One Crazy Summer

Goodreads Review:
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.

In a humorous and breakout book by Williams-Garcia, the Penderwicks meet the Black Panthers.

An interesting look at Oakland in the sixties. I loved Delphine and her sisters, growing into being Black and proud, exploring a new world. Good strong characters, a touch of mystery, and a great learning experience for me. Lovely story. I look forward to finding more stories of these girls. ( )

Deftly written story of the 3 Gaither sisters, Delphine, Vonetta and Fern, as they travel to Oakland to meet their mother in a time of revolution and unrest. It's a powerful examination of love and abandonment, a moving portrait of a city and a people in the midst of fury over civil rights, and, oh yeah, also a really engaging children's book that's full of funny characters who have a lot of heart.

It's only a little bit depressing to see how far we haven't come. I was delighted to discover that Cecile is printing on a letterpress in her kitchen -- she who has the press makes the news. ( )

This book introduced a very interesting world of how three black girls interacted with their Black Panther summer camp in the 1960s. They were introduced to Black Panthers by their estranged mother, who cared more about her poems than her family. The main character, 11-year-old Delphine, learned to like and respect her mother as well as support the values of Black Panther. The author depicted a vivid picture of the community, interspersed with unique, lifelike characters. I got very invested in knowing about the girls' mother, what kind of a person she was, why did she desert her girls...etc. She is an unsympathetic character, but also a very interesting one. ( )

3.5stars. ( )