One Crazy Summer: The Graphic Novel

by Rita Williams-Garcia, Sharee Miller (Illustrator)

“I wish I didn’t know that I was marching my sisters into a boiling pot of trouble cooking in Oakland…”

Eleven-year-old Delphine is like a mother to her two younger sisters, Vonetta and Fern. She's had to be, ever since their mother, Cecile, left them seven years ago for a radical new life in California.

But when the sisters arrive from Brooklyn to spend the summer with their mother in Oakland, Cecile is nothing like they imagined. While the girls hope to go to Disneyland and meet Tinker Bell, their mother sends them to a day camp run by the Black Panthers.

Unexpectedly, Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern learn much about their family, their country, and themselves during one truly crazy summer.

This beloved Newbery Honor Book, National Book Award finalist, and Coretta Scott King Award–winning novel about the three unforgettable Gaither sisters has been adapted into a beautiful full-color graphic novel for a new generation, with vibrant art by Sharee Miller.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Middle Grade, Historical Fiction, Family, Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics, Summer

304 pages, Paperback

First published May 6, 2025

About the author

"I was born in Queens, N.Y, on April 13, 1957. My mother, Miss Essie, named me 'NoMo' immediately after my birth. Although I was her last child, I took my time making my appearance. I like to believe I was dreaming up a good story and wouldn’t budge until I was finished. Even now, my daughters call me 'Pokey Mom', because I slow poke around when they want to go-go-go.

"I learned to read early, and was aware of events going on as I grew up in the 60s. In the midst of real events, I daydreamed and wrote stories. Writing stories for young people is my passion and my mission. Teens will read. They hunger for stories that engage them and reflect their images and experiences."

Author of four award winning novels, Rita Williams-Garcia continues to break new ground in young people's literature. Known for their realistic portrayal of teens of color, Williams-Garcia's works have been recognized by the Coretta Scott King Award Committee, PEN Norma Klein, American Library Association, and Parents' Choice, among others. She recently served on the National Book Award Committee for Young People's Literature and is on faculty at Vermont College MFA Writing for Children and Young People.

Reviews

[Isabella · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who hasn’t read the original novel, I would say this doesn’t stand on its own very well as an adaptation. I think there’s a lot of missing context, the inclusion of which would probably benefit a middle grade reader.

[DaNae · Rating 3 out of 5]

In 1969, three sisters leave Brooklyn to visit their estranged mother in Oakland. She is seemingly indifferent to their presence and existence. The girls are left to fend for themselves with the help of the local chapter the Black Panthers. Very personal narratives set up against a strong historical powder keg.

Does every middle-grade novel need to be recreated into a graphic novel? I would argue no, and I’m not entirely sure this one worked. Most of what I found so powerful in the original is watered down and hard to find, particularly Delphine’s relationship with Cecile. However, the ending is emotional and in a fit of excess emotion, when Kindle asked for a rating the moment I hit the final page, I’d given it an extra star. I think it will certainly find its way to a different set of readers. I’m not sure it will resonate the way it was meant to. Cecile giving birth on the floor, as four-year old Delphine looks on, is perhaps more than they will bargain for.

[Bargain Sleuth Book Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins for the digital copy of this book; I am leaving this review voluntarily.

More than a decade ago, I tried to read as many Newbery books as possible, whether they won the award or were Honor books. One book I did not get around to reading was One Crazy Summer, which is why I was so happy to receive this ARC.

Set in the late 1960s, One Crazy Summer explores the themes of civil rights, racial prejudice, Black pride, women’s liberation and family ties. The three young girls are pretty much estranged from their mother, but that doesn’t stop their dad from sending them to Oakland for the summer. Their mother is fiercely anti-children and does not adjust her life too much to accommodate the children.

The girls are sent to the community center run by the Black Panthers. I really appreciated this in the story because of what I had previously known about the Panthers, as seen through the eyes of white historians. Some called them vigilantes, or worse, terrorists, but this book humanizes them and shows the many ways the group lifted up their communities.

The graphic novel is a bright and colorful work that conveys the myriad of problems facing society in the late 1960s, as well as the meaning behind and the power of names. Delphine is a great character to get behind as she mothers her younger sisters, all while trying to establish a more meaningful relationship with her mother. I’m looking forward to diving into the two sequels some day to visit more with these richly drawn characters.

[Sacha · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars

This is a fantastic graphic novel version of a tremendous middle grade read, and I will be recommending this to my students as well as any prospective readers.

Three sisters hop on a plane from their home in Brooklyn to their estranged mother in Oakland. It's the '60s and the height of Black Panther living, and the girls' mother, who has acted and continues to act more like a disinterested and put upon rando versus a caring guardian (she has her reasons!), is a mysterious and bizarre figure that remains distant even when she is in close physical proximity. Through this read and modality, the girls' burgeoning realizations about race, culture, their mother, and themselves come to light. This is a memorable and enriching experience made even more powerful through the updated graphic novel version.

I expected to enjoy this based on my original feelings about the novel, but it exceeded those already high expectations.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Quill Tree Books for this arc, which I received in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

[McKenna Deem · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25⭐️

This was such a wonderful adaptation of what I am sure is a great novel (which will now be in my TBR)! My only wish is that there were some more nuance and exploration of the girls’ adventures with an absent, but badass mom, which I’m sure is in the novel!

[Cathy Boris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable book-
Great description of characters
Quick read-

[Gabrielle Stoller · Rating 3 out of 5]

review forthcoming

[Maria Almaguer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This had some promise but I was under the mistaken impression it was a true story. I was also disappointed in the ending. Set in the 1970s, it tells the story of three sisters (abandoned by their mother and being raised by their father and grandmother in New York) and their summer trip to visit their long lost mother in Oakland, California. I enjoyed the setting and the girls' tragic story but the ending was your typical happy ending, which I suppose I can see for children. The graphics are beautiful and the girls likeable while their story is sad, yet hopeful.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

As fantastic as the original was, I found the graphic adaptation even more impactful. I’m excited that more kids will be introduced to Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern, and get to experience their crazy summer of 1968.

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars
This was so much better than the book. I enjoy graphic novels but I think the presence of the illustrations helped make this book more meaningful to me.

Three young sisters, yet only two of them get to be children while the oldest, eleven-year-old Delphine, must take the place of their mother Cecile. Vonetta, Fern, and Delphine were left behind with their Pa, when Cecile decided she needed a new life. Pa and Big Ma cared for the girls, but it was Cecile who took over being the mother to her younger sisters. It’s now been seven years, and the girls are about to be reunited with their mother. Mom has been living in California, being a voice with the Black Panther movement since her departure.

Delphine has high hopes for California. Sure, she will meet her mother again, but Delphine has never forgiven her, even after all these years. Having read about California, Delphine’s excited about all the different sights and sounds that await her in this new environment, experiences that she can’t wait to try.

So much emotion is wrapped up inside this book. Arriving, the girls have high expectations and see an endless list of possibilities before them. They start to see their true mother immediately and their expressions, thoughts and comments tell us their true feelings. Whether Cecile is trying to teach the girl’s independence or she’s a strict, unconcerned parent is a decision that needs to be made as you read the pages and capture the spirit in the illustrations. There are a lot of eye-opening moments for the girls as they experience their mother’s world and the girls start to see the life of young children like themselves, in California, when they go to a Black Panther’s Community Center.
It was a womp, womp, womp moment as the girl’s get a dose of reality. Their mother has no plans to take them to any of the wonderful, fun-seeking places that Delphine has read about. No, the children must entertain themselves while mom works and later, when they’re sent to the community center, they’re introduced to the Black Panthers.

Character development and growth occur almost overnight as the girls are thrown into the mix. They soon find their strength and voice which caused me to laugh and smile as they finally got over their culture shock. They didn’t slink away or cower in a corner, their bond remained strong.
I thought this was a great book about the Black Panthers and it gave a great story which young readers could connect with. The illustrations were bright and colorful and added a great deal to the storyline. I highly recommend this graphic novel.

[Ms. Yingling · Rating 3 out of 5]

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

This book was originally published in 2010, and won many awards, so it's not a surprise that it was adapted into a graphic novel. Since it is historical fiction, the story holds up well. Delphine and her sisters Vonetta and Fern are sent by their father and grandmother from New York to Oakland, California to live with their mother, Nzila, who abandoned them when Fern was a baby. Nzila is very involved with the Black Panthers, so the girls attend the group's summer program while the mother concentrates on her art. The highlights of the original are preserved, but as with any graphic novel adaptation, a lot of the details and back story are neglected. The illustrations are bright and engaging, but not as reflective of the 1960s as they could have been. The girls' skirts are much too long, and there is Chinese take out shown in a very modern day plastic bag. Plastic bags were not much used until the late 1980s. They are so ubiquitous that people forget that. Even into the 1990s, it was more common to get paper bags where I lived. I have several copies of the original, so may not buy this.

[Julesy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rated 3.5 stars.

It’s the summer of 1968, a time of much social unrest. Sisters Delphine, Vonetta and Fern travel by plane from Brooklyn to Oakland to stay with their mother Cecile. Why? Who knows. Cecile abandoned her daughters when the youngest Fern was merely days old. Instantly, we see why Cecile abandoned her daughters – she is cold, angry, toxic and an unfit, neglectful mother. She sends her daughters off in Oakland, which never had the reputation of being a very safe city, to fend for food on their own because she could not be bothered to tend to their needs. Cecile is brusque, mean and in Delphine’s words “crazy”. Cecile also has some connections to the Black Panthers group who are intimidating to anyone who comes in close proximity. Cecile is quite secretive about her life and forbids the girls from entering the kitchen. It certainly is going to be a one crazy summer with one crazy woman (I won’t even honor Cecile with the tag of “mother”).

I know I’m in the minority but I didn’t warm up to this story. Even though I grew up in a major city during this era (I was slightly younger than Delphine) and witnessed social unrest firsthand, I should have been nostalgic, but I wasn’t. I just felt total annoyance at Cecile and questioned the girls’ father and grandmother motive for sending the girls to Oakland. The story is told from Delphine’s viewpoint, the oldest daughter at eleven years old.

I am familiar with the illustrator’s work and enjoyed it for the most part. The only complaint I have is sometimes the strange and awkward way the mouths are drawn. It almost seems like a Picasso rendering.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a review copy.

[Ashra Vahora · Rating 5 out of 5]

The grade level is 4-7. One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia follows eleven-year-old Delphine and her two younger sisters, Vonetta and Fern, as they travel from Brooklyn to Oakland, California, in the summer of 1968 to spend time with their estranged mother, Cecile. Instead of a warm welcome, they find Cecile distant and focused on her poetry, prioritizing her involvement with the Black Panther Party over her daughters. The girls are sent to a community center where they learn about the Black Panther movement and experience political activism firsthand. Throughout the summer, Delphine grapples with her role as the "responsible sister" while navigating her complicated relationship with Cecile. As the sisters attend rallies and engage with other children in the community, they gain a deeper understanding of social justice, family, and the power of self-expression.

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

"One Crazy Summer" does an effective job exploring both the nuances of motherhood and the power of necessary political drive. Really loved how the complexities of familial dynamics were presented, properly recognizing how the depth of personal purpose and drive function in turn with dire outcomes like unintentional abandonment. How putting your cause, in this case the Black Panthers, above all else can harden you. At the same time, you wouldn't have changed anything about your decisions showcasing how necessary choices, for the wellbeing of everyone, are neither objectively good or bad in the end. The Black Panther representation here is so multifaceted, portraying how skewed media perception can be drastically different than reality. The art was very colorful and cozy, which is perfect for the middle grade audience.

Thanks to NetGalley and Quill Tree Books for the arc!

[Shari · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had not forgotten how much I loved One Crazy Summer, but I sure enjoyed revisiting the first story of Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern Gaither, in the summer of 1968 when they go visit their long-estranged mother in Oakland, California. This graphic novel adaptation is fantastic, and hopefully brings even more readers to this amazing series. Sharee Miller is the perfect artist to bring the Gaither sisters to life. What I love about this story is how it blends humor with emotion and historical significance. My favorite moment in this book is still Delphine standing up to her mom, Cecile.
Being a graphic adaptation, of course there are details left out, but readers who want more will enjoy turning to the original novel edition. I would love to see adaptations of P.S. Be Eleven and Gone Crazy in Alabama!

[Madison LibraryBookFamily · Rating 5 out of 5]

My daughter is obsessed with realistic fiction graphic novels. When I saw this one I knew I needed to pick it up. I love the idea of taking classic novels and revamping them for kids. I have read One Crazy Summer in its original glory and I enjoyed it. The characters are complex, the history rich, and the drama is poignant. The new graphic novel takes the beauty of a classic Newberry Honor book and makes it accessible to more people. It covers an important part of United States History that not everyone may know. The Civil Rights Movement and The Black Panther Party are complex and yet still important to understand. I highly recommend people pick this book up and see into another person's history and life view. Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collins for a digital ARC. All thoughts are my own.

[Ms. Woc Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think the graphic novel shined at bringing humor and levity as it introduces and old tale to a new audience. Though the setting is the late 60s how the girls are portrayed here will resonate more with the young readers of today. The art style makes the story feel more modern which surprisingly worked well here.

I have to go read the original prose but the development of the relationship between the girls and their mother didn't fully translate here. With prose you have a lot more words to tell the table while with graphic novels the key is to not put paragraphs of text. We see hints of a break through in their relationship but most of that comes towards the end of the book. And the ending feels a little abrupt like there's still so much more to tell. Which had me wondering if the sequels will be adapted as well.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley for the free Arc!

This graphic novel is a greet adaptation of the original book, One Crazy Summer. The graphic artist is very talented and brings the story to life. At the same time, I appreciate how there is more text on some of the pages than in other graphic novels, preserving some of the original text. This book does a great job providing history into the late 1960s. This helps the reader to understand what a month long summer trip is like for three black sisters who travel from Brooklyn, NY to Oakland, CA to visit their birth mom.

I think that this book would be most appropriate for middle school readers, although many high schoolers may appreciate it as well.

[Connie · Rating 2 out of 5]

First of all, I really liked this as a chapter book when I read it years ago, so I was excited to see it come to life in a graphic novel. Unfortunately, I felt that this graphic novel version was too watered down and it didn’t have the same depth of characters and plot that I remember from the chapter book. I will continue to suggest the chapter book for my students, but I’m not sure I’ll be getting this one for the library.
Side note: this was also really hard to read on my phone, the only device I could get this eARC to load on which may have played a small part in how well I didn’t enjoy it. I’d hope that readers who read the actual book rather than an ebook, will have better engagement with it.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delphine and her two younger sisters fly from New York to California to spend time with their mother – the mother who abandoned them when youngest sister Fern was just a few months old. Their mother is a poet and working to support the Black Panthers in Oakland in 1968 and she wants nothing to do with her daughters. Cecile (as they refer to her) does not feed her girls (or allow them into her kitchen) and she sends them to Black Panther day camp where they can get food and help with community projects. They learn a lot during their time with the Black Panthers and make friends. When Cecile is arrested, they rely on their new friends for help. Readers will love the resilience of the sisters and their spunky personalities while grappling with some big topics.

[Sarah Street · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven't read the original book, so I cannot speak to this as an adaptation. Rather, as a Middle Grade graphic novel, this one stands out to me as one of the best. The story is so rich and richly narrated with images. It's an intense story, Delphine is full of nuance and depth, the backdrop is dynamic, and it's a story that has no neat ending -- I think even though it's a graphic novel, you still get the sense from reading it that it's GREAT literature.

My one complaint is that this story is set in the late 1960s; however, this is never explicitly mentioned. Because of the illustration style, I think many Middle Grade readers will pick this up and initially think it's present-day and be a little bit confused or jarred by the cultural references.

[Kelly Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, wow, wow, wow.

I could not stop thinking about how I walk past One Crazy Summer every day in my school library while I shelve books, and I always tell myself I need to read it.

Now that I've read the graphic novel, the novel is the next non-ARC book I'm going to read.

My one complaint is that I felt like the whole mystery of what was in the kitchen fell kind of flat, but I wonder if there is more buildup in the original novel.

I think recommending this graphic novel to more reluctant readers might encourage them to read the rest of the series. I can't wait to add this to my school library.

Thank you, NetGalley + the publisher, for allowing me to read an e-ARC of this title.

[Leonie]

I haven’t read the original novel, so I can’t compare this graphic novel adaptation to it. The art style was fine, but nothing that really stood out to me.

What bothered me most was the way the mother treated her daughters. She came off as incredibly cold and unkind, and I didn’t like that the story seemed to offer her some redemption by the end.

Overall, I just couldn’t connect with the story and never really got into it.


Thank you to the publisher for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the original novel and its series about 7 years ago, and it’s been on my favorites list since then. So when I walked into the library and found this graphic novel on the NEW shelf, I grabbed it and knew I was in for a treat. I loved reliving the story, but in my opinion, the original novel was better! There’s just a lot of details that have to be cut when making a graphic novel, and some of those details where what I loved most about the book. That said, whether you’re new to the story or not, please get a copy to enjoy of the graphic novel!

[Katelynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rounded up from 4.5. I would love to read the chapter book but working with kids, I don't have time to read every single middle grade book. So I get excited when a graphic novel adaptation comes out! I imagine the chapter book fills in some of the gaps where I wanted more details, but overall I really liked the descriptive illustration style and found this to be a quick, memorable read that I think a lot of kids will enjoy.

This story is about three sisters, told from the POV of eldest Delphine, spending a summer in California with their estranged mother who is a Black Panther.

[Sesana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Middle grade graphic novel involving the Black Panthers, adapted from a novel. I did find the the historical setting very interesting, and the main character's uncertainty about the Panthers, their ideals, and their activities felt very realistic considering the time period and her background. However, I can't shake the feeling that this adapatation is missing something from the original novel. I felt this most in the relationship between the girls and their mother, especially at the end. The go from barely tolerating each other to a connection that didn't feel earned.

[Diane Rembert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sisters Delphine, Vonetta and Fern are traveling to California to spend the summer with the mother who abandoned them seven years prior, to become a member of the Black Panther Party.

Their celebration is short lived when their mother, Cecelia chooses to send her daughters to a summer camp run by the Black Panthers, as opposed to spending quality time with them. It’s here where they gain a new appreciation for culture, family and social justice.

I highly recommend this book to both children and parents. I believe it opens the door to discuss the history that many would like to erase.

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m a big fan of the original One Crazy Summer and was excited to see a graphic novel version so this story can reach a broader audience. Same as the original, it’s a great introduction to the Black Panthers and exploring the hard topic of a mother who left her children. Some aspects of the original are lost but the illustrations bring new life to the story. The facial expressions alone speak volumes, particularly Cecile’s portrayal. Highly recommend for graphic novel readers! ARC via NetGalley

[Ali · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely perfect graphic novel adaptation by Rita Williams-Garcia of her award-winning middle grade classic, illustrated by Sharee Miller (whose work we fell in love with reading Curlfriends!). I laughed, I cried, I learned. This edition will make the very personal story of the civil rights movement accessible to so many more young readers at a time when it is most needed. I'm recommending it to the local public and school library. Highly recommend!

[Aiden · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED this story. Initially got the book because it was new at my library (graphic novel adaptation) and would later find out about its award winning history and sequels etc. I can’t believe I didn’t read this as a kid. This is historical fiction done right! This story is a great introduction to the Black Panther Party for young readers too. I will definitely check out more of Rita Williams-Garcia’s work for my own enjoyment and as recommendations to the youths in my life.