One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Williams-Garcia, Rita. (2010). One Crazy Summer. New York, NY: HarperCollins Children’s Books. ISBN 9780060769098

Williams-Garcia, Rita. (2010). One Crazy Summer. Narrated by Sisa Aisha Johnson. New York, NY: Recorded Books Productions, LLC. ISBN 978-1449821968

PLOT SUMMARY
Delphine and her two younger sisters, Vonetta and Fern, are sent to visit their estranged mother in Oakland for one month. Far from their Brooklyn home and with no hope of a trip to Disneyland, the girls are left to entertain themselves. During their stay, they befriend “Mean Lady Ming” at the Chinese restaurant and Sister Mukumbu and Sister Pat at The People’s Center –a Black Panther-run community center where they go to eat and attend summer camp.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS

      The audio book version is an unabridged, CD format (5 discs). The audio book is narrated by Sisi Aisha Johnson, a voice and film actress. Johnson gives a perfect voice to Delphine’s mature, 11-year old character while also adjusting tone and pitch to convincingly portray other characters in the story. The entertaining and lively audio version is enjoyable, clear, and without static but does not include any sound effects or music. The book (print version) includes extras including an excerpt from Rita Williams-Garcia’s acceptance speech for the Coretta Scott King Award, a deleted chapter titled “Maxie’s Printing and Supplies”, and suggested activities.

      Intruding on their “secret agent” mother’s life of printing work and poetry, Delphine and her sisters spend their summer learning about sisterhood, friendship, and self-sacrifice amid the racial tensions of the late 1960s. Delphine leads her sisters on daily adventures to the Black Panther summer camp and an “excursion” to San Francisco. In her humorous and honest narration, Delphine tells of their adventures and eventually discovers a clearer understanding of her mother and herself.

      Rita Williams-Garcia combines poetic prose and lessons on life and history to create an exceptional story to be read and re-read (or listened to!) that leaves readers wondering about Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern long after the last chapter.

REVIEW EXCERPTS
2011 Newbery Honor Award

2011 Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction

2011 Coretta Scott King Award

Starred review in SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL – “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.”

Starred review in BOOKLIST – “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.”

Starred review in HORN BOOK – “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...”

CONNECTIONS
*Teachers can use this book as a supplemental source when learning about the 1960s and/or the Civil Rights movement during that time.

*The book can lead to further research on the Black Panthers, key Black Panther leaders, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King, Jr.

*More books by Rita Williams-Garcia:

Williams-Garcia, Rita. Jumped. ISBN 0060760915

Williams-Garcia, Rita. No Laughter Here. ISBN 0688162479