Bibliography
Garcia, Rita. 2010. One Crazy Summer. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers. ISBN 9780060760908.
Plot Summary
Delphine and her two younger sisters’ (Fern and Vonetta) lives changed forever when they are sent to live with their mother, Cecile, after she abandoned them at a young age. Delphine took responsibility of her younger sisters and looked over them while their mother spent countless hours on her own in her kitchen working on her poetry. The girls learned about the Black Panthers and how important their mother is to this infamous group, all while trying to maintain a living in Oakland, California.
Critical Analysis
The novel is a good historical fiction novel for young readers, as the time period is portrayed through elaborate events and experiences of the Black Panther movement, such as the summer camp and the rallies. There are also a few political references of that time, such as Delphine wondering if the sign “Remember Little Bobby” had been alluding to Bobby Kennedy and his death.
As The Black Panther movement was a unique aspect of the 60s, the readers may find it difficult to connect and relate to the experiences in the story. However, the readers can learn about a historical movement because of the frank indications and experiences of the Black Panther movement in this book.
Also, while children may not necessarily relate to the experiences of the Black Panther movement, they can still connect with the characters; this can be seen through the sense of adolescence portrayed. When Vonetta makes friends at the summer camp, she and her group try to play the dominant crew at the camp. Readers can easily relate to this, as jealousy and competition with groups of friends can be a sign of grade-school drama. Another important aspect of the camp that young readers can relate to is the love interest that the girls have with a young boy at the camp.
Review Excerpt(s)
Plot Summary
Delphine and her two younger sisters’ (Fern and Vonetta) lives changed forever when they are sent to live with their mother, Cecile, after she abandoned them at a young age. Delphine took responsibility of her younger sisters and looked over them while their mother spent countless hours on her own in her kitchen working on her poetry. The girls learned about the Black Panthers and how important their mother is to this infamous group, all while trying to maintain a living in Oakland, California.
Critical Analysis
The novel is a good historical fiction novel for young readers, as the time period is portrayed through elaborate events and experiences of the Black Panther movement, such as the summer camp and the rallies. There are also a few political references of that time, such as Delphine wondering if the sign “Remember Little Bobby” had been alluding to Bobby Kennedy and his death.
As The Black Panther movement was a unique aspect of the 60s, the readers may find it difficult to connect and relate to the experiences in the story. However, the readers can learn about a historical movement because of the frank indications and experiences of the Black Panther movement in this book.
Also, while children may not necessarily relate to the experiences of the Black Panther movement, they can still connect with the characters; this can be seen through the sense of adolescence portrayed. When Vonetta makes friends at the summer camp, she and her group try to play the dominant crew at the camp. Readers can easily relate to this, as jealousy and competition with groups of friends can be a sign of grade-school drama. Another important aspect of the camp that young readers can relate to is the love interest that the girls have with a young boy at the camp.
Review Excerpt(s)
- 2011 Newbery Honor Book
- 2011 Scott O’Dell Award Winner for Historical Fiction
- 2011 Author Award Winner
- 2010 National Book Award Finalist
- Publisher’s Weekly: Delphine’s growing awareness of injustice on a personal and universal level is smoothly woven into the story in poetic language that will stimulate and move readers (January 4, 2010).
Connections
- Students can dive more into the Black Panther movement and this book can be used in a social studies or reading classroom to discuss this topic.
- Students can do a writing assignment on a time they had to take care of/ take responsibility for younger siblings/ young children on their own.
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