One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia

However, it still was paced well with an interesting plot. Plot/Pacing: Overall, this was a very character-driven story. “That was how I knew Sister Mukumbo was a real teacher, aside from her welcoming smile and her blackboard penmanship. I would be curious to see how she continues to grow throughout the series. I also loved how the oldest daughter, Delphine, developed and became more confident as the story went on. Someone that inherently selfish would need a lot more time for more significant growth in that area. However, as hard as it was to see that she still didn’t really discover any maternal instincts (you desperately want her to for the sake of her children), it seems more realistic that this change would occur slowly and subtly. By the end, her perspective definitely shifts, but she still won’t be winning any awards for mother of the year. She abandons her children and doesn’t seem to even see them as real people. The mother in this story is difficult to read about. Most of the growth that occurs is subtle, though I’m sure more growth will occur throughout this series. To discover eyes upon you when you expected no one to notice you at all.”Ĭharacter Development: I thought the character development in this story was powerful and realistic. Your name is who you are and how you’re known even when you do something great or something dumb.” The very mention of your name makes a picture spring to mind, whether it’s a picture of clashing fists or a mighty mountain that can’t be knocked down. It isn’t something you drop in the litter basket or on the ground.

In a humorous and breakout book by Williams-Garcia, the Penderwicks meet the Black Panthers. In the summer of 1968, after travelling from Brooklyn to Oakland, California, to spend a month with the mother they barely know, eleven-year-old Delphine and her two younger sisters arrive to a cold welcome as they discover that their mother, a dedicated poet and printer, is resentful of the intrusion of their visit and wants them to attend a nearby Black Panther summer camp.

One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia