One Crazy Summer

Eleven-year-old Delphine has it together. Even though her mother, Cecile, abandoned her and her younger sisters, Vonetta and Fern, seven years ago. Even though her father and Big Ma will send them from Brooklyn to Oakland, California, to stay with Cecile for the summer. And even though Delphine will have to take care of her sisters, as usual, and learn the truth about the missing pieces of the past. When the girls arrive in Oakland in the summer of 1968, Cecile wants nothing to do with them. She makes them eat Chinese takeout dinners, forbids them to enter her kitchen, and never explains the strange visitors with Afros and black berets who knock on her door. Rather than spend time with them, Cecile sends Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern to a summer camp sponsored by a revolutionary group, the Black Panthers, where the girls get a radical new education.
Set during one of the most tumultuous years in recent American history, one crazy summer is the heartbreaking, funny tale of three girls in search of the mother who abandoned them - an unforgettable story told by a distinguished author of books for children and teens, Rita Williams-Garcia. Winner of the 2011 Coretta Scott King Author Book Award 2011 Newbery Honor Book

This book follows the story of three sisters who went to Oakland, California to visit their mother who left them seven years ago. Instead of experiencing the fun summer, they had anticipated, their mother sent them to a camp run by the Black Panther. Through this unexpected experience, they were able to gain a deeper understanding of who they are, their origins, and growing closer together as a family. This would be a great book to introduce students to the Civil Rights movement and learning more about the Black Panthers. IT would also be a great book to better understand the struggles African Americans had to face and still face today. This would be a great read for those in upper elementary to early middle school. ( )

I really enjoyed this book. I thought it spoke volumes in numerous situations that are super prevalent and can be applied today. This is a story about sisters who spend a summer with. and learning about, the Black Panther Party. They have some serious conversations about the systemic problems in America and even touch on what the children's roles are in this problem. There are several good themes in this book, but one that really stood out to me was the power of a name. This is an excellent book to reference when speaking about the importance of one's true identity and one's place in the world. I believe that this is a story that belongs in the classroom, but for older students who are able to grasp large-scale problems. I felt like the purpose of this book is to explain this history and these problems to younger children, but depending on the child it still might be too much. This is definitely a book that I plan on bringing into the classroom, but only in my classes for older students who can handle it.

I wasn't wowed by it, but I'm glad to have read it and will plan on reading the other two in the series. ( )