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4.15 AVERAGE
4.15 AVERAGE
this series was so good and I'm genuinely going to miss it. I literally loved the characters so much (old & new), and I'm just so sad because I now have to say goodbye to this series. I can always reread it, yeah, but it's something about reading a book for the first time and falling in love with it. And that's how it was for me in this book. I had read the first two like a year ago, and then reread them so I could basically be caught up. But this was my favorite book out of the series. I love this series so much and I'm gonna miss it..alot
http://pussreboots.pair.com/blog/2016/comments_09/gone_crazy_in_alabama.html
Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern travel down south to Alabama to visit their grandmother, uncle, great-grandmother, great-aunt, and cousin, learning about the twisty-turny family tree, including family members who were white, runaway slaves, freed slaves, and Creek Indians. The sisters push against family-imposed boundaries as they try to express their independence from each other while still remaining a tight family unit. Characters from past books including the girls' mother, father, and stepmother also appear, and many subtle and not-so-subtle references to the segregation still present in 1969 South culturally will likely lead readers to want to learn more about the civil rights era as well as the history leading up to it.
Aw man...this series can't be over! What a sweet, sweet trilogy.
It started out pretty slowly and I was feeling a bit aimless. But then it heated up and a tornado shook everything up and illuminated Williams-Garcia's main theme--family, love, what's most important. Great characters, great humor and amazing conflict and resolution. With the 3rd book, these are real people to me, not just characters. I've felt that in each book but this one really ended the series well (I think the author says this is the last one.)
If you like family stories, humor, people encountering cultural change (takes place in 1969 when Apollo 11 lands on the moon) and just plain old good writing, this one's for you. Recommended for ages 11 and older.
If you like family stories, humor, people encountering cultural change (takes place in 1969 when Apollo 11 lands on the moon) and just plain old good writing, this one's for you. Recommended for ages 11 and older.
CW: Racism, grief, KKK, animal death (farm life)
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-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:
Complicated
The cover got my attention 1st, then the promise of the story set in Alabama grabbed more of my attention. I was hooked in the beginning. I remember as a kid taking those long trips on greyhound from Brooklyn to South Carolina in the summer. So many memories. That quickly changed. I really have to learn how to DNF a book. I wanted to like this book because my family is from the south and I like reading stories when the setting is in the south. But, you have to read through lots of history and constant bickering between the two sisters to get to the real plot of the story. More than halfway and still there is no plot. Maybe if I read the other two books in the series 1st, this book would've been better. But I don't know.
A fitting end to a trilogy I've really enjoyed. I'll miss the Gaither sisters but can't wait to discuss these books with my kiddo when he's old enough to read them. Rita Williams-Garcia is a master of middle grade historicals.
Rita Williams-Garcia takes the Gaither sisters and puts them in another unfamiliar setting--Alabama, with grandmas, great-grandmas, cousins, chickens and the Klan. This is not a plot heavy book--it's all about Delphine growing up, learning about her family, learning how to love her sisters even when they make her crazy. If you love the Gaither sisters, or family stories, this book is for you.