club this summer and this was their first read. We absolutely loved it. She was able to identify the struggles of the 60's and the typical stereotypes.

We are looking forward to reading more by RWG.

So far so good

Cute and charming

Title says it all

This book is a touching story about a young girl and her siblings being sent to live with their mother that abandoned them when they were younger. This story is told in such a manner that you begin to feel yourself in the story. The author does a fantastic job with describing scenery and new characters introduced. You will find that this book is hard to put down. The story takes place in two different states. In the beginning the characters are in New York, and then move to California to be reunited with their mother. There is so much more to this story that I am dangerously close to saying, but it would give the whole story away. This is one of my favorite books that I have read.

nfgfvf

good

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Great sister book!

This is a book that I want to tell you all about in quotes, because even in soundbites, it's so so good.

My sisters and I had stayed up practically all night California dreaming about what seemed like the other side of the world. We saw ourselves riding wild waves on surfboards, picking oranges and apples off fruit trees, filling out autograph books with signatures from movie stars we'd see in soda shops. Even better, we saw ourselves going to Disneyland.
p.3

But they don't go to Disneyland. They go to Black Panther Summer Camp. Delphine, Vonetta and Fern learn about the movement, about the Panthers themselves (who they've only seen in news stories), and about each other. Delphine, the only of the three who remembers her to begin with, also gets to learn about the mother that abandoned them.

But this isn't necessarily a book about the Black Panthers or the 60s or even finding a mother. This is mostly a sister book. There's Fern, the baby, who has carried around a (white) baby doll for as long as anyone can remember and is always ready to throw out a "surely" in support of her sisters. Vonetta who constantly seeks attention like the middle child she is, and is desperate to make friends with the most fashionable girls at camp, even at the expense of her sisters. Then there's Delphine. She promised her Pa she would take care of her younger sisters, like she always has, and it's her job to keep them out of trouble (and keep them from killing each other). She's saved up money to pay the fines on the books she checked out from the library to read to her sisters each night before bed. She plans activities for the three of them to do in order to make the most of their trip to California. She tries to stand in between her sisters and her mother; she remembers how crazy her mother can get. She's the leader.

It's Delphine, Vonetta and Fern, their relationship and interactions, that drive the story. They help each other get through what looks like a horrible situation until it becomes kind of fun. Together they're the Gaither sisters. They finish each others sentences, each knows just how to get under the other two's skin, and though they take sides two against one all the time, they all always stand up for each other in the end.

As the story progresses, the girls' mother becomes more of a real person than the dismissive, nervous woman who picked them up (late) from the airport. We also find out just how much Delphine remembers about her and how much she misses having a mother (even if she won't admit it). The relationship between Delphine and Cecile (their mother) is built on more understanding than either of them want to admit, and watching it unfold was one of the most moving parts of this story.

Overall, One Crazy Summer was a wonderful book and totally deserving of it's numerous awards! It has it all: history, humor, emotion, drama, and annoying but lovable little sisters!


Book source: Philly Free Library

One Summer You Simply Can't Miss!

. One Crazy Summer is the story of Delphine, Vonetta, Fern, and their mother Cecile, during the summer of 1968 in Oakland, California. . During the summer of 1968, Oakland was the center of the Black Panther movement. . This is a work of historical fiction, told from the unique point of view of an eleven year old girl. . This book has garnered a mass of awards this year, including: 2011 Coretta Scott King Award, 2011 Newbery Honor Book, 2011 Scott O'Dell Prize for Historical Fiction, and 2010 National Book Award Finalist. ------------------------------------------------------------ Delphine is our young narrator and in her brief eleven years she has seen a lot. She has watched her mother up and leave. She has learned how to make and keep Pa (their father) and Big Ma (their paternal grandmother) happy and to take care of just about every need of her two strong-willed younger sisters. Many times, while reading this book, I forgot just how young she was. During the summer of 1968, Pa decides it's time for the girls get to know their mother, Cecile, and puts them on a plane to Oakland, CA. With Big Ma's words in mind, "...Now don't go making a big, old Negro spectacle of yourselves", Delphine keeps the girls happy on the plane. Their dreams of Disney and Hollywood are quickly dashed when they arrive at Oakland airport and meet their mother, Cecile. As they wait and wait to be picked up, they finally notice a tall woman behind a large hat and sunglasses. She is looking at them but not approaching them. That is Cecile. The girls tell the flight attendant they have found their ride, and off to Cecile's house they go. Upon arrival, Cecile tells the girls to hand over the money their father gave them and to get lost. Delphine remains ever vigilant, taking care of her sisters during their four week stay, while making sure they stay out of Cecile's hair so she can write her poetry. The girls end up spending most of their time at the Black Panther Center, where they attend camp and get free breakfast. The reality of this movement is very different than what the girls saw on TV about the Black Panthers back in Brooklyn. Delphine wonders why they never showed the generosity of this group on the television, and only showed the protests that inevitable turned violent. Without even realizing it, the girls get a valuable lesson in their identity and culture. Williams-Garcia tells a story of a time that I, as a forty-one year old woman, knew not enough about. She has created an engaging, beautifully written story, that teaches and entertains. The characters are drawn so authentically. Delphine is currently my favorite heroine in all of children's literature. This is a must read story for children and adults of all races and creeds. It is the universal story of the triumph of the human spirit. This would make a terrific book club selection. There is so much to learn and so much to discuss.

great book

i read this book many times. so worth your money go u must buy it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!'!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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