Gone Crazy in Alabama

ISBN

9780062215895

Publisher & Publication Year

Quill Tree Books, 2015

Publisher's Book Page

Author

Rita Williams-Garcia

Author's Website

Illustrator

Illustrator's Website

Synopsis

Summary

From Newbery Honor and New York Times bestselling author Rita Williams-Garcia comes 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 Charles’s half sister, Miss Trotter. The two half sisters haven’t spoken in years. As Delphine hears about her family history, she uncovers the surprising truth that’s been keeping the sisters apart. But when tragedy strikes, Delphine discovers that the bonds of family run deeper than she ever knew possible.

Notable Achievements

Coretta Scott King Award winner; ALA Notable Book; School Library Journal Best Book of the Year; Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year; ALA Booklist Editors’ Choice; Shelf Awareness Best Book of the Year; Washington Post Best Books of the Year; The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books Blue Ribbon Book; CCBC Choice; New York Public Library 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing; Amazon Best Book of the Year

Reviews

Publishers Weekly: "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."

Link to Review

Kirkus: "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."

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School Library Journal: "This final installment is rich in atmosphere and clearly conveys the sisters’ distinct personalities, their loyalty to one another, and their special place in their complex family... A must-have conclusion to this beloved middle grade series."

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The Horn Book: "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."

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