One Crazy Summer

Garcia, R. (2010). One crazy summer. 

New York: Amistad.

By Rita Williams-Garcia

Copyright:  2010

Publisher:  Amistad

Reading Level:

• Lexile:  750L

• Grade level:  4

Genre:  Historical fiction, Realistic fiction

Description:  Diversity, 1960s, African Americans, Civil Rights, Family and Social structures

Suggested Delivery:  Independent reading or Small-group

Summary:  Delphine is an 11-year-old living whose mother has abandoned her and her two younger sisters, forcing her to take on the motherly role as she lives with her father and grandmother in Brooklyn, New York.  But one summer in 1968, her father believes that it would be best for the Delphine and her sisters to take a trip to see their mother, so he flies them to Oakland, California.  They quickly learn that their mother is a cold, unloving woman when she wants nothing to do with her daughters, and sends them to a camp run by the Blank Panthers.  Being that the civil rights movement is taking place, Delphine finds her and her sisters being treated much differently in Oakland than back at home, causing her to grow up even more and understand racial pride of this time.

Electronic Resources:

• Civil Rights Movement:  this website provides background information, key facts, articles, and even classroom study guides for teachers to use.

Key Vocabulary: infiltrate, slung, giddy, doggedy, revolution, Black Panthers, baffled

Teaching suggestions:

• Use this book when discussing the Civil Rights Movement.

Comprehension Strategies:

• Before Reading:
• Discuss important aspects of the Civil Rights Movement, and specifically the Black Panthers group that appears in this book.  Students should understand what life was like for African Americans during the 1960s.  Make sure students have adequate prior knowledge before opening the book.

• During Reading: 
• Students will be provided with a graphic organizer, where they will make note of different qualities that describe the main characters in the book, using specific evidence form the text as they read.  For example, they might be asked to find examples of how Delphine is a motherly figure to her sisters.
• Ask students to find examples of prejudice against African Americans as they read.

• After Reading:  
• Have a discussion about Cecile and whether or not the students believe she was a good mother.
• Discuss the theme of identity in the book and how specific events caused Delphine to transform as a person.

Writing Activity:

After learning how Delphine researches the meaning of her name to find the significance of it, students will explore the history of their own name.  This is an exciting activity for students to learn about the origins of their name and how it is unique to them.  They will write a few paragraphs explaining what meanings they found and how they feel about these meanings of their names.  Students will take turns sharing some of these with the class.