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One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia has been talked about since last fall when advanced reading copies were being passed around through libraries. Many think this is next years Newbery. What do you think?

I just called my library and put in a request to purchase and am #1 on the list (I live in a small town) -- we'll just see how long it takes to get here.

Cant wait to read this one!

Just finished it! Delphine is such a great character- she makes the book!

I read it earlier this year and loved it! I think Delphine is a great character too, one of my recent favorites. Once you read the book, check out Betsy Bird's interview with Rita Williams-Garcia:

The first time I read it I was conflicted about the character of the mother. That aside, I think it is a great snapshot of the period; the evolving consciousness about civil rights; and, the sisters are great chatacters!

Brenda wrote: "I read it earlier this year and loved it! I think Delphine is a great character too, one of my recent favorites. Once you read the book, check out Betsy Bird's interview with Rita Williams-Garcia:..."

Thank you for posting this. That's great. It's always fun to get a little insight from the authors.

I loved everything about this book. I think it is a contender, but Countdown by Deborah Wiles and Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper are also strong competitors.

I'm excited to read both of those- especially Countdown- I love anything by Deborah Wiles. I still really love Leaving Gee's Bend- I think Ludelphia is an outstanding central character, just like Delphine. In fact, they are very similar- they could be friends in another time!

I just finished One Crazy Summer. I have mixed emotions about the mother. Delphine is a wonderful character, strong and determined. I like Ludelphia from Leaving Gee's Bend too. They both have a strong sense of family.

I enjoyed this but was not blown away.

I read One Crazy Summer and really liked it -- and historical fiction is my LEAST favorite genre. Think the kids would enjoy reading it as well. Loved Delphine and all the female characters. Each one (mother, grandmother, and sisters) brought their own special something to the story. Definitely on my list of contenders.

I'm a big fan of this one - it lived up to the hype and the characters and story have stuck with me.

I'm curious - those of you who had mixed feelings about the mother - was it that you didn't like her as a character, or you didn't find her believable as a character? That she wasn't well-written, or weakened the book in some way, or that her neglectfulness bothered you as an adult reader? I didn't always like her, but she always seemed real to me.

I didn't like her neglect of the kids, but she seemed to have a grudging respect for Delphine. In the end she accepted them when she heard them recite her poem. All they wanted was a hug. The book demonstrated how easy it is to sway children. I found it disturbing in many ways,as one who lived through that time as a teebager.

The story is still swirling in my mind. A hard story to love but I did just that. Having lived through that period in history, I was brought abruptly back. I felt empathy for all the characters including Celeste. It was true heartbreak for me.

I found some inconsistency in character. (trying to avoid "spoilers" here ... ) Knowing more about the mother's early life (near the end of the book), I question how she can blithely put Delphine in the same position even though I can understand why she left the her husband to pursue her art.

There are more mother's like Celeste out there than you realize. Working in a fairly large urban library, I have met some. To me, Rita describes Celeste perfectly. If she had changed the ending, the character would not have appeared so real, and the book would not have been as powerful as it is. Is is a testament to Rita's writing that so many of us are uncomfortable with the character she has created.

Can it take the Newbery? Talk to me about it being "distinguished". I enjoyed it and the story but I didn't get anything new here....

I enjoyed One Crazy Summer more than I expected. Although I expected it to be well written and interesting, I didn't expect to like the characters as much as I did. Delphine is truly extraordinary and she adds so much to the story. What I really loved was the juxtaposition between the girls' home life with their Southern grandmother and father in Brooklyn and their traditional views with their avant-garde, poet/printer mother. That tension was rich and provides tremendous depth to the book.

Pam wrote: "I enjoyed One Crazy Summer more than I expected. Although I expected it to be well written and interesting, I didn't expect to like the characters as much as I did. Delphine is truly extraordinary..."

Big Ma (was that Grandma's name?) and the contrast of Celeste was so interesting. I loved it every time Delphine would compare them. A nice touch to the story.

Hi! I'm a middle-school reading/language arts teacher, so I read a lot of juvenile and YA fiction, but this is my first post to your group. I have read all of your comments and am happy to share my thoughts.

First off, though, I am noticing that your posts refer to Delphine's mother as Celeste. My copy calls her Cecile, but I read an advance copy of the book, so I'm curious whether her name was changed later.

I liked the book, but I expect to appreciate other books that are released later this year even more. I agree with those of you who commented that Cecile's utter lack of mothering instincts is astounding, but that made me like the book more. Although she, by the end of the book, is able to share her own story with Delphine and hug the girls at the airport, she did not undergo a complete transformation. I liked this more modest growth in her character because it was more realistic. In my experience, people only change in small increments, so a more significant change would not have been believable.

The light, amusing tone is sure to make this book a favorite of fifth- and sixth-grade girls who enjoy realistic fiction with a historical setting. The subject matter is fresh and thought-provoking. I can see why some adult readers are recommending this book for this year's Newbery, but I liked last year's The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate -- and several others -- a lot more.

I was intrigued by One Crazy Summer. It illuminates the Black Panther experience which no other book for children has done. Though I lived, very sheltered, through this time, I had a hard time identifying with the characters and setting, but learned from it. I do think it seemed very realistic (though I sure worried about those three little girls on their own in San Francisco!) I also am glad that Cecile opened up, but just a bit. It lends hope, but is realistic. I'm glad to have a book with interesting African-American main characters. I can see this as an honor, but not a Newbery. My favorites so far are Out of My Mind (Sharon Draper) and The Mysterious Howling (Maryrose Wood).

One Crazy Summer: I really liked the family dynamics of the three sisters as they tried to co-exist and connect with their mother. Delphine seems a bit too mature for her age at times but is a memorable character as are most of the major characters in the book. Cecile/Nzila is certainly a unique mother in children's lit and I liked the way Williams-Garcia gave her depth and portrayed her as someone who has been through a lot and tried to do her best and stay true to her beliefs. Cecile/Nzila does lay out much of her life rather neatly at the end of the book after resisting giving up details to her children for much of the book. It will be interesting to see how kids react to Cecile's mothering skills (or lack thereof). The Black Panther portrayal was interesting focusing on their good works: daily breakfasts & Summer camps. I loved much of the dialog including phrases like Casius Clay clouds, Mean Lady Ming, & Stores of the Nay Sayers. Newbery Honor (and other awards) would be my guess at the moment.

I agree with those that see it as an honor rather that a medal winner. If you enjoyed it, you may want to read last year's The Rock and The River by Kekla Magoon. It also tells a story of the Black Panther's movement, taking place in Chicago during the year that Dr. King was assassinated. It won last year's Coretta Scott King-John Steptoe Award. It is for older children and has a more somber tone. It was a very moving read!
I can't wait to see what you all think of "Countdown" by Deborah Wiles. It is my current favorite, although "Mirror Mirror", by Marilyn Singer is also worth considering for possibly creating a new poetry form!

Phyllis wrote: "I agree with those that see it as an honor rather that a medal winner. If you enjoyed it, you may want to read last year's The Rock and The River by Kekla Magoon. I loved Loved Loved The Rock and The River and that's the first thing I thought after I finished One Crazy Summer.

Like David, I also felt that some of Delphine's dialogue read as "adult". Here's a review I wrote earlier in June:

Loved this book! It's definitely one of the best I've read this year so far. However, I haven't read many on the above list so I have a lot of catching up to do.

Part of what I loved about the book was Delphine's dry observational sense of humor. I didn't find her voice too adult. She had to be the adult in her family's life anyways, so it made sense to me to have her think and talk that way.

I especially loved the sense of period. That was my time in college and I was very aware and involved in the political movements of the period. It rang true to me. So...it was a good reminder of how change can come about, too, through activism.

Barbara wrote: "Loved this book! It's definitely one of the best I've read this year so far. However, I haven't read many on the above list so I have a lot of catching up to do.

Part of what I loved about the b..."

I totally agree with you about Delphine acting as the adult, thus her adult voice. I think many of us have come into contact w/ kids in that circumstance, perhaps as educators. I thought her voice really rang true.

I really appriciated the depiction of the main character's (Delphine) struggle with being abandoned by her own mother and her fixation on words, their meaning and use is central to the story. She ponders expressions as strings of words spoken so often but weighing heavy on a child's imagination, she analyzes word usage in power struggles:

"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... They weren't just talking. The three Black Panthers were rapping. Laying it down. Telling it like it is, like talking was their weapon. Their words versus her words. Hers falling, theirs rising." (p. 46)

Delphine has an interesting relationship with Merriam Webster, trusting “her� authority but challenging it at times as well. Couldn't help myself giggle when Delphine analyzes her demands to her own estranged mother Cecile, defining her as the Establishment. Hirohito finds an interesting place in the story alongside the majority of female characters. This story works very well as a summer tale, a summer gone too quickly but memorable.