Kristin Raper Ed 224 Annotation- Historical Fiction One Crazy Summer By Rita Williams-Garcia 2010 Amistad/ Harper Collins

Historical Fiction Characteristic of Difference Ethnicity 281 pages Summary: Told from the viewpoint of 11 year old Delphine, as she and her two younger sisters travel from their home in Brooklyn, New York, to Oakland California, to spend the summer with the mother that abandoned them years before. It is the summer of 1968, at the height of the Black Panther movement, and their mother is resentful of the intrusion that the visit causes in her life. It is a summer of clashes between mother and daughters, cultures, politics, and emotions. Personal Response: There is a very strong feeling of family, and what it means to be a family in this book. I easily made several connections to my own life. I am the step-mother of three daughters, and have watched them struggle with the wounds of divorce and abandonment. As the older child in my own family, I could easily relate to the expectation of having to step in and be responsible beyond my years, when my own parents divorced. Having traveled to San Francisco several times, I could connect to the feeling of culture shock when the girls were walking through China Town. I also am passionate about my politics, I could easily relate to the feeling of injustice and being on the wrong side of the establishment, even though I am white and have lived my entire life in Iowa.

Strengths / Weaknesses: S: This story is a mixture of humor, strong emotions, and life lessons. It examines a very volatile period in our countrys history and combines that with the emotions of young daughters who want answers from their mother. The story provides some information about a cultural movement that many students may not be knowledgeable about. Students should easily understand the family dynamics of divorce and surviving the aftermath, told from an 11 year olds point of view. This book won several awards including: 2011 Coretta Scott King Award 2011 Scott ODell Award for Historical Fiction 2011 Newbery Honor Award 2010 Nation Book Award Finalist

W: The book is well written. Some students may have trouble with the dialect and even the racial themes of this book. The book has a few messages that may not sit well with some parents, but that is just why students should read this book, to educate and break down stigmas. How this book might be used: This book could be used as a read aloud for grades 3-6. I think this age group could relate to the stresses of growing up in a fractured family. This book might test the concrete thinking of this age group, sometimes, things are not as they seem; friends, what it means to be family, and cultures. For older students grades 5-8, this book could be used as a small group reading or independent reading. The social issues of the book would make for good connections. This age group would also connect with Delphines responsibilities towards her siblings. Also the message from Big Ma, dont make a negro spectacle could really resonate with this age group that is very self conscious of themselves at this point in their life.

Other books I read/ considered for this genre: To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee The Help, by Kathryn Stockett Caddie Woodlawn, by Carol Ryrie Brink Wolves of Willoughby Chase, by Joan Aiken Esperanza Rising, by Pam Munoz Ryan