• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • Baby + Toddler (0-2)
  • Pre-K (3-5)
  • Beginning Readers (6-7)
  • Growing Readers (7-9)
  • Tweens (10-12)
Happily Ever Elephants
Happily Ever Elephants

Happily Ever Elephants

The Best Kids Books Found Here!

  • Home
  • Book Lists
  • Winter Books!
  • About
  • Home
  • Baby + Toddler (0-2)
  • Pre-K (3-5)
  • Beginning Readers (6-7)
  • Growing Readers (7-9)
  • Tweens (10-12)
Books by Theme » Award Winners » One Crazy Summer, by Rita Williams Garcia

One Crazy Summer, by Rita Williams Garcia

By Lauren Bercuson ·  Published: Jan 22, 2018 ·  Modified: Sep 11, 2022 ·  This post may contain affiliate links


IMG_8277.jpg

Ever since reading Clayton Byrd Goes Underground, I’ve been on a Rita Williams-Garcia kick. I reread Jumped, a YA novel told from multiple accounts, which I loved, and then I reread One Crazy Summer, since this was the book my fourth and fifth graders tackled for our school book club last month.  Oh my goodness, how I love this book! There’s just something about Williams-Garcia’s storytelling – the way she shows rather than tells, the way she grounds you so firmly in her settings and makes her characters truly leap off the pages.  She is such a brilliant writer, and her work never fails to amaze me.  One Crazy Summer is a multiple award winner for a reason.

In One Crazy Summer, eleven year old Delphine and her two younger sisters travel from Brooklyn all the way to Oakland, California, to meet the mother who abandoned them. The year is 1968, and the fight for racial equality is alive and well. Unfortunately for the sisters, their mother, Cecile, is not at all what they had hoped she would be, showing little interest in her children. Instead of engaging with her daughters, the radical Cecile sends them to a daily summer camp run by the Black Panthers while she spends time shut up in her kitchen, working on a mysterious project.  Over the course of their month in California, the girls learn about the revolution and do their best to stay far away from their mother. And throughout this time, the sisters learn some startling truths about their mother, their culture, and their country.

RELATED: Looking for more tween books? Happily Ever Elephants has you covered!

I absolutely love the way this book explores how pivotal moments in our country’s history can shape and mold the every day lives of its citizens — both with respect to their families and friends, their communities at large, and their education. One Crazy Summer is a fascinating exploration of cultural identity and an important political movement that has so many parallels to our current social and political landscape.  Williams-Garcia incorporates just enough information to give young readers background on the Black Panthers without bogging them down in heady information.  But it is not just the fight of African-Americans to be recognized as respected US citizens that shines here — it is also the fight of these three young girls to be recognized by their mother.  Their struggle looms large throughout the story, and it is handled with grace and glorious writing that simply jumps off the page and begs to be reread. Two trunks up for this fabulous and important read for upper elementary students.

Want the book? Get it here! One Crazy Summer, by Rita Williams-Garcia.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Email

10-12

« Previous PostOn a Magical Do-Nothing Day, by Beatrice Alemagna
Next Post »This is NOT a Valentine, by Carter Higgins

OTHER POSTS YOU MAY LIKE:

  • 10-12

    Clayton Byrd Goes Underground by Rita Williams-Garcia
  • 10-12

    On Summer
  • kids-books-about-summer

    10-12

    The Ultimate List of Kids Books About Summer!

Never Miss a Happily Ever Elephants Newsletter!

Join our community and discover 28 Unforgettable Books to Make Storytime Magical and Meaningful.

Thank you for subscribing!

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Welcome to Happily Ever Elephants!

Lauren

Hi! I’m Lauren. I’m a boy mom, former attorney, current elementary school librarian, and moderator of book clubs for kids around the country. My goal is to make storytime with your children both magical and meaningful. Welcome! LEARN MORE 

AS FEATURED IN

Good Housekeeping

Winter Books!

10+ Valentine’s Day Books for Kids!

The Cutest Children’s Books About Penguins

The Best Lunar New Year Read-Aloud Books!

The Best New Year Read-Alouds

SEE ALL WINTER BOOKS!

Popular Posts

kindergarten-read-alouds

These Kindergarten Read Alouds Will Wow Kids!

The covers of 9 of the best books for 10 year olds.

The Best Books for 10-Year-Olds To Excite Your Kids!

The cover of Gossie with some rubber ducks, a great book for 2 year olds.

The Best Books for 2-Year-Olds Your Reader Will Love!

beginning-reader-books

The Ultimate List of the Best Books for Beginning Readers!

JOIN OUR BOOK CLUB

Browse by Age

BABY + TODDLER (0-2)
PRE-K (3-5)
BEGINNING READER (6-7)
GROWING READER (7-9)
TWEENS (10-12)

before footer form

Don't Miss a Book!

Join our community and discover 28 Unforgettable Books to Make Storytime Magical and Meaningful.

Thank you for subscribing!

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
Make Storytime Magical and Meaningful with these 28 Unforgettable Books! DOWNLOAD

browse by age!

0-23-45+6-77-910-12

Looking to help your child develop their social and emotional skills?

Download our 8 Week Guide!

Suggested Grade Level: Pre-K - 3rd DOWNLOAD NOW

Archives

  • August 2023
  • July 2023
  • April 2023
  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • October 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016

Categories

  • 0-2
  • 10-12
  • 3-4
  • 5+
  • 6-7
  • 7-9
  • All Book Lists
  • Animals
  • Anti-Bullying
  • Award Winners
  • Back to School
  • Bedtime
  • Black Children's Books
  • Combat Bias
  • Concept Books
  • Confidence
  • Diversity
  • Emotions
  • Empathy
  • Fall Books
  • Family
  • Featured Books by Age
  • Featured Books by Theme
  • Featured Children's Book Reviews
  • Friendship
  • Funny
  • Growth Mindset
  • Halloween
  • Holidays
  • Imagination
  • Interactive
  • Jewish Books
  • LGBQT
  • Life Skills
  • Life Transitions
  • Non Fiction
  • Own Voices
  • Playing Preschool Book Lists
  • Popular Posts
  • Raising Readers
  • Social Justice
  • Special Interests & Hobbies
  • Spring Books
  • STEM
  • Summer Books
  • Thanksgiving
  • Uncategorized
  • Winter books
  • Winter Holidays
  • Wordless

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Join 70k+ Instagram Followers

Find even more great book recommendations with the @happily.ever.elephants Instagram community!
Join more than 70k+ parents for more tips, recommendations and reviews.

Footer

Don’t miss a single book.

Join our community and discover 28 Unforgettable Books to Make Storytime Magical and Meaningful.

Thank you for subscribing!

Buy the Books

The best virtual book clubs for kids. Why read alone when we can read together?

JOIN NOW!
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Copyright © 2025 ·  Happily Ever Elephants LLC ·  Review Policies & Disclosures ·  Accessibility ·  SITE CREDITS

0 shares