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One Crazy Summer

A Newbery Honor Award Winner
By Rita Williams-Garcia
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Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
In 1968, eleven-year-old Delphine and her two younger sisters, Vonetta and Fern, travel from Brooklyn to Oakland, California, to spend the summer with their estranged mother, Cecile. Expecting a warm reunion, they instead find Cecile distant and send them to a Black Panther-run day camp. Throughout this summer, the sisters discover more about their family, their history, and themselves during a turbulent and transformative time in America.
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Format: Paperback / softback
$3700

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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

Ideal for middle-grade readers and young teens, this award-winning historical novel appeals to those interested in family dynamics, social justice, and civil rights history. Fans of Christopher Paul Curtis and Jacqueline Woodson will find this a meaningful and engaging read.

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"One Crazy Summer" tells the story of three girls who go to Oakland, California, to meet their estranged mother and become involved in the civil rights movement in the late 1960s.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

In this Newbery Honor novel, New York Times bestselling author Rita Williams-Garcia tells the story of three sisters who travel to Oakland, California, in 1968 to meet the mother who abandoned them. A strong option for summer reading—take this book along on a family road trip or enjoy it at home.

This moving, funny novel won the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction and the Coretta Scott King Award and was a National Book Award Finalist. Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern's story continues in P.S. Be Eleven and Gone Crazy in Alabama.

Readers who enjoy Christopher Paul Curtis's The Watsons Go to Birmingham and Jacqueline Woodson’s Brown Girl Dreaming will find much to love in One Crazy Summer. Rita Williams-Garcia's books about Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern can also be read alongside nonfiction explorations of American history such as Jason Reynolds's and Ibram X. Kendi's books.

In One Crazy Summer, eleven-year-old Delphine is like a mother to her two younger sisters, Vonetta and Fern. She's had to be, ever since their mother, Cecile, left them seven years ago for a radical new life in California. But when the sisters arrive from Brooklyn to spend the summer with their mother, Cecile is nothing like they imagined.

While the girls hope to go to Disneyland and meet Tinker Bell, their mother sends them to a day camp run by the Black Panthers. Unexpectedly, Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern learn much about their family, their country, and themselves during one truly crazy summer.

This novel was the first featured title for Marley D’s Reading Party, launched after the success of #1000BlackGirlBooks. Maria Russo, in a New York Times list of "great kids' books with diverse characters," called it "witty and original."

"This vibrant and moving award-winning novel has heart to spare," commented Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich in her Brightly article "Knowing Our History to Build a Brighter Future: Books to Help Kids Understand the Fight for Racial Equality."

Rita Williams-Garcia is one of the preeminent authors of our time. She has been honoured with the Children's Literature Lecture Award from the American Library Association.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Kirkus Reviews praises Delphine as a "pitch-perfect older sister" with resilient, energetic storytelling. Booklist highlights the strong, memorable voices of the sisters and their poignant relationship with their mother. Horn Book lauds the vivid setting and characters, urging readers to follow the sisters' story beyond this book. School Library Journal calls it emotionally challenging and beautifully written, raising important questions of identity and responsibility. The novel has received starred reviews for its compelling narrative and character depth.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780060760908

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Inc

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 05 January 2012

Country: United States

Imprint: Quill Tree Books

Audience: Children

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 12.0mm

Width: 130.0mm

Height: 194.0mm

Weight: 156g

Pages: 240

Collections

Children's Books Children's Fiction Children’s, Teenage and Educational Rita Williams-Garcia Young Adult

About the Author

Rita Williams-Garcia’s Newbery Honor-winning novel, One Crazy Summer, was a winner of the Coretta Scott King Author Award, a National Book Award finalist, the recipient of the Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction, and a New York Times bestseller. The sequel, P.S. Be Eleven was also a Coretta Scott King Author Award winner and an ALA Notable Children’s Book for Middle Readers.

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