One Crazy Summer

One Crazy Summer was written by Rita Williams-Garcia and won the Coretta Scott King award.

Williams-Garcia, R. (2010). One Crazy Summer. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers, Inc

Exposition:

Set in the summer of 1968,  Delphine, Fern, and Vonetta are sent to Oakland, CA to stay with their mother (Cecile); the same mother that deserted them years ago.

Conflict:

Cecile wants nothing to do with the girls and sends them to a Black Panther summer camp.

Rising Action:

The girls learn about the Panthers, participate in the education provided and contribute to the movement in small ways.

Climax:

Their mother is arrested and neighbors take the girls under their wing.

Falling Action:

The girls participate in a rally right before going home and Fern discovers and reveals a snitch in the organization.

Resolution:

It is time for the girls to head home and they realize that Cecile is not such a horrible person, just not cut out to be a good mother.

Literary Qualities:

Full of unexpected insights, One Crazy Summer is a great read! The girls learn things beyond their years like coming to the realizations that not all adults are “grown up” and their mother isn’t so bad, just not cut out to be a mother.