RITA WILLIAMS-GARCIA, a Queens, New York native, is the celebrated author of novels for young adults and middle grade readers.  Her middle grade novel, Clayton Byrd Goes Underground won the 2018 NAACP Image Award for Literature for Young People and was a 2017 National Book Award Finalist.Williams-Garcia is most known for her Coretta Scott King Author Award winning Gaither Sisters trilogy that begins with One Crazy Summer, recipient of the Newbery Honor, and the Scott O’Dell Historical Prize, amongnumerous awards.  After fifteen years, One Crazy Summer is now a graphic novel, illustrated by the fabulous Sharee Miller (Curlfriends).  Follow Rita on Instagram @ritawilliamsgarcia and write to her at ritawg@aol.com.

ONE CRAZY SUMMER:The Graphic Novel, Sharee Miller, illustrator

It’s 1968 and sisters Delphina,11, Vonetta, 9, and Fern, 7, arrive in Oakland to spend the summer with the mother who abandoned them seven years ago.  Their mother, Cecile, is less than welcoming and sends the girls to the People’s Center for breakfast and to keep them out of her hair.  At the People’s Center run by the Black Panthers the sisters feel the importance of community and gain a sense of empowerment.   However, it’s inside Cecile’s green stucco house where the sisters begin to form a much-needed connection with their distant mother.

Says Williams-Garcia, “The novel, One Crazy Summer, invites everyone from eight to eighty into the past with history, heart, and humor.  One Crazy Summer: The Graphic Novel invites readers of all abilities into an unforgettable visual experience.”