One Crazy Summer (by Rita Williams-Garcia)

Delphine and her sisters are put on a plane from Brooklyn to Oakland, where they are to stay with their estranged mother, Cecile, for a month.  Their dreams of a warm reception are quickly shattered when Cecile says,  "I didn't send for you. Didn't want you in the first place. Should have gone to Mexico to get rid of you when I had the chance."  It's 1968 when society is changing and men in berets carrying guns are shouting about black power. But it's also a personal time when the girls desperately want to know who their mother is and why she abandoned them. For meals, Cecile sends the girls for Chinese food, and to keep them out of her way, she sends them to the local Black Panther day camp. Over the course of the next four weeks, Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern spend time learning about revolution even though what they want is a home-cooked meal and a real mother. Slowly, they become part of a larger community and the mysterious story of their mom's flight is untangled.

ONE CRAZY SUMMER is worth reading more than once. It's a gem of a story, subtly offering contextual details about 1968 Oakland, yet staying true to the story of three girls hoping to reclaim their mysterious mother's love. Delphine narrates as a responsible, thoughtful, observant girl, wiser than her 11 years.  Her sisters, Vonetta and Fern, add humor and delightful age-appropriate tension. The juxtaposition of 1968 Oakland civil rights movement with the journey of the three sisters is seamless. 

The writing is poetic and simple, the characters are unforgettable, the social-historic references delicate, and the overall story a pleasure to read. The book doesn't finish with a perfectly happy ending, but it is a perfect ending.