AUGUST 2013 - AudioFile
In this sequel to the Newbery honor book ONE CRAZY SUMMER, Delphine and her younger sisters are caught between the middle-class mores of their Brooklyn grandmother and the radical views of their mother, a poet in California who sends them missives on the struggle for black power. Narrator Sisi Johnson conveys Delphine’s continual dilemmas as the eldest sister who is old beyond her years—hence her mother’s constant admonition—"P.S. Be Eleven." She readily shifts to the younger-sounding voice of the sixth grader who is enraptured by a new band—the Jackson Five. Johnson splendidly conveys the times, capturing the childish enthusiasms of the three girls, the scolding voice of grandmother, and the anguish of an uncle returned from Vietnam. D.P.D. © AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine
Publishers Weekly
Delphine and her sisters return to Brooklyn from visiting their estranged mother, Cecile, a poet who sent them off every day to a camp run by the Black Panthers in Williams-Garcia’s Newbery Honor–winning One Crazy Summer. It wasn’t the California vacation they expected, but the experience rocked their world. Big Ma, their grandmother, is no longer just a stern taskmaster, she’s an oppressor. Delphine, who again narrates, loses interest in magazines like Tiger Beat and Seventeen: “When there’s Afros and black faces on the cover, I’ll buy one,” she tells a storeowner. Reflecting society at large in 1968, change and conflict have the Gaither household in upheaval: Pa has a new girlfriend, Uncle Darnell returns from Vietnam a damaged young man, and the sixth-grade teacher Delphine hoped to get has been replaced by a man from Zambia. Though the plot involves more quotidian events than the first book, 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. Ages 8–12. (June)
From the Publisher
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)
“Funny, wise, poignant, and thought-provoking, this will leave readers wanting more about Delphine and her sisters.” — Horn Book (starred review)
“..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)
“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: “In One Crazy Summer Williams-Garcia presents a child’s-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
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–winning author of A Single Shard
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: “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)
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)
Linda Sue Park
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.
Booklist (starred 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.
Monica Edinger
PRAISE FOR ONE CRAZY SUMMER: “In One Crazy Summer Williams-Garcia presents a child’s-eye view of the Black Panther movement within a powerful and affecting story of sisterhood and motherhood.
Horn Book (starred review)
Funny, wise, poignant, and thought-provoking, this will leave readers wanting more about Delphine and her sisters.
AUGUST 2013 - AudioFile
In this sequel to the Newbery honor book ONE CRAZY SUMMER, Delphine and her younger sisters are caught between the middle-class mores of their Brooklyn grandmother and the radical views of their mother, a poet in California who sends them missives on the struggle for black power. Narrator Sisi Johnson conveys Delphine’s continual dilemmas as the eldest sister who is old beyond her years—hence her mother’s constant admonition—"P.S. Be Eleven." She readily shifts to the younger-sounding voice of the sixth grader who is enraptured by a new band—the Jackson Five. Johnson splendidly conveys the times, capturing the childish enthusiasms of the three girls, the scolding voice of grandmother, and the anguish of an uncle returned from Vietnam. D.P.D. © AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
Readers will cheer the return of the three sisters who captured hearts in the Newbery Honor–winning One Crazy Summer (2010). The sequel finds sisters Delphine, Vonetta and Fern returning to their Brooklyn home, full of excitement about visiting their mother in Oakland, Calif. The girls, especially Delphine, are also eager to begin a new school year. However, home is a little different: Their father has a girlfriend, the teacher Delphine had been eagerly expecting has exchanged places with one from Zambia, and their beloved Uncle Darnell is returning home from Vietnam. But their favorite singing group, the Jackson Five, is coming to town, too. With the help of their father's girlfriend, Miss Hendrix, the girls set out to save to attend the concert. Through all of their experiences, Delphine uses her new connection with her mother to understand things, questioning, challenging and reaching for a mother's guidance. Whenever she pushes a bit too hard, Cecile's tart, repeated advice to "be eleven"--even when she turns 12--resonates. Williams-Garcia's skilled writing takes readers to a deeper understanding of Delphine as she grows up and is forced to watch her family take a new shape. Disappointments are not glossed over, even when they involve heartbreaking betrayal. This thoughtful story, told with humor and heart, rings with the rhythms and the dilemmas of the '60s through characters real enough to touch. (Historical fiction. 9-14)
