BIBLIOGRAPHY Williams-Garcia, Rita. ONE CRAZY SUMMER. New York: HarperCollins Childrens Books, 2010.

ISBN 9780060760885 PLOT SUMMARY During the summer of 1968, Delphine and her two younger sisters, Vonetta and Fern, fly from New York to California to visit their mother, Cecile, who abandoned them when the youngest was just a baby. The girls had high hopes of connecting with their mother as well as visiting Disneyland. Instead they discover that their mother wants nothing to do with them and they are in Oakland, during a tumultuous time in American history. The three girls are sent every morning to the Black Panther summer camp because it provides a free breakfast and every evening they are sent to pick up Chinese take-out dinners. The three sisters learn a lot about the Black Panther movement during their one month visit and become more independent and wiser as individuals. Although all three girls grow and learn throughout the summer, Delphine who has always acted as a mother to her sisters realizes that she can indeed be an eleven year old and enjoy her life. CRITICAL ANALYSIS Delphines character is relatable as an older sibling ensuring that the peace is kept among the younger siblings. I kept on spinning straw, making everything all right. Thats mainly what I do. Keep Vonetta and Fern in line. The last thing Pa and Big Ma wanted to hear was how we made a grand Negro spectacle of ourselves thirty thousand feet up in the air around all these white people. Although Delphine is hyper vigilant about keeping her sisters in line and keeping her own wants at bay, she is after all an eleven year old girl who is like any young girl dealing with the great responsibility that is often placed on an older sibling. Ceciles character is not happy with the girls visit and makes it very apparent with comments like, I didnt send for you. Didnt want you in the first place. Should have gone to Mexico to get rid of you when I had the chance. This sets the tone for the beginning of the story as the girls are on their own for the summer with only minimal interaction with their mother. Throughout the story, Delphines character is established as an intelligent and insightful young girl who learns so much from her grandmother. For example, she explained the Black Panthers to her younger sisters. You know. Like Freidas brotherI made the Black Power sign with my fist. Only Big Ma and I watch the newsSince Pa works all day and is tired at night, Big Ma gives me her opinions while I wash dishesPresident LBJ. Ho Chi Minh in North Vietnam. Martin Luther Kings funeral. Bobby Kennedys funeral. The race riots. The sitins. Elizabeth Taylors next husband. The Black Panthers. Each holds Big Mas interest. The time is 1968, and the girls are in Oakland, the birthplace of the Black Panther movement which had begun just two years earlier (Britannica). Cecile is visited early in the story by Black Panthers and sends the girls to their room without ever providing an explanation for their visit. Delphine does her best to understand the conversation and says, There were words thrown back and forth. Long, unfamiliar words ending in tion, ism, and actic, with more talk about the people thrown in for good measure, like Big Ma throwing a pinch of salt into the cake batter. Delphines character is very savvy and although does not understand the words she does understand the tone behind the words.

The theme of the story is the strong bond between siblings, especially sisters. Delphine sees all and knows how each sister will react to different situations and uses what she knows to diffuse potential problems. Another theme is growing and becoming independent, all three girls become more independent having spent the summer practically on their own. Fern is the youngest and her character clutches her doll at all times in the beginning of the story. By the end, however, Fern expresses an integral incident to the plot and reveals she is not only observant but is now also confident in herself. The authors style of writing is truthful but ONE CRAZY SUMMER is also extremely fun. There are times when the writing is brutally honest and times when she creates stunning imaginative visuals. When the girls are experiencing turbulence on the airplane ride to Oakland the author writes, Those clouds werent through with us yet and dealt another Cassius Clay-left-and-a-right jab to the body of our Boeing 727It was bad enough my insides squeezed in and stretched out like a monkey grinders accordion-no need to let anyone know how frightened I was. REVIEW EXCERPTS Newbery Honor novel Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction Coretta Scott King Award National Book Award Finalist Kirkus Starred Delphine is the pitch-perfect older sister, wise beyond her years, an expert at handling her siblings: Just like I know how to lift my sisters up, I also knew how to needle them just right. Each girl has a distinct response to her motherless state, and Williams-Garcia provides details that make each characterization crystal clear. The depiction of the time is well done, and while the girls are caught up in the difficulties of adults, their resilience is celebrated and energetically told with writing that snaps off the page. School Library Journal Starred Emotionally challenging and beautifully written, this book immerses readers in a time and place and raises difficult questions of cultural and ethnic identity and personal responsibility. With memorable characters (all three girls have engaging, strong voices) and a powerful story, this is a book well worth reading and rereading. CONNECTIONS Gather other Rita Williams-Garcia books to read such as:

P.S. BE ELEVEN. ISBN 9780061938627 LIKE SISTERS ON THE HOMEFRONT. ISBN 9780140385618 EVERYTIME A RAINBOW DIES. ISBN 9780064473033

Use in combination with a lesson on the Civil Rights Movement. Have students research the Black Panthers and present positive and negative aspects of the movement. Have students write about their own life with or without siblings. Use excerpts as an introduction to similes and metaphors.

REFERENCES Black Panther Party, Britannica, accessed April 8, 2014, http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/68134/Black-Panther Party/314483/Impactand-repression