Reviews

One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia

allicatca's review

5.0

What an incredibly well-written, insightful, and impactful book. My children are only 6- and 8-years-old but I will make sure they read this when they are teenagers.

scribeitphilly's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

“I’m here for lunch. Not the revolution!”
~Vonetta

In this story you meet Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern. Three sisters that are on their way to spend the summer with their mom. Cecile, their mother, left when Delphine was younger, and Vonetta and Fern where to young to remember her.
The girls thought they were going to get to their mom and have this fantastic summer that they had been fantasizing about. Cecile squashed all of that on day one. Instead they learned about black history, the Black Panthers, who their mom really was, and how to survive away from the family they knew.

This is a great buddy read for you and a child. I really enjoyed Delphine and her sisters, and although their mom wasn’t much to be desired you get her story. It doesn’t justify her behavior, but you did get to understand her.
It’s a great conversation starter. 

Title: One Crazy Summer
Author: Rita Williams-Garcia
Genre: YA Lit
Pages: 218
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

vtsarahd's review

4.0

Memorable characterizations - loved the portrayal of the sister relationships in this book! Delphine is a strong character that can serve as an interesting discussion point for many young readers.

tcbbroadway22's review

adventurous medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

cdace8's review

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

I absolutely loved this book! These sisters were so much fun to follow for the month they were with their mom.

I also loved seeing the community side of the Black Panthers as I think in so many history texts that is missing and many people don't know about the wide spread community work that they did.

It also showed how they used their youth to recruit and "help" the cause, which is a practice still used today by all kinds of organizations....this is a practice I am not generally a fan of but is widely accepted in the US even today.

For middle grade book it did a good job of showing the culture at that time in that neighborhood. So it did leave most if out the darker side of the Black Panthers in order to keep it age appropriate

bookandateacup's review

emotional funny hopeful fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

abaugher's review

5.0

beautiful story, beautiful girls. I want more of this. PS Be Eleven, here I come!

gmamartha's review

4.0

Historical fiction. Oakland, California in 1968. I got into this one and kept reading til the end. Related to the characters.

roseleaf24's review

4.0

I loved the way Williams-Garcia was able to convey so much about the times and the environment without ever losing the voice of Delphine or slipping into exposition. This was an engaging story, very accessible for middle grade readers, but full of life and interest for the rest of us, too.

vegprincess's review against another edition

5.0

This is one of those "one more chapter and then I'l...(clean the kitchen, throw some clothes in the washer, take a shower, etc...)" kind of books. I loved it. I think Rita Williams-Garcia is a fantastic writer and she derserves all the awards and honors she got for this book. This is the first book of hers book I've read but it won't be the last. The story is fascinating (3 girls travel to California during the summer of 1968 to stay with the mother who abandoned them years before) and the setting is atmospheric. I loved reading about the Black Panthers, and even hearing the names of TV shows brought back memories of my childhood (I had just turned 4 during the summer of 1968). All three girls are delightful but the oldest, Delphine, is especially strong, smart, sassy and funny. Her maturity and her relationship with her younger sisters is inspiring. I highly recommend this book to readers of all ages.