One Crazy Summer

by Rita Williams-Garcia

Other authors: See the other authors section.

Series: Gaither Sisters Trilogy (1)

Members	Reviews	Popularity	Average rating	Mentions
4,059	227	2,972	(4.16)	109
In the summer of 1968, after travelling from Brooklyn to Oakland, California, to spend a month with the mother they barely know, eleven-year-old Delphine and her two younger sisters arrive to a cold welcome as they discover that their mother, a dedicated poet and printer, is resentful of the intrusion of their visit and wants them to attend a nearby Black Panther summer camp.… (more)

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20
The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis (BookshelfMonstrosity)
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Sweet Whispers, Brother Rush by Virginia Hamilton (kaledrina)
kaledrina: Similar relationships of main character to mother.
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P.S. Be Eleven by Rita Williams-Garcia (CurrerBell)
CurrerBell: P.S. Be Eleven is the sequel to One Crazy Summer.
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The Rock and the River by Kekla Magoon (BookshelfMonstrosity)
BookshelfMonstrosity: Although The Rock and the River has a more serious tone, both of these historical novels show the emotionally intense struggle for civil rights--particularly the split in families--between those siding with the Black Panthers and those promoting nonviolence.… (more)
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Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor (CurrerBell)

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(Newbery Honor Book; Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction; Coretta Scott King Award; National Book Award Finalist)

ICSLibrarySquad | Apr 26, 2024 |

Newbery Honor Book; Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction; Coretta Scott King Award; National Book Award Finalist

ICSLibrarySquad | Apr 26, 2024 |

This is the first time I've come across a historical fiction about the Black Panthers, and I loved it! Appropriately thoughtful in its subject matter, and the precocious narrator charmed me to no end. A tiny, underappreciated work of art. (

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boopingaround | Mar 6, 2024 |

Great story, especially if you are one of three sisters and enjoy historical fiction! (

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mjphillips | Feb 23, 2024 |

I love a little history lesson in a tween novel. This book is a piece of Oakland history, with a view of the Black Panthers from the perspective of an 11 year old using their summer camp and free meal program. It was also a story of a child trying to understand why the adults in her life make the choices they have, why her mother walked out on her and her sisters, why the culture of Oakland is so different from her Brooklyn home. (

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mslibrarynerd | Jan 13, 2024 |

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▾Other authors

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Author name	Role	Type of author	Work?	Status
Rita Williams-Garcia	—	primary author	all editions	calculated
Johnson, Sisi Aisha	Narrator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed

▾Series and work relationships

Belongs to Series

Gaither Sisters Trilogy (1)

Is contained in

Gaither Sisters Trilogy Collection by Rita Williams-Garcia

Has as a student's study guide

One Crazy Summer - Student Packet by Novel Units, Inc. by Novel Units

▾Awards and Honors

Awards

Audie Award (Finalist – Children's Titles for Ages 8-12 – 2011)

Audie Award (Finalist – Distinguished Achievement in Production – 2011)

Black-Eyed Susan Book Award (Nominee – Grades 6-9 – 2012)

California Young Reader Medal (Nominee – Middle School/Junior High, Grades 6-8 – 2014)

Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award (Nominee – 2013)

Coretta Scott King Award (Winner – Author – 2011)

FOCAL Award (2013)

Georgia Children's Book Award (Finalist – Books Spanning the Grades (4-8) – 2012)

Great Lakes Great Books Award (Honor Book – 6th, 7th & 8th Grade – 2012)

A Horn Book Fanfare Best Book (2010)

Judy Lopez Memorial Award for Children's Literature (Honor Book – 2011)

Massachusetts Children's Book Award (Nominee – 2013)

Maud Hart Lovelace Award (Nominee – Division I - Grades 3-5 – 2014)

Maud Hart Lovelace Award (Nominee – Division II - Grades 6-8 – 2014)

National Book Award (Finalist – Young People's Literature – 2010)

Notable Lists

Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults (Top Ten – 2011)

The Best Children's Books of the Year (Nine to Twelve – 2011)

Booklist Editors' Choice: Books for Youth (2010)

Books From All 50 States (and Washington, D.C.!) (California)

Capitol Choices Noteworthy Book for Children and Teens (2011)

CCBC Choices (2011)

Chicago Public Library Best of the Best: Kids (Fiction for Older Readers – 2010)

El día de los niños / El día de los libros (Addendum – 2013)

El día de los niños / El día de los libros (2012)

El día de los niños / El día de los libros (2014)

Idaho Battle of the Books (Elementary – 2020)

NCTE/CLA Notable Children's Book in the English Language Arts (2011)

Notable Children's Book (2011)

Reading Olympics (Elementary – 2024)

Rise: A Feminist Book Project for Ages 0-18 (Selection – Gr.4-7 – 2011)

School Library Journal Best Book of the Year (2010)

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▾Common Knowledge

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Canonical title

Original title

One Crazy Summer

Alternative titles

Original publication date

People/Characters

Important places

Oakland, California, USA

California, USA

Important events

African-American Civil Rights Movement

Related movies

Epigraph

Dedication

For the late Churne Lloyd, and especially for Maryhana, Kamau, Ife, and Oni

First words

Good thing the plane had seat belts and we'd been strapped in tight before takeoff. Without them, that last jolt would have been enough to throw Vonetta into orbit and Fern across the aisle.

Quotations

"It's just the clouds bumping...We push our way into the clouds; the clouds get mad and push back. Like you and Fern fighting over red and gold crayons."...I kept on spinning straw, making everything all right. That's mainly what I do. Keep Vonetta and Fern in line. The last thing Pa and Big Ma wanted to hear was how we made a grand Negro spectacle of ourselves thirty thousand feet up in the air around all these white people.

Last words

Disambiguation notice

Publisher's editors

Blurbers

Original language

Canonical DDC/MDS

Canonical LCC

▾References

References to this work on external resources.

Wikipedia in English (2)

One Crazy Summer (novel)

Rita Williams-Garcia

▾Book descriptions

In the summer of 1968, after travelling from Brooklyn to Oakland, California, to spend a month with the mother they barely know, eleven-year-old Delphine and her two younger sisters arrive to a cold welcome as they discover that their mother, a dedicated poet and printer, is resentful of the intrusion of their visit and wants them to attend a nearby Black Panther summer camp.

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▾LibraryThing members' description

Book description

In the summer of 1968, after traveling from Brooklyn to Oakland, California, to spend a month with the mother they barely know, eleven-year-old Delphine and her two younger sisters arrive to a cold welcome as they discover that their mother, a dedicated poet and printer, is resentful of the intrusion of their visit and wants them to attend a nearby Black Panther summer camp.

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