diane recommends P.S. Be Eleven by Rita Williams-Garcia

This is the sequel to One Crazy Summer, which came out in December of 2011. It is about three black sisters going through their lives. I would highly recommend reading One Crazy Summer first, before reading this book, or it will be a little confusing.

Three sisters, Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern, have been staying at their mother's house over the summer. They were just starting to build a relationship with their mom, when they had to go back home. At home, their life is a little different. Their black grandma is in total control, except when their dad decides to disagree with her, which is a very rare occasion. As they are picked up at the airport, they are painfully reminded how old-fashioned their grandma is, as she scolds them for making a, "grand negro spectacle" and expects them to apologize to rude white girls.

Delphine, the oldest of the three sisters, has a huge responsibility to take care of her sisters, but she has other problems of her own. Her sisters are growing up, and that is hard for her, but what is even harder, is she is growing up with them. As the story goes on these sisters try to maintain, or maybe improve, their fragile relationship with their mom by writing her letters. But, hard times always come, and Delphine is in sixth grade, which means she will have to worry about the upcoming dance, and her dad getting remarried to a woman that is the opposite of her mom. As Delphine works out all of these problems, her luck doesn't get better. Thing after thing goes wrong, including her teacher not being the groovy lady she thought she would have, but an out of country weird man.

My favorite parts of this book were the letters to and from their mom.

Dear Cecile,
 . . . Did you love my father? Did he love you? . . .
Yours truly,
Delphine

Dear Delphine,
 . . . Don't concern yourself with old things. Concern yourself with finding you own thing. But don't rush. Listen to Billie sing, "God bless the child who has her own." Enjoy the time it takes you to find your own. Study hard.
Your Mother.
Cecile
P.S. Be eleven.

Because Delphine is eleven, she can't figure out why her mom continually puts, "P.S. Be eleven." at the end of almost every letter. But, later in the story, she starts to figure out what that really means.

This is a good book because you discover yourself in Delphine as she figures out her life. Overall, I was satisfied with P.S. Be Eleven, and I am looking forward to the next book.

Review copy received from the publisher.

P.S. Be Eleven
by Rita Williams-Garcia
published by Amistad
June 2013
Recommended for ages 9-11