★ 03/23/2015
For their third outing, the irrepressible Gaither sisters of Brooklyn get on a Greyhound bus bound for Alabama. It's 1969, and Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern are spending the summer with Big Ma, their father's mother, and a passel of other vividly drawn relatives. Delphine, now 12, again narrates (which must make Vonetta spitting mad). The bickering between these sisters is as annoying as it is authentic, and it mirrors a long-simmering feud between Ma Charles (Big Ma's mother) and her half-sister, Miss Trotter, who uses Vonetta to send spiteful messages back to Ma Charles. The back-and-forth allows Williams-Garcia to unspool the Gaithers' complex family history: as slaves, as blacks in the segregated south, and in relation to the Native Americans who once called the area home. As a plot device, an argument between two grannies can't quite match the events that drove One Crazy Summer and P.S. Be Eleven. But it's reward enough just to spend more time with this feisty, close-knit family, whose loyalty to and love for each other trump everything else. Ages 8–12. (Apr.)

This well-crafted depiction of a close-knit community in rural Alabama works beautifully, with language that captures its humor, sorrow and resilience. Rich in all areas, Delphine and her sisters’ third outing will fully satisfy the many fans of their first two.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Williams-Garcia’s novel has the feeling of a saga, an American story of several generations, related effectively from Delphine’s first-person point of view-and with help from some feisty elders.” — Horn Book Magazine

A must-have conclusion to this beloved middle grade series. — School Library Journal (starred review)

“it’s reward enough just to spend more time with this feisty, close-knit family, whose loyalty to and love for each other trump everything else. — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Praise for P.S. BE ELEVEN: “Funny, wise, poignant, and thought-provoking, this will leave readers wanting more about Delphine and her sisters.” — Horn Book (starred review)

Praise for P.S. BE ELEVEN: “..the Gaither sisters are an irresistible trio. Williams-Garcia excels at conveying defining moments of American society from their point of view—this is historical fiction that’s as full of heart as it is of heartbreak.” — Publishers Weekly (starred 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)

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)

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)

PRAISE FOR ONE CRAZY SUMMER: “Delphine’s growing awareness of injustice on a personal and universal level is smoothly woven into the story in poetic language that will stimulate and move readers.” — Publishers Weekly

Praise for P.S. BE ELEVEN: “Funny, wise, poignant, and thought-provoking, this will leave readers wanting more about Delphine and her sisters.

Williams-Garcia’s novel has the feeling of a saga, an American story of several generations, related effectively from Delphine’s first-person point of view-and with help from some feisty elders.

09/01/2015
Gr 5–8—The three Gaither sisters—Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern—travel from their home with their father in Brooklyn to their grandmother and great-grandmother's house. Summer is a lazy time in 1960s rural Alabama, and the girls find all sorts of diversions: feeding the chickens, hiking through the woods, and, most interestingly, listening to family gossip. They come to find out that their heritage is quite a bit more colorful than they ever knew. Racial prejudice is very much a living thing South and the girls are given stark reminders about how much safer and freer it is to be a black person in New York City. The Black Panthers and the KKK are both sensitively handled in a manner that middle grade listeners will understand. While the book can stand alone, references to events from the prior two Gaither sisters novels will excite fans and encourage new readers to learn more. Though the story is full of heart, the constant bickering and squabbling among the children and among the adults is tedious and can detract from the story. Sisi A. Johnson gives each character a distinctive voice and is a joy to listen to. VERDICT Recommended, especially where the previous volumes are popular.—Suzanne Dix, The Seven Hills School, Cincinnati, OH

★ 03/01/2015
Gr 4–6—In this final volume in the trilogy that began with the acclaimed One Crazy Summer (2010), and continued with P.S. Be Eleven (2013, both HarperCollins), sisters Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern Gaither have been sent for the summer from Brooklyn to rural Alabama to reunite with their grandmother, Big Ma; their great-grandmother, Ma Charles; and their Uncle Darnell, a Vietnam vet recovering from drug addiction. Caught in the middle of a family feud between Ma Charles and her half-sister, Miss Trotter, the girls grapple with mixed feelings and new revelations about their family and its history. Narrator Delphine, 12, is charged with keeping her sisters in line and keeping the peace amidst their constant bickering, as well as readjusting to Big Ma's discipline. When Vonetta disappears during a tornado, Delphine must confront her guilt and resentment as well as face her mother, Cecile, who has traveled from California in concern for her missing daughter. Much of the narrative includes backstory from the previous titles, which is important for context, though new readers will want to read the previous books to fully appreciate this novel. This final installment is rich in atmosphere and clearly conveys the sisters' distinct personalities, their loyalty to one another, and their special place in their complex family. An author's note elucidates the connection between Native and African Americans, and a family tree details the Gaither girls' roots. VERDICT A must-have conclusion to this beloved middle grade series.—Marie Orlando, formerly at Suffolk Cooperative Library System, Bellport, NY

Narrator Sisi Johnson masterfully distinguishes between the voices of sisters Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern and gives a unique voice to each member of their extended family in Alabama, where Pa has sent the girls for their summer vacation. It could be confusing for the listener to identify so many different voices, but Johnson switches seamlessly between four generations, modifying her voice slightly for each family member. The sisters, who are “Brooklyn girls,” sound very different from their cousin who was raised in Alabama, and he sounds very different from his great-aunt who was raised in the same place. In particular, fans of the first two books will continue to enjoy the sassiness and warmth in the voice of Delphine, from whose point of view the story is told. E.M.C. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine

★ 2015-01-20
The coping skills of three sisters are put to the test as they leave Brooklyn for a rural summer in 1969 Alabama. Delphine, Vonetta and Fern, the sisters who captured readers' hearts in One Crazy Summer (2010) and P.S. Be Eleven (2013), are off to spend the summer in Alabama with Big Ma. This visit comes at a time of great awareness for almost-13-year-old Delphine as well as looming change in her family. Delphine is still in charge, but Vonetta seeks to step out of her older sister's shadow. The trip also means the girls will confront their Uncle Darnell, who let them down during his stay in Brooklyn. Hurts and grudges go even deeper as the story of the girls' great-grandmother and her estranged sister is gradually disclosed, revealing family dynamics shaped by racial history. All the conflicts fade when a tornado threatens an unbearable loss. Character development again astonishes, the distinctive personalities of the girls ringing true and the supporting cast adding great depth and texture. Indeed, the girls' cousin JimmyTrotter is so fully realized it seems unfair to think of him as secondary. This well-crafted depiction of a close-knit community in rural Alabama works beautifully, with language that captures its humor, sorrow and resilience. Rich in all areas, Delphine and her sisters' third outing will fully satisfy the many fans of their first two. (Historical fiction. 8-12)