Teri Markson, writing for School Library Journal, states that it is "emotionally challenging and beautifully written" for children about ethnic identity and personal responsibility. Read online free A Single Shard Literature Kit Gr 5 6 ebook anywhere anytime directly on your device. She had fought enough name-callers on behalf of Miss Patty Cake. She whirled around in the living room like a dance-recital fairy. The operator came on and I spoke up. How many times would I be this high up and have a sight as spectacular as the Golden Gate Bridge right underneath me? But you gotta take my kids. And shortly after, they were gone. That way, no one ever says, Huh? to me. Sister Mukumbu. Once we got on the ground, shed be her showy self again and this fraidycat episode would be long faded. Not that I wanted or needed any mothering. Maybe they were college students. Be Eleven was published in 2013, and features the girls returning to their home in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. Fern didnt notice the scrutiny. He just said that seeing Cecile was something whose time had come. Next to her picture were the words Im sick and tired of being sick and tired. On the walls were big sheets of lined-ruled paper written in teachers neat handwriting. Except for going to school and church, Fern and Miss Patty Cake had been inseparable for as long as Fern or anyone else could remember. Oh, and so cute. She put all the nickels in Ferns hand and pinched her cheek faster than I could do anything about it and was gone, as big as she was. The three girls in the flower dresses were standing on line looking at us. We followed her into the yard and down the walkway. I let all of that pass by until he said, and to your left as we circle the bay is the Golden Gate Bridge. I was now a liar! Its funny that Cecile had at least thought to give Fern a last drink, but all the same left Fern wanting her milk. I slide back and forth from Cassius Clay to Muhammad Ali. Even now, my daughters call me 'Pokey Mom', because I slow poke around when they want to go-go-go. Print Word PDF. Ran off or stayed put. Hes a little wild. For all of that, the eggs were cold, but we ate them, along with the buttered toast and orange slices. He nodded, said, Thank you, Sister, and took the box with him. Papa didnt keep any pictures of Cecile, but I had a sense of her. Little Girl, you better take this if you want it. Ferns fists balled from behind her nightie and again I reached out, but Cecile glared, like, Girl, I will knock you down. I looked up in time to see white wings hanging from above in the quick flash of the opened door. The last thing Pa and Big Ma wanted to hear was how we made a grand Negro spectacle of ourselves thirty thousand feet up in the air around all these white people. A goosenecked floor lamp with a glass bowl in the shape of a half-moon. Fern was wriggling out of her seat belt and climbing on me to get a glimpse. Laying it down. Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction, "Coretta Scott King Book Award Recipients", "Scott ODell Award for Historical Fiction", "Newbery Medal and Honor Books, 1922-Present", Association for Library Service to Children, "Summer Week Review: One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia", "Review of the Day: One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=One_Crazy_Summer_(novel)&oldid=1139997893, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 17 February 2023, at 22:57. No way hed put us on a plane if it were dangerous. They halfway believed me. As many times as Big Ma said it, I never fully believed it. Ink isnt free. Gazing out the windows at Oakland and stealing looks at Cecile. It certainly wasnt much. I broke it into syllables. Fifteen minutes was enough time for the days dirt to fall to the bottom of the tub, while Vonetta and Fern styled bubble beehive hairdos on their heads and beards on each other. This book was a TOTAL SOCK-OBLITERATING EXPERIENCE. I didnt ask for any free egg rolls. The goosenecked floor lamp with its half-moon glass bowl. A doll baby. Miss Patty Cake. In spite of the Cal State girl and the other Black Panthers saying leave those girls alone, he went on. Put our stuff away. Vonetta and Fern raced down the hall, pushing to be first. He was putting on a show for all the other black beret wearers. Big Ma enjoys hearing about all the trouble going on in the world. Her maturity and her relationship with her younger sisters is inspiring. Just keep walking till you see kids and old people lined up. Youre not going to take us? I didnt mean it to worm out as a question and was mad at myself for asking instead of stating. Were getting ready to land. She pouted but sat back down. Mobs easily threaded through and around us. One Crazy Summer (Series) Rita Williams-Garcia Author (2010) Series; One Crazy Summer; Our Apps. Orbiting. Browse Catalog Grade Level Pre-K - K 1 - 2 3 - 5 6 - 8 9 - 12 Other Subject Arts & Music English Language Arts World Language Math Science Social Studies - History Specialty Tell him shes mean. And she dont want us. And she wont cook or let us in the kitchen. To get a cold glass of water. In her kitchen. In her house. I said, We will. Big Ma had also scouted around the waiting room. Vonetta: Whats for supper? Then Fern: Hungry. Ferns eyelids grew droopy. Didnt want you in the first place. Even though her mother, Cecile, abandoned her and her younger sisters, Vonetta and Fern, seven . Cecile didnt care that the money had been baking under my foot since wed left Brooklyn. Breakfast Program We found the Center like Cecile said we would. but i'm content knowing that my daughter does. Who do I Just find a black beret. Id taken a quick count out of habit. Vonetta cut her eyes toward Fern. Whether it's a reflex from our years of school or just the many awesome things summer brings epically long days, watermelon and lemonade, outdoor concerts, and more barbeques than you can shake a stick at general consensus has declared . The park bench was her bed. Some stupid boy, I said. Public Libraries; K-12 Schools . She lives in Brooklyn with her father and his prim, old-fashioned mother, called Big Ma. Fast Download speed and no annoying ads. Find out how we were doing in school. The gap wasnt as wide as when wed first started out, but there was distance between Cecile and my sisters and me. [1] It has a Lexile of 750L. Things about Cecile. Cecile didnt seem to care. I didnt know where any of these streets led, but I walked down Magnolia like I knew where I was going. Big Ma had also scouted around the waiting room. I knew I at least had that right. Why should a thousand feet up in the air make any difference? Nothing but black folks in black clothes rapping revolution and a line of hungry black kids. Then she cut herself off from us, tapped her fountain pen, and repeated, Black folks, in black clothes, rapping revolution. We had Black Panthers in Brooklyn. Before I could say Were here in Oakland with Cecile, Big Ma said, Delphine! Wed never seen anyone eating with chopsticks other than on TV. My sisters and I didnt make a move toward the door. We check all files by special algorithm to prevent their re-upload. I got it. during one of the most tumultuous years in recent American history, one crazy summer is the heartbreaking, funny tale of three girls in search of the mother who abandoned theman unforgettable story told by a distinguished author of books for children and teens, Rita Williams-Garcia. All them riots. Pa has a respectful way of ignoring Big Ma. One Crazy Summer Themes & Motifs Rita Williams-Garcia This Study Guide consists of approximately 41 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more - everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of One Crazy Summer. In the animal kingdom that makes her our mother. He crossed his arms and looked down at Fern. But no one talked to me like that. I have mixed feelings about this book. Even after Cecile proved Big Ma right. My. Im Fern. Well, you better drink this cup of ice water, Little Girl. The daybed rolls out. However, the girls father sends them to Oakland, California one summer to stay with their estranged mother, Cecile, who refers to herself as Nzilla. Or the snooty Dont you even know your own mothers name? Sister Mukumbu would have given me the plain, pure, teacherly truth. Shes in her house. That was fine with me, although Id tell Big Ma otherwise if she asked, just to keep her from worrying. We spread out around the cloth. But the walls in Ceciles house were clean, painted a yellow beige, and had no writing. She said she applied the stucco herself. I planned on calling Pa before getting the food, but the booth was already occupied by a light-skinned guy with a big, floppy Afro. Keep Vonetta and Fern in line. One Crazy Summer tells the story of sisters Delphine, Vonetta . She said, Fine. Look down at the bridge! Vonetta stayed tight to her stubborn curl, her chin in her lap. Lil Sis, are you a white girl or a black girl? Fern said, Im a colored girl. He didnt like the sound of colored girl. He said, Black girl. Fern said, Colored. Black girl. Vonetta and I threw our colored on top of Ferns like we were ringtossing at Coney Island. They listened to me. Although I could at least keep still, Vonetta and Fern stamped their feet like holy rollers at a revival meeting. Golden Gate Bridge I glanced at my Timex. The way he pushed his head this way and that, suspiciously, while he talked. There were older teens in mostly black clothes and Afros posted like soldiers guarding the outside. Pa had told us Cecile wrote poems, but Id already known that. Hes good at it. Ten and under ride for free, she said. Above New York. I just let my plain face and plain words speak for me. [16] C. J. Morales, writing for the New York Amsterdam News, states that it is written to teach black history in a meaningful and amusing way, and "it will keep you laughing out loud."[17]. fun read and perfect for young girls and boys. Cecile prints up her own money. But give them one minute longer and Id end up pulling Fern off of Vonetta and mopping up sops of water splashed onto the bathroom tiles. I didnt bother to ask what I could and could not do. Look, she said, if you want to eat, hand over the money. I stared her downsomething Id never try with Big Ma. She's just a selfish, bad mother. I just took the box and nodded, because thats how you treat crazy people. Eldridge Cleaver isnt free. We were asked the same questions in Brooklyn. All this to say, the reason I stopped reading this marvelous book has nothing to do with the book. And at least the mother of a litter sticks around and nurses her pups no matter how sharp their teeth are. Cecile came out holding the extra paper cup from Mean Lady Mings. I loved reading about the Black Panthers, and even hearing the names of TV shows brought back memories of my childhood (I had just turned 4 during the summer of 1968). He didnt have a leather jacket, but he was one of them. Arent you coming with us? Mings is a couple blocks down Magnolia, around the corner. She pointed the direction. The stringy-Afro-wearing beak man wasnt Papa-grown or Cecile-grown. My mother, Miss Essie, named me 'NoMo' immediately after my birth. Safe and sound. On the ground. Cecile said, Phones next to Mings. You mean you dont have a phone? Vonetta asked. I recognized the beakish nose on that narrow face. . No, because Cecile didnt have a hug and a kiss that Fern expected. No redeeming qualities at all (unless you count that she's a poet who cares more about her poetry than anyone around her and tell me, how can you be a good poet when you care so little about anything but yourself?). When she was done telling me about myself and about that no kind of mother, Cecile, I told her we were safe and said good night, and Vonetta and Fern hollered out, Good night, Big Ma! Scarf tied around her head. Vonetta was already smiling and showing anyone whod look her way that she was worth a smile back. Go ahead, Miss. Hello? Go look down, Vonetta, I said. A lotta good it did if the bus driver heard us getting our ages straight. And this, the white wings hanging in her house, wasnt strange at all. Maybe they were college students. Mean Lady Ming. The Cal State girl turned toward me and said, Dont mind Crazy Kelvin. I wasnt fast enough to catch hold of Ferns nightie. He was the one in the telephone booth who had turned his back to us, like he didnt want to be seen. I put my bookmarka coaster from the airplanein the right spot and pulled the blanket over my sisters. I pressed against Vonetta. Cecile placed Ferns suitcase on the bench of a bus stop and sat down. I gave them a stern look to make them quit it. It was in Cecile's kitchen that the girl met Sister Mukumbu. No, I sleep on top. Fern did her best Rocky the Flying Squirrel leap, arms outstretched to belly onto the bed. For the People We were trained spies back in Brooklyn. Watching him turn around and around in his black and silver Raiders jersey. She shifted from one leg to the other. I dug into the armrests and prayed the pilot had done this before. The classroom was unlike any I had ever been in. There, the three sisters get taught about the movement. Their dresses looked so nice and new. I don't read teen books. I scooped up all of the change. But then, beating eggs never makes the evening news. Operator, I want to make a collect call to Louis Gaither. Papas proper name felt strange coming from my mouth. Only Big Ma and I watch the news. The Clark Sisters I Birthed a Nation Stores of the No Sayers Glorious Hill The Third Thing So Be Eleven Afua Acknowledgments About the Author Other Books by Rita Williams-Garcia Credits Copyright About the Publisher Vonetta, Fern, and I stood next to the young redheaded stewardess assigned to watch us until Cecile came forward. Vonetta and Fern eyed the wooden sticks and formulated ideas about turning them into hairpins, play-fight swords, and pickup sticks. Because I didn't live through the time and have no clue how militant they actually were, I can't even make an guess as to who is right, Pa or the girls or both. Her attention was fixed on the three sisters with the flared-sleeve dresses and their round, curly Afros. I kept Fern near, my arms crossed before me. Her name is Cecile. (p. 2) They listened to me. Instead, she asked for my name and I gave it to her. The race riots. I forgot all about Hirohito and was now afraid of what Vonetta would say next; and sure enough, Vonetta said, We didnt come for the revolution. Order a large shrimp lo meinshe counted our heads as if she didnt know how many of us shed hadfour egg rolls, and a big bottle of Pepsi. Vonetta and Fern squealed for the shrimp and Pepsi, forgetting that this was wrong. It was bad enough my insides squeezed in and stretched out like a monkey grinders accordionno need to let anyone know how frightened I was. They call the careless folks who drop things by a cute name: litterbug. Wed never seen colored people eating with them, and here was our mother eating with chopsticks like the Chinese men that I had read about who worked on the railroads. Cecile guarded the kitchens swinging door and pointed us to the living room, where she had laid out a waxy tablecloth on the floor. Only three girls trailing her from a slight distance. I started to wind the stem when the operator came back. Book excerpt: Reconnect with lost loved ones and discover the strength hidden within. Over the scarf, a big hat tilted down, the kind Pa wore with a suit. But Vonetta and Fern, who was now angry, both hollered, Delphine! as loud as they could. The sisters go to Oakland, California to meet their mother. Now Pa thinks the three Gaither girls should spend a month this summer with their long-lost mother in Oakland, California. But this book is so much more than its historical setting. I love a good crime story, especially The F.B.I. Better come on and get some loving now She hadnt had to finish the rest about how this might be the last time in a long while for kissing and hugging. All the way to the airport, Pa had tried to act like he was dropping off three sacks of wash at the Laundromat. "border='0' width='31' height='31'><\/a>") But I didnt care. 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