P.S. Be Eleven

(Hardback)

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Description

Things are changing in the Gaither household. After soaking up a "power to the people" mind-set over the summer, Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern return to Brooklyn with a newfound streak of independence. Pa has a girlfriend. Uncle Darnell is home from Vietnam, but he's not the same. And a new singing group called the Jackson Five has the girls seeing stars.

But the one thing that doesn't change Big Ma still expects Delphine to keep everything together. That's even harder now that her sisters refuse to be bossed around, and now that Pa's girlfriend voices her own opinions about things. Through letters, Delphine confides in her mother, who reminds her not to grow up too fast. To be eleven while she can.

An outstanding successor to the Newbery Honor Book One Crazy Summer, P.S. Be Eleven stands on its own as a moving, funny story of three sisters growing up amid the radical change of the 1960s, beautifully written by the inimitable Rita Williams-Garcia.

Reviews

"This thoughtful story, told with humor and heart, rings with the rhythms and the dilemmas of the '60s through characters real enough to touch." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "Funny, wise, poignant, and thought-provoking, this will leave readers wanting more about Delphine and her sisters." -- 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--this is historical fiction that's as full of heart as it is of heartbreak." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review) "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:"In One Crazy Summer Williams-Garcia presents a child's-eye view of the Black Panther movement within a powerful and affecting story of sisterhood and motherhood. -- Monica Edinger, writing in The New York Times PRAISE FOR ONE CRAZY SUMMER:"One Crazy Summer is a genuine rarity: a book that is both important in its contents and utterly engaging in its characters...with the tremendous bonus of being beautifully written." -- Linda Sue Park, Newbery Medal--winning author of A Single Shard 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:"Regimented, responsible, strong-willed Delphine narrates in an unforgettable voice, but each of the sisters emerges as a distinct, memorable character, whose hard-won, tenuous connections with their mother build to an aching, triumphant conclusion." -- Booklist (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)

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.