Synopses & Reviews
In this Coretta Scott King Award-winning novel and sequel to the
New York Times bestseller and Newbery Honor Book
One Crazy Summer, the Gaither sisters return to Brooklyn and find that changes large and small have come to their home. This extraordinary novel earned five starred reviews, with
Publishers Weekly calling it "historical fiction that's as full of heart as it is of heartbreak" and
The Horn Book considering it "funny, wise, poignant, and thought-provoking."
After spending the summer in Oakland, California, with their mother and the Black Panthers, Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern arrive home with a newfound streak of independence. The sisters aren't the only ones who have changed. Now Pa has a girlfriend. Uncle Darnell returns from Vietnam a different man. But Big Ma still expects Delphine to keep her sisters in line. That's much harder now that Vonetta and Fern refuse to be bossed around. Besides her sisters, Delphine's got plenty of other things to worry about—like starting sixth grade, being the tallest girl in her class, and dreading the upcoming school dance. The one person she confides in is her mother, Cecile. Through letters, Delphine pours her heart out and receives some constant advice: to be eleven while she can.
Supports the Common Core State Standards
Review
“This thoughtful story, told with humor and heart, rings with the rhythms and the dilemmas of the ‘60s through characters real enough to touch.” Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Review
“Funny, wise, poignant, and thought-provoking, this will leave readers wanting more about Delphine and her sisters.” Horn Book (starred review)
Review
“..the Gaither sisters are an irresistible trio. Williams-Garcia excels at conveying defining moments of American society from their point of viewthis is historical fiction thats as full of heart as it is of heartbreak.” Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Review
Praise for P.S. BE ELEVEN:“P.S. Be Eleven is a must-read for fans of the first book, but it can also stand alone as an engrossing novel that will leave readers pondering important issues of race, gender, and identity.” School Library Journal (starred review)
Review
PRAISE FOR ONE CRAZY SUMMER:“In One Crazy Summer Williams-Garcia presents a childs-eye view of the Black Panther movement within a powerful and affecting story of sisterhood and motherhood. Monica Edinger, writing in The New York Times
Review
PRAISE FOR ONE CRAZY SUMMER:“One Crazy Summer is a genuine rarity: a book that is both important in its contents and utterly engaging in its characters…with the tremendous bonus of being beautifully written.” Linda Sue Park, Newbery Medal & #150;winning author of A Single Shard
Review
PRAISE FOR ONE CRAZY SUMMER:“Delphine is the pitch-perfect older sister, wise beyond her years, an expert at handling her siblings...while the girls are caught up in the difficulties of adults, their resilience is celebrated and energetically told with writing that snaps off the page” Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Review
PRAISE FOR ONE CRAZY SUMMER:“Regimented, responsible, strong-willed Delphine narrates in an unforgettable voice, but each of the sisters emerges as a distinct, memorable character, whose hard-won, tenuous connections with their mother build to an aching, triumphant conclusion.” Booklist (starred review)
Review
PRAISE FOR ONE CRAZY SUMMER:“The setting and time period are as vividly realized as the characters, and readers will want to know more about Delphine and her sisters after they return to Brooklyn...” Horn Book (starred review)
Review
"If you've ever wanted to run through the backyards of dusty old Maycomb, Alabama, in search of high adventure and mystery, just like Scout, Dill, and Jem, then this is your chance. It's all here! Greg Neri has recreated the childhoods of Harper Lee, Truman Capote, and Jennings Carter— the real-life models for the kids in
To Kill a Mockingbird— and spun new adventures for them. You'll join these three friends as they really lived, and help them figure out a case that has the whole town baffled. I hope you're up for some fun!"— Charles J. Shields, author of
Mockingbird: A Portrait of Harper Lee "Tru & Nelle is a wonderfully imaginative re-creation of the childhoods of two great American writers, but even more, it is a novel that affirms the mysterious and glorious ways that friendship reaches across boundaries of all sorts to claim unexpected kinship."--Gary D. Schmidt, author of Newbery Honor books Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy and The Wednesday Wars
Synopsis
The Gaither sisters are at it again A sequel to the Newbery Honor Book One Crazy Summer, this Coretta Scott King Award-winning novel will find a home in the hearts of readers who loved Brown Girl Dreaming and As Brave as You.
After spending the summer in Oakland, California, with their mother and the Black Panthers, Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern arrive home with a newfound streak of independence. That doesn't sit well with Big Ma, who doesn't like the way things are changing.
Neither does Delphine. Pa has a new girlfriend. Uncle Darnell comes home from Vietnam, but he's not the same. And her new sixth-grade teacher isn't the fun, stylish Miss Honeywell--it's Mr. Mwila, a stern exchange teacher from Zambia.
But the one thing that doesn't change during this turbulent year is the advice that Delphine receives from her mother, who reminds her not to grow up too fast. To be eleven while she can.
Synopsis
Rita Williams-Garcia's much-anticipated middle-grade novel
P.S. Be Eleven, winner of Coretta Scott King Award, is the sequel to her
New York Times bestseller
One Crazy Summer, a Newbery Honor Book and winner of the Coretta Scott King Award.
Eleven-year-old Brooklyn girl Delphine feels overwhelmed with worries and responsibilities. She's just started sixth grade and is self-conscious about being the tallest girl in the class, and nervous about her first school dance. She's supposed to be watching her sisters, but Fern and Vonetta are hard to control. Her uncle Darnell is home from Vietnam and seems different. And her pa has a girlfriend. At least Delphine can write to her mother in Oakland, California, for advice. But why does her mother tell her to "be eleven" when Delphine is now twelve?
The historical novel, set in the 1960s, features vivid characters, insight into family relationships, and a strong sense of place.
Synopsis
Things are changing in the Gaither household. After soaking up a "power to the people" mind-set over the summer, Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern return to Brooklyn with a newfound streak of independence. Pa has a girlfriend. Uncle Darnell is home from Vietnam, but he's not the same. And a new singing group called the Jackson Five has the girls seeing stars.
But the one thing that doesn't change? Big Ma still expects Delphine to keep everything together. That's even harder now that her sisters refuse to be bossed around, and now that Pa's girlfriend voices her own opinions about things. Through letters, Delphine confides in her mother, who reminds her not to grow up too fast. To be eleven while she can.
An outstanding successor to the Newbery Honor Book One Crazy Summer, P.S. Be Eleven stands on its own as a moving, funny story of three sisters growing up amid the radical change of the 1960s, beautifully written by the inimitable Rita Williams-Garcia.
Synopsis
A novel based on the real-life friendship of Truman Capote and Nelle Harper Lee.
Synopsis
Long before they became famous writers, Truman Capote (In Cold Blood) and Harper Lee (To Kill a Mockingbird) were childhood friends in Monroeville, Alabama. This fictionalized account of their time together opens at the beginning of the Great Depression, when Tru is seven and Nelle is six. They love playing pirates, but they like playing Sherlock and Watson-style detectives the most. It’s their pursuit of a case of drugstore theft that lands the daring duo in real trouble. Humor and heartache intermingle in this lively look at two budding writers in the 1930s South.
Synopsis
A fictionalized account of the real-life friendship of Truman Capote and Nelle Harper Lee.
About the Author
Rita Williams-Garcia's Newbery Honor-winning novel, One Crazy Summer, was a winner of the Coretta Scott King Award, a National Book Award finalist, the recipient of the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction, and a New York Times bestseller. The sequel, P.S. Be Eleven, was also a Coretta Scott King Award winner and an ALA Notable Children's Book for Middle Readers. She is also the author of six distinguished novels for young adults: Jumped, a National Book Award finalist; No Laughter Here, Every Time a Rainbow Dies (a Publishers Weekly Best Children's Book), and Fast Talk on a Slow Track (all ALA Best Books for Young Adults); Blue Tights; and Like Sisters on the Homefront, a Coretta Scott King Honor Book. Rita Williams-Garcia lives in Jamaica, New York, is on the faculty at the Vermont College of Fine Arts in the Writing for Children & Young Adults Program, and has two adult daughters, Stephanie and Michelle, and a son-in-law, Adam.