P. S. Be Eleven

Starred review from October 1, 2013
Gr 4-7-In Williams-Garcia's sequel (2013) to her Coretta Scott King award-winning "One Crazy Summer" (2010, both Amistad), the three Gaither sisters-Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern-return home to Brooklyn after an eventful 28-day reunion with their estranged poet mother in Oakland, California. They are full of "Power to the People" and independence as they finish up their summer and begin another school year. Told through the eyes of sixth grader Delphine, the eldest sister, listeners join the girls as they navigate the changes in their lives during 1968, including the return of their beloved Uncle Darnell from Vietnam who just isn't the same, their Pa's new girlfriend, and the arrival of the Jackson Five on the music scene. Delphine confides her worries and thoughts in letters to her mother, who reminds her daughter not to grow up to fast-to "be eleven." The novel has strong African-American female characters. The Gaither girls mature and adapt to the changes happening around them. Sisi Aisha Johnson does a superb job of creating a unique voice for each character. The sisters like to finish each other sentences, and Johnson's distinct vocal changes keep each girl's voice clear. She captures the humorous moments as easily as the thoughtful ones, producing a smile one moment and bringing tears to your eyes the next. Featuring an excellent text and superb narration, this is a must-have for school and public libraries looking for well-written historical fiction offering insight into the African-American experience of the 1960s as seen through a young girl's eyes.-"Terri Norstrom, Cary Area Library, IL"

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from April 15, 2013
Delphine and her sisters return to Brooklyn from visiting their estranged mother, Cecile, a poet who sent them off every day to a camp run by the Black Panthers in Williams-Garcia’s Newbery Honor–winning One Crazy Summer. It wasn’t the California vacation they expected, but the experience rocked their world. Big Ma, their grandmother, is no longer just a stern taskmaster, she’s an oppressor. Delphine, who again narrates, loses interest in magazines like Tiger Beat and Seventeen: “When there’s Afros and black faces on the cover, I’ll buy one,” she tells a storeowner. Reflecting society at large in 1968, change and conflict have the Gaither household in upheaval: Pa has a new girlfriend, Uncle Darnell returns from Vietnam a damaged young man, and the sixth-grade teacher Delphine hoped to get has been replaced by a man from Zambia. Though the plot involves more quotidian events than the first book, 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. Ages 8–12.

Starred review from March 15, 2013
Readers will cheer the return of the three sisters who captured hearts in the Newbery Honor-winning One Crazy Summer (2010). The sequel finds sisters Delphine, Vonetta and Fern returning to their Brooklyn home, full of excitement about visiting their mother in Oakland, Calif. The girls, especially Delphine, are also eager to begin a new school year. However, home is a little different: Their father has a girlfriend, the teacher Delphine had been eagerly expecting has exchanged places with one from Zambia, and their beloved Uncle Darnell is returning home from Vietnam. But their favorite singing group, the Jackson Five, is coming to town, too. With the help of their father's girlfriend, Miss Hendrix, the girls set out to save to attend the concert. Through all of their experiences, Delphine uses her new connection with her mother to understand things, questioning, challenging and reaching for a mother's guidance. Whenever she pushes a bit too hard, Cecile's tart, repeated advice to "be eleven"--even when she turns 12--resonates. Williams-Garcia's skilled writing takes readers to a deeper understanding of Delphine as she grows up and is forced to watch her family take a new shape. Disappointments are not glossed over, even when they involve heartbreaking betrayal. This thoughtful story, told with humor and heart, rings with the rhythms and the dilemmas of the '60s through characters real enough to touch. (Historical fiction. 9-14)

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