Praise for P.S. BE ELEVEN: “Williams-Garcia’s skilled writing takes readers to a deeper understanding of Delphine as she grows up and is forced to watch her family take a new shape. This thoughtful story, told with humor and heart, rings with the rhythms and the dilemmas of the ‘60s through characters real enough to touch.” - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Praise for P.S. BE ELEVEN: “Funny, wise, poignant, and thought-provoking, this will leave readers wanting more about Delphine and her sisters.” - Horn Book (starred review)
Praise for P.S. BE ELEVEN: “..the Gaither sisters are an irresistible trio. Williams-Garcia excels at conveying defining moments of American society from their point of view—this is historical fiction that’s as full of heart as it is of heartbreak.” - Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Praise for P.S. BE ELEVEN: “P.S. Be Eleven is a must-read for fans of the first book, but it can also stand alone as an engrossing novel that will leave readers pondering important issues of race, gender, and identity.” - School Library Journal (starred review)
PRAISE FOR ONE CRAZY SUMMER: “Delphine is the pitch-perfect older sister, wise beyond her years, an expert at handling her siblings...while the girls are caught up in the difficulties of adults, their resilience is celebrated and energetically told with writing that snaps off the page” - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
PRAISE FOR ONE CRAZY SUMMER: “The setting and time period are as vividly realized as the characters, and readers will want to know more about Delphine and her sisters after they return to Brooklyn...” - Horn Book (starred review)
“Williams-Garcia’s novel has the feeling of a saga, an American story of several generations, related effectively from Delphine’s first-person point of view-and with help from some feisty elders.” - Horn Book Magazine
This final installment is rich in atmosphere and clearly conveys the sisters’ distinct personalities, their loyalty to one another, and their special place in their complex family. An author’s note elucidates the connection between Native and African Americans, and a family tree details the Gaither girls’ roots. - School Library Journal (starred review)
A must-have conclusion to this beloved middle grade series. - School Library Journal (starred review)
There are similarities here with Woodson’s Brown Girl Dreaming, which would make an excellent next step and consolation for readers wistful for the apparent end of the series. But if readers do have to say goodbye to the Gaither sisters and their crew, this is a warm and spirited valedictory. - Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
PRAISE FOR ONE CRAZY SUMMER: “Emotionally challenging and beautifully written, this book immerses readers in a time and place and raises difficult questions of cultural and ethnic identity and personal responsibility. With memorable characters (all three girls have engaging, strong voices) and a powerful story, this is a book well worth reading and rereading.” - School Library Journal (starred review)
PRAISE FOR ONE CRAZY SUMMER: “Delphine’s growing awareness of injustice on a personal and universal level is smoothly woven into the story in poetic language that will stimulate and move readers.” - Publishers Weekly
“This well-crafted depiction of a close-knit community in rural Alabama works beautifully, with language that captures its humor, sorrow and resilience. Rich in all areas, Delphine and her sisters’ third outing will fully satisfy the many fans of their first two.” - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“The coping skills of three sisters are put to the test as they leave Brooklyn for a rural summer in 1969 Alabama. Delphine, Vonetta and Fern, the sisters who captured readers’ hearts in One Crazy Summer (2010) and P.S. Be Eleven (2013), are off to spend the summer in Alabama with Big Ma. This visit comes at a time of great awareness for almost-13-year-old Delphine as well as looming change in her family. Delphine is still in charge, but Vonetta seeks to step out of her older sister’s shadow. The trip also means the girls will confront their Uncle Darnell, who let them down during his stay in Brooklyn. Hurts and grudges go even deeper as the story of the girls’ great-grandmother and her estranged sister is gradually disclosed, revealing family dynamics shaped by racial history. All the conflicts fade when a tornado threatens an unbearable loss. Character development again astonishes, the distinctive personalities of the girls ringing true and the supporting cast adding great depth and texture. Indeed, the girls’ cousin JimmyTrotter is so fully realized it seems unfair to think of him as secondary. This well-crafted depiction of a close-knit community in rural Alabama works beautifully, with language that captures its humor, sorrow and resilience. Rich in all areas, Delphine and her sisters’ third outing will fully satisfy the many fans of their first two. - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“it’s reward enough just to spend more time with this feisty, close-knit family, whose loyalty to and love for each other trump everything else. - Publishers Weekly (starred review)