One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia

 

One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams Garcia

 

 

Bibliography:  Williams-Garcia, Rita. 2010. One crazy summer. New York: Amistad.

ISBN:  9780060760885

Plot Summary: For one month in the summer of 1968, eleven year old Delphine and her two younger sisters Vonetta and Fern are forced to go cross country from Brooklyn to Oakland to meet their mother that had abandoned them at a young age. Once there, Delphine must care for her younger sisters while learning about her estranged mother that sends her daughters to a Black Panther summer camp.   However after a series of events and learning new information about the revolution taking place, the girls adapt to their new lifestyle and finally get what they traveled nearly 3,000 miles for. This story is relatable and heartbreaking, a must read for any student.

Critical Analysis: The book One Crazy Summer begins with the girls on a plane from Brooklyn to Oakland in the summer of 1968. Delphine, the oldest sister is in charge of watching her sisters and taking care of them while they visit their mother who had abandoned them. Their mother Cecile, does not care for them and sends them to a Summer Camp hosted by the Black Panthers. The girls join the revolution with reluctance in order to get breakfast which is seen with the quote, "We didn't come for the revolution. we came for breakfast." (73) The story follows the girls through their time in Oakland, while Delphine tries to understand her mother. The girls find resolution at the end of the book when they are leaving and hugging their mother at the airport.

The characters are relatable because broken families still exist to this day, and many children will be able to identify with the sisters longing for a mother and sense of abandonment. These types of situations happen on a daily basis, making it believable and appealing to readers because they are able to relate to the text. The girls are grounded within the time period when describing the clothing of the other girls and the setting of the story. The language of the text is appropriate and is reminiscent of an 11 year old girl in the 1960's. The history within the text is presented accurately and in a way that children can understand while leaving the plot simple to appeal to readers of all abilities. The setting of the story is depicted in such a way that the reader can easily imagine the city of Oakland in the 1960's. It describes Cecile's house with green stucco and the Chinese restaurant with detail reflecting the time period and contributing to the authenticity of the text. While the overall theme of the text reflects the time period of the story, it may also be considered relevant today as the theme of family transcends all generations and are timeless parallels that almost everyone can relate to. The style of the text and the language used reflect the time period and the story is written in a seamless way that presents both factual information from the time period woven with the fictional story of Delphine and her two sisters. The text is authentic and includes an acknowledgement section in which Mrs. Williams-Garcia discusses reading articles and books from the time period, as well as her time she spent researching the Black Panthers.  The text is relatable and written in a way depicting both a narrative story with authentic pieces of information which accurately show the time period.

Awards Received:

·         Scott O’ Dell Award for Historical Fiction

·         2011 Coretta Scott King Award

·         National Book Award Finalist

·         2011 Newberry Honor Book

Review Excerpts:

·         From Kirkus – Starred Review - “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”

·         From Booklist – Starred Review -  “Regimented, responsible, strong-willed Delphine narrates in an unforgettable voice, but each of the sisters emerges as a distinct, memorable character, whose hard-won, tenuous connections with their mother build to an aching, triumphant conclusion.”

·         From Horn Book – Starred Review - “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...”

·         From School Library Journal – Starred Review - “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.”

·         From Publishers Weekly - “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.”

Connections/ Activities:

·         Have students research the time period in which the book examines and the role of the Black Panthers.

·         Incorporate social studies when looking at a map and examining the states of New York and California.

·         Have students explore the meanings of their names.

·         Have students create their own story and respond to the prompt, "What would you do if you were Delphine?"

·         Have students complete an author study over Rita Williams Garcia.

·         Have students examine the setting of the story from a historical perspective.

·         Have students write as if they were a character in the story.

Selected other texts by Rita Williams-Garcia

·          Jumped – 9780060760939

·         Like Sisters on the Homefront – 9780140385618

·         No Laughter Here – 9780064409926

·         P.S. Be Eleven - 9780061938641

Related Texts:

·         Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai - 9780061962790

·         A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park - 9780547577319

·         Brown Girl Dreaming  by Jacqueline Woodson - 9780399252518

Personal Connections:

·         I have heard of this book in the past, however, I never had a chance to read it and I wish I would have sooner! This is a great story filled with all of the requirements of a good hearty historical fiction text. It can be read as a read aloud when doing a cross-curricular unit over the Civil Rights Movement. I would definitely recommend this text!