In the summer of 1968, after travelling from Brooklyn to Oakland, California, to spend a month with the mother they barely know, eleven-year-old Delphine and her two younger sisters arrive to a cold welcome as they discover that their mother, a dedicated poet and printer, is resentful of the intrusion of their visit and wants them to attend a nearby Black Panther summer camp.
In a humorous and breakout book by Williams-Garcia, the Penderwicks meet the Black Panthers.
My thoughts:
Delphine and her two sisters, Vonetta and Fern, head to Oakland, California to spend the summer with their mother, who left them right after Fern was born.
I enjoyed Delphine's view. She's the oldest and remembers her mother the most. Their mother is not very nice and acts like she doesn't want them there. She sends them off to the Black Panther center every morning for breakfast and summer camps. They meet some new friends. And they begin to see the community and haven the Black Panthers have provided for people who need it. Soon Delphine and her sisters are making signs and handing out flyers for a peaceful protest.
Delphine learns more about her mother and why she left and the true name of her little sister Fern. She learns that everyone has layers and nobody is what he/she seems at first glance.
It's a wonderful and nuanced story. It's a great one for kids and adults alike.
*part of the Monthly Motif Challenge--Diversify your reading in January hosted by GirlXOXO.
It was. She's a great writer!
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