Title: One Crazy Summer
Author: Rita Williams-Garcia
Series: Gaither Sisters trilogy, book 1
Major Themes: Civil Rights Movement, California
Synopsis: When Delphine and her sisters went to California in 1968 to spend time with the mother who abandoned them seven years ago, they found themselves in the middle of the Black Panther activists.
A few months ago, my 10-year-old picked up One Crazy Summer, which has been on our shelf, unread, for several years. She started reading it, and when I asked her how it was, she said she didn’t know. She said it was “really different.” I asked her if she thought I should read it before she did, and she wanted me to, so I put it on my TBR pile. It may have languished there for a long time if I hadn’t done a particular reading challenge for two months. One of the prompts was “A book that is mentioned in another book.” I hadn’t come up with a book for that description, since I wanted to use only books that were already on my TBR pile for this challenge. I was listening to an audiobook one day, though, and several books were mentioned as being ones that the main character read—and one of those books was One Crazy Summer! Well, that mention bumped this book up to the top of my list.
Publisher’s description:
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 Oakland, California. But when the sisters arrive from Brooklyn to spend the summer of 1968 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.
My thoughts:
I would say my daughter is correct: One Crazy Summer is, indeed, “really different.” Until I reached the last chapter, I had no idea if I would recommend this book or not. It deals with some hard topics. Why would a mother leave her three little children? What did the Black Panthers stand for? Why were Black people being arrested?
One Crazy Summer is the story of a pivotal year in American history, when the Black community was trying to win equality in the United States. The three Gaither sisters found a completely different way of life in California, and didn’t know what to make of it—but they learned a lot about getting along with people. They also learned a lot more about their mother and what a family is.
This book is a powerful exploration of family and friendship. It is a great way to introduce children to the Civil Rights Movement and the events of the late 1960s in America. It would be best read aloud, though, so that the hard topics can be discussed together.
WARNING: Several times, there are mentions of people being arrested, and police violence is alluded to a few times.
Age levels:
Listening Level—Ages 10 – 12
Reading Independently—Ages 12 – 15
Links to buy this book:
Amazon: Paperback | Kindle | Hardcover | Audible Audiobook (unabridged)
AbeBooks: View Choices on AbeBooks.com
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