Last Summer with Maizon by Jacqueline Woodson

From the Publisher

"You're my best friend in the whole world," Maizon said.

Maizon and Margaret know how lucky they are. They live on the same block on Madison Street in Brooklyn, and they're always together. But the summer they are eleven, Margaret's father dies. Then Maizon is offered a scholarship to a boarding school, where, she's afraid, she might be the only black student.

The girls can't go back to last summer, before everything changed. But can they keep their promise to be best friends forever?

Beverley Fahey - Children's Literature

For eleven-year-old Margaret the summer that should have been a time of youthful exuberance—sharing secrets and time with her best friend Maizon in their Brooklyn neighborhood—instead delivered two devastating blows. The first was the sudden death of her beloved father and the second was news that Maizon had been accepted to the prestigious Blue Hill boarding school in Connecticut. Margaret's grief over these losses, coupled with her insecurities about going it alone cast a pall over the friendship. As Margaret struggles with doubt on her journey to self-discovery she has the love and support of a cast of strong female adults. It isn't until Margaret begins a new school year and with the help of a sympathetic teacher that she discovers her own inner strength. First published in 1990 Woodson's novel is deftly written and she explores, with honesty and simplicity, issues of racism, death, the elitism of private schools, and friendship is this coming of age story. Readers who wish to follow Maizon as she strives for acceptance should read Maizon at Blue Hill. 2002 (orig. 1990), Putnam Publishing Group,

School Library Journal

Gr 5-7-- When her best friend wins a scholarship to a boarding school for gifted students, Margaret is devastated. Then, in Maizon's absence, she discovers her own abilities, including success in the smartest class at school and winning a poetry contest. Still, when Maizon leaves the boarding school after only three months, Margaret, Maizon's grandmother, and the other adults in their Brooklyn neighborhood are glad to have her back. Woodson quickly establishes the strong ties between the two girls and paints a vivid picture of the supporting characters and their surroundings. However, once Maizon goes away to school, the focus of the story blurs. Because Maizon neither writes nor calls, other characters speculate that she is finding the work too difficult because she's not the brightest student anymore. Surprisingly, the 11 year old's decision to leave is made without any adult input. Later, readers receive only a brief explanation when Maizon comments that many of the girls hated her because she was smart and black. Margaret's growth is conveyed through only two brief episodes at school, yet this is a major development in the story. While readers will certainly be drawn into the book by the warmth and tenderness generated by the characters, as well as the descriptive images of cinnamon-scented kitchens and distant trains in the twilight, the narrative gaps may leave them wondering just what happened and why, and whose story this is meant to be. --Susan Schuller, Milwaukee Public Library

Product Details

• ISBN: 0698119290
  
• ISBN-13: 9780698119291
• Format: Paperback, 112pp
• Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)
• Pub. Date: May 2002
• Sales Rank: 58,806
• Age Range: 9 to 12