ONE CRAZY SUMMER by Rita Williams-Garcia

1.      BIBLIOGRAPHY

Williams-Garcia, Rita.  2010.  ONE CRAZY SUMMER.  New York, NY:  HarperCollins Publishers.  ISBN 9780060760885

   2.  PLOT SUMMARY

Seven years ago, Delphine and her two younger sisters,Vonetta and Fern, were abandoned by their mother, Cecile.  Even though their mother abandoned them, their father believes it is time for them to visit their mother in California. The three sisters spend the summer with their mother, Cecile.  When the girls arrive in California, Cecile makes it clear that she really does not want them there and is not affectionate toward the girls.  Cecile has them go to the People’s Center run by the Black Panthers and tells them to stay away from the house as long as possible every day.  At the People’s Center, the girls eat breakfast and attend the special program for children.  Throughout the “crazy summer,” Delphine, Vonetta and Fern learn about the civil rights movement and Cecile begins to open up her heart to her children


3.      CRITICAL ANALYSIS
ONE CRAZY SUMMER is written from a child’s view point.  As the story progresses, you see how the girls' perceptions of civil rights change.  The girls desperately want to be loved by their mother.  Sadly, many children will relate to having parents separated and not receiving the love they so desperately need from their parents.  The dialogue among the girls seems realistic for the age and time period.   The characters personalities seem to jump right off the page. 

The book is set in the summer of 1968 amidst the civil rights movement. In the book, the girls participate in a rally and attend the daily children’s program at the People’s Center that is sponsored by the black panthers.  The book does a good job showing the injustice between the treatment of blacks and whites.  However, the book does not depict all the aspects of the Black Panther Party which hinders the authenticity of the book.  From reading the book, you see the Black Panthers as a group that cares for the poor and promotes equality peacefully.   What the book does not show is that the group would use any means necessary, including violence, to bring forth the change that they wanted.  In the book, Delphine does remember seeing the black panthers on the news back home and that they were violent but then she remembers how they were not that way at all at the center.  From reading this, the reader assumes that since what she sees in person is peaceful, that the news depicted the black panthers wrong.  For research, the author states that she has read articles, books, interviews and The Black Panther Intercommunal News Service but no bibliography is given. 


4.  REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Coretta Scott King Author Award Winner, 2011
Children’s Notable Book, 2011
Newbery Honor Book, 2011
Book List:  “Civil discontent seen through the eyes of children reveals another side of African American history in this compelling novel.”



5.  CONNECTIONS

* Great book to read for black history month. 

 *Other related books:

Shelton, Paula Young.  CHILD OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT.  ISBN: 9780375954146
Zeiger, Jennifer.  THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT.  ISBN:  9780531250297        

MATILDA BONE by Karen Cushman

1.      BIBLIOGRAPHY

Cushman, Karen.  2000.  MATILDA BONE.  New York, NY:  Clarion Books.  ISBN 0395881560

2.  PLOT SUMMARY

Set in Medieval England, MATILDA BONE is about a girl named Matilda who was sent to assist Red Peg the bonesetter on Blood and Bone Alley.   Matilda wishes to return back to the manor and live with Father Leufredus but she realizes that she has no choice but to stay and assist Red Peg the bonesetter in her medical practice.  Her new life is strange to her and she feels “like a duck, a duck living among chickens.”  The book gives us a glimpse of day to day life in medieval times as we follow Matilda through her experiences and adventures.  On Blood and Bone Alley, Matilda begins to find her place in the world.   

     

3.      CRITICAL ANALYSIS

“You will also be brewing our lotions, potions, tonics, and ointments.”  Medieval life was busy with hard work.  Cushman lets the reader experience medieval life through the eyes of Matilda.  The characters in the story are well rounded and the reader gets to know them gradually like Matilda does since the book is written from her perspective.  Many idioms are sprinkled throughout the book like “You beef-brained ninny!”  The unusual sayings make the conversations seem authentic for the time period and socioeconomic class that the story is set in. 

Young readers can relate to Matilda struggles since many children today struggle with feelings of not fitting in.  As the story continues, Matilda begins to develop friendships with others and to feel like she is a part of the community.  Cushman included author’s notes and a list of sources that she used in writing the book.  The table of contents and titles of chapters are set in an old-fashioned style and make the book look old.  MATILDA BONE is truly a fascinating book.   

4.  REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Horn Book Magazine:  “Matilda's very seriousness accounts for much of the humor in Cushman's novel: her heroine cannot see her own foolish single-mindedness.”

School Library Journal:  “A fascinating glimpse into the colorful life and times of the 14th century.”

A Junior Library Guild selection A Junior Library Guild selection A Junior Library Guild selection

5. CONNECTIONS

* Great book to include when studying medieval history.

 *Other books by Karen Cushman:

Cushman, Karen.  THE MIDWIFE’S APPRENTICE.  ISBN 0395692296

Cushman, Karen.  ALCHEMY AND MEGGY SWANN.  ISBN 9780547231846

Cushman, Karen.  CATHERINE, CALLED BIRDY.  ISBN 0395681863

BETWEEN SHADES OF GRAY by Ruta Sepetys

1.      BIBLIOGRAPHY

Sepetys, Ruta.  2011.  BETWEEN SHADES OF GRAY. New York, NY:  The Penguin Group.  ISBN 9780399254123 

2.  PLOT SUMMARY

15 year old Lina and her family are arrested by the Soviet secret police.  Her dad has been separated from the rest of the family.  Lina, her mother and brother are sent to Siberia.  Lina and her family fight to survive the horrible conditions.   During their imprisonment, Lina documents their experience through pictures and journaling.  Lina and her brother survive 12 years of their imprisonment.  The book ends with some construction workers finding an old glass jar with Lina’s writings and drawings about their time in imprisonment. 

     

3.      CRITICAL ANALYSIS

“They took me in my nightgown.” This was Lina’s beginning of her long ordeal as a prisoner of the Soviets.  This stark story is very realistic and young readers will relate to the story being told through 15 year-old Lina.  Ruta Sepetys did research in order to depict the events accurately.  While the characters are fictional, some of the trials of the characters are based on the experiences of actual people from Lithuania. 

 

The book includes a time line and map of the different camps Lina and her family were sent to.  The book has an unusual ending because the book stops the story abruptly while Lina and her brother are still prisoners.  An epilogue explains that some construction workers find Lina’s writings and drawings years later.   The reader has to fill in the gaps of the story. 

 

4.  REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Children's Notable Books, 2012
Texas Lone Star Reading List, 2012
TAYSHAS High School Reading List, 2012
Horn Book Magazine:  "So begins a human drama caling forth the best and worst of human behaviors--courage, anger, fear, confusion, little kindnesses, and egregious selfishness."

Children's Notable Books ; 2012 Ch

 

Texas Lone Star Reading List ; 2012

TAYSHAS High School Reading List ; 2012

Horn Book Magazine:  “So begins a human drama calling forth the best and worst of human behaviors—courage, anger, fear, confusion, little kindnesses, and egregious selfishness.” “

 

5. CONNECTIONS

 *Books about Stalin:

Otfinoski, Steven.  JOSEPH STALIN:  RUSSIA’S LAST CZAR.  ISBN 1562942409

Zuehlke, Jeffrey.  JOSEPH STALIN.  ISBN 9780822534211