Gaither Sisters Trilogy Box Set: One Crazy Summer, P.S. Be Eleven, Gone Crazy in Alabama

by Rita Williams-Garcia

All three books in the Coretta Scott King Award-winning series by New York Times -bestselling author Rita Williams-Garcia are now available in one beautiful, giftable box set! Each humorous, unforgettable story follows the Gaither sisters as they grow up during one of the most tumultuous eras in recent American history, the 1960s.  Read the adventures of eleven-year-old Delphine and her younger sisters, Vonetta and Fern, as they visit their kin all over the rapidly changing nation—and as they discover that the bonds of family, and their own strength, run deeper than they ever knew possible. This box set includes One Crazy Summer , a Newbery Honor book, National Book Award finalist, and winner of the Scott O’Dell Award; P.S. Be Eleven ; and Gone Crazy in Alabama , all of which will make the perfect addition to a young reader’s growing library. Readers who enjoy Christopher Paul Curtis's  The Watsons Go to Birmingham  and Jacqueline Woodson’s  Brown Girl Dreaming  will find much to love in   these books. Rita Williams-Garcia's books about   Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern can also be read alongside nonfiction explorations of American history such as Jason Reynolds's and Ibram X. Kendi's books. “A beloved middle grade series.” — School Library Journal  (starred review) “Funny, wise, poignant, and thought-provoking.” — 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.” — Publishers Weekly  (starred review)

Genres: Childrens

864 pages, Paperback

Published October 2, 2018

About the author

"I was born in Queens, N.Y, on April 13, 1957. My mother, Miss Essie, named me 'NoMo' immediately after my birth. Although I was her last child, I took my time making my appearance. I like to believe I was dreaming up a good story and wouldn’t budge until I was finished. Even now, my daughters call me 'Pokey Mom', because I slow poke around when they want to go-go-go.

"I learned to read early, and was aware of events going on as I grew up in the 60s. In the midst of real events, I daydreamed and wrote stories. Writing stories for young people is my passion and my mission. Teens will read. They hunger for stories that engage them and reflect their images and experiences."

Author of four award winning novels, Rita Williams-Garcia continues to break new ground in young people's literature. Known for their realistic portrayal of teens of color, Williams-Garcia's works have been recognized by the Coretta Scott King Award Committee, PEN Norma Klein, American Library Association, and Parents' Choice, among others. She recently served on the National Book Award Committee for Young People's Literature and is on faculty at Vermont College MFA Writing for Children and Young People.

Reviews

[Arden · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have only read the first book, but I couldn't find just the first one on this website, so I am using the series. This book has won a lot of awards, and it is good, but I am not sure it deserved that much attention. While I liked the characters and it had some interesting moments, there were also a lot of dull moments. This book was not always entertaining enough for me. I might someday be interested in reading the other books, but if I do, it won't be for a while. This book was a solid 4 stars.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is a series! Yay! I just finished One Crazy Summer and loved it! The characters are so endearing! It is an adventure story with challenging family dynamics, an interesting perspective of the equal rights movement of the sixties, and some laughs. I didn’t want it to end. It doesn’t have to yet - there are two more!

[Marin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think we all read One Crazy Summer last year for Language arts but I also read the next two books and I liked them. The second one takes place back at their house and in the third one they go to their grandparents farm. Also, you don't have to read them in order but you can/want you should read them in order. Oh, and I think you can get these books on our old online library but I don't know about our new one.

[Nancy Bordine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Feeling lucky to have found such a good book in a Little Free Library.
"One Crazy Summer" (published 2010) immerses the reader in 1968 Oakland, California, as the oldest of three young sisters struggles to provide for her sisters in the surreal world of their mother's mental illness, the Black Panther movement, and the first stirrings of romance.

[Barba Covington · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the trilogy. All are very good reads.
My first for this author and I bought the three and am not sorry.

[Adrieanna]

I like the book it tells about their problems and they stand up for what's right,and they had a lot of fun doing what they did.

[Kate Mangino · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this with my 10-year old daughter and we both loved this series. She actually ASKED for time to read with me!

[Maria Hein · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite children's book series

[Theresa Radley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved following the Gaither Sisters as they traveled from Oakland to Brooklynn and Alabama. This was a beautifully written story as I visualized each character and heard everything they said. The dynamic between the three little sisters was authentic. I am going to miss Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern and witnessing them grow up.

[Daniela]

One Crazy Summer is a story about three sisters Delphine, Vonetta and Fern who travel from their home in New York all the way to Oakland California to spend the summer of 1968 with their biological mother Cecile. The girls do not have a relationship with her mother, she left them when Fern was just a baby. Delphine has undoubtably filled the shoes left by her mother by taking care of her little sisters. She is always keeping them in line and making sure they are “not a disgrace to the negro race”. Delphene is the kind of girl who keeps an even tempered and a cool head. Vonetta is the middle child and she lives up to just that. She craves and loves attention, no doubt because of the hole her mother left. And little Fern is only seven years old. She is always hopeful and of the three she is the most naive. Cecile however is not the loving, doting and adoring mother the younger girls wish her to be. She is very cold and unfeeling to the girls and acts as if she couldn’t be bothered by them. Cecile tells the girls to walk themselves to The People’s Center for a meal and lessons. The center is run by Black Panthers. Not all of the people who come to the center are black which comes as a shock to the girls. They take classes there and learn what the black panther movement is and why it is necessary. The summer ends with the girls having a real talk with their mother where she softens and apologizes to them for being so cold and tells them her own mother died and left her alone at age 11. She tells Delphine not to grow up too fast, to enjoy being a child while she still can. Before they leave the girls all hug Cecile. The bond between the sisters is unbreakable and the story itself is beautiful. The book address social issues of the times and it gives a child’s perspective of what it means to take a stand and be courageous.