Gone Crazy in Alabama

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The Coretta Scott King AwardwinningGone Crazy in Alabamaby Newbery Honor andNew York Timesbestselling author Rita Williams-Garcia tells the story of the Gaither sisters as they travel from the streets of Brooklyn to the rural South for the summer of a lifetime.

Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern are off to Alabama to visit their grandmother Big Ma and her mother, Ma Charles. Across the way lives Ma Charless half sister, Miss Trotter. The two half sisters havent spoken in years. As Delphine hears about her family history, she uncovers the surprising truth thats been keeping the sisters apart. But when tragedy strikes, Delphine discovers that the bonds of family run deeper than she ever knew possible.

Powerful and humorous, this companion to the award-winningOne Crazy SummerandP.S. Be Elevenwill be enjoyed by fans of the first two books, as well as by readers meeting these memorable sisters for the first time.

Readers who enjoy Christopher Paul Curtis'sThe Watsons Go to Birminghamand Jacqueline WoodsonsBrown Girl Dreamingwill find much to love inthis book. Rita Williams-Garcia's books aboutDelphine, Vonetta, and Fern can also be read alongside nonfiction explorations of American history such as Jason Reynolds's andIbram X. Kendi's books.

Each humorous, unforgettable story in this trilogy follows the 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 nationand as they discover that the bonds of family, and their own strength, run deeper than they ever knew possible.

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)

Coretta Scott King Award winner * ALA Notable Book *School Library JournalBest Book of the Year *KirkusReviewsBest Book of the Year * ALABooklistEditors Choice *Shelf AwarenessBest Book of the Year *Washington PostBest Books of the Year *TheBulletin of the Center for ChildrensBooksBlue Ribbon Book * Three starred reviews * CCBC Choice * New York Public Library 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing * Amazon Best Book of the Year

Reviews

"This well-crafted depiction of a close-knit community in rural Alabama works beautifully, with language that captures its humor, sorrow and resilience. Rich in all areas, Delphine and her sisters' third outing will fully satisfy the many fans of their first two." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "Williams-Garcia's novel has the feeling of a saga, an American story of several generations, related effectively from Delphine's first-person point of view-and with help from some feisty elders." -- Horn Book Magazine A must-have conclusion to this beloved middle grade series. -- School Library Journal (starred review) "it's reward enough just to spend more time with this feisty, close-knit family, whose loyalty to and love for each other trump everything else. -- Publishers Weekly (starred review) Praise for P.S. BE ELEVEN: "Funny, wise, poignant, and thought-provoking, this will leave readers wanting more about Delphine and her sisters." -- Horn Book (starred review) Praise for P.S. BE ELEVEN: "..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) 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: "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) PRAISE FOR ONE CRAZY SUMMER: "Delphine's growing awareness of injustice on a personal and universal level is smoothly woven into the story in poetic language that will stimulate and move readers." -- Publishers Weekly

Author Bio

Rita Williams-Garcias Newbery Honor-winning novel, One Crazy Summer, was a winner of the Coretta Scott King Author Award, a National Book Award finalist, the recipient of the Scott ODell Award for Historical Fiction, and a New York Times bestseller. The sequel, P.S. Be Eleven was also a Coretta Scott King Author Award winner and an ALA Notable Childrens Book for Middle Readers.