One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia

BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Williams-Garcia, Rita. c2010. ONE CRAZY SUMMER. New York: Amistad. ISBN 9780060760892

SUMMARY:
This book is about Delphine, an eleven year old and her two sisters, Vonetta and Fern. The girls live with their father and grandmother in Brooklyn. In the summer of 1968, they find themselves traveling to Oakland, Califronia to spend part of their summer with their mother against their wishes. As the girls try to get to know their mother and why she abandoned them, they find out quickly that their mother did not really want them. She sends them to a Black Panther Day Camp to keep them out of her way. Cecile, the mother, works with the Black Panthers and through Delphine we learn aboutthe Black Panther movement of the 1960's and 1970's.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS:
Rita Williams-Garcia writes this story that tells of the revolutionary movement in California in the late 1960's. It is told from the perspective of 3 black teenage girls. The story is powerful and the characters believable. Readers will love the girls and gain insight into this period of history from a different point of view. The story will leave you with a good feeling inside yet also give you a better understanding and give you things to think about. The time and place are well defined and the characters are strong. It is an insightful look into a segment of American History that is seldom explored.

AWARDS/EXCERPTS:
CORRETA SCOTT KING AWARD, 2011 Winner Author United States
JOHN NEWBERRY MEDAL, 2011, Honor Book United States
SCOTT O'DELL AWARD FOR HISTORICAL FICTION, 2011 Winner United States
*KIRKUS Starred Review - "The depiction of time is well done, and while the girls are caught up in the difficulties of adults, their resilience is celebrated and energectically told with writing that snaps off the page."
* VOYA - "The historical details sprinkled throughout the book do not seem forced; rather, they lend authenticity to the settings, and the protrayal of the Black Panthers breaks with the harsher stereotypes."

CONNECTIONS:
*Discussion about being a homeless teenager. What do you think it would be like to be homeless? What do you think the challenges would be both away from school and at school?
* What did you learn about the Black Panther movement? Research articles written about Black Panthers.