Last summer with Maizon

Maizon #1

by Jacqueline Woodson

Eleven-year-old Margaret tries to accept the inevitable changes that come one summer when her father dies and her best friend Maizon goes away to a private boarding school.

Genres: Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction, Fiction, African American, Young Adult, Friendship, Cultural

117 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

I used to say I’d be a teacher or a lawyer or a hairdresser when I grew up but even as I said these things, I knew what made me happiest was writing.

I wrote on everything and everywhere. I remember my uncle catching me writing my name in graffiti on the side of a building. (It was not pretty for me when my mother found out.) I wrote on paper bags and my shoes and denim binders. I chalked stories across sidewalks and penciled tiny tales in notebook margins. I loved and still love watching words flower into sentences and sentences blossom into stories.

I also told a lot of stories as a child. Not “Once upon a time” stories but basically, outright lies. I loved lying and getting away with it! There was something about telling the lie-story and seeing your friends’ eyes grow wide with wonder. Of course I got in trouble for lying but I didn’t stop until fifth grade.

That year, I wrote a story and my teacher said “This is really good.” Before that I had written a poem about Martin Luther King that was, I guess, so good no one believed I wrote it. After lots of brouhaha, it was believed finally that I had indeed penned the poem which went on to win me a Scrabble game and local acclaim. So by the time the story rolled around and the words “This is really good” came out of the otherwise down-turned lips of my fifth grade teacher, I was well on my way to understanding that a lie on the page was a whole different animal — one that won you prizes and got surly teachers to smile. A lie on the page meant lots of independent time to create your stories and the freedom to sit hunched over the pages of your notebook without people thinking you were strange.

Lots and lots of books later, I am still surprised when I walk into a bookstore and see my name on a book’s binder. Sometimes, when I’m sitting at my desk for long hours and nothing’s coming to me, I remember my fifth grade teacher, the way her eyes lit up when she said “This is really good.” The way, I — the skinny girl in the back of the classroom who was always getting into trouble for talking or missed homework assignments — sat up a little straighter, folded my hands on the desks, smiled and began to believe in me.

Reviews

[Josiah]

"I feel so stretched out. Like I'm broken in a million pieces or something."

—Margaret, "Last Summer With Maizon", P. 32

"But I knew she had grown into someone I wasn't. I still love her for who she was, not for who she became."

—Grandma, "Last Summer With Maizon", P. 53

"You're my best friend in the whole world...I love you. Best friends should tell each other that."

—Maizon, "Last Summer With Maizon", P. 60

Jacqueline Woodson quietly yet triumphantly delivers a book of deep resonance and clear feeling in this, her first offering to the literary world.
The lives of Margaret, Maizon and all of the others around them blend marvelously well without in any way sacrificing the realism of the scenes. The depth of feeling is always present but incredibly subtle, bowling over the reader with its reticent power while flowing as smoothly as the most silent stream.
Jacqueline Woodson has a way of framing situations just so, in ways that lend fresh, unexpected insight into both the worlds of her lovely characters and into our own lives. As a result, she captures a rich tone of voice that spreads throughout every word of the book with a beauty that one could never expect, even one who is well acquainted with the works of the author.

"Maybe this was our last summer as best friends. I feel like something's going to change now and I'm not going to be able to change it back."

—Margaret, P. 65

"Best friends are best friends always...No matter what."

—Margaret, P. 103

"Last Summer With Maizon" is a short book, but one must not discount the power that such a brief story can possess. The people and the events that they experience will undoubtedly stay with the reader for a very long time, and the lyrical words of insight that flow from the author's pen will surely shed light onto the reader's own lives, for a long time to come.
"Last Summer With Maizon" is a beautifully touching story, and I recommend it with fondest affection to anyone who loves superb writing.

"I wouldn't mind the early autumn
if you came home today
I'd tell you how much I miss you
and know I'd be okay.

It's funny how we never know
exactly how our life will go
It's funny how a dream can fade
with the break of day.

Time can't erase the memory
and time can't bring you home
Last Summer was a part of me
and now a part is gone."

—Margaret, P.P. 74-76

[Desiree]

This is a book I picked up for Francesca at the library. Just a beautifully written story about two young girls and their deep bond with one another. This would be a sweet story to read with/to your child and have your own book discussion about it. It has some very sad moments, (I cried,surprising, I know:)and also some very uplifting moments. Just wonderful! It's so nice to read such a story in a very short period of time.

[Bethany Venus]

Maizon and Margaret are best friends and have been for a long time. They tell each other everything and spend all their time together. But when Maizon, the smartest girl at school, gets accepted to a special school far away in New York, will the two girls be able to keep their friendship going?

This is a story of the power of friendship, fitting in, and the pain that distance can set between friends. Margaret does not know what to do with herself when Maizon goes away to school, especially when she needs a friend after the recent death of her father. But through their separation, Margaret learns to find herself and learns to depend on those around her. Maizon hates her new school. The book work is not hard but when the other children tease her and refuse to talk to her, Maizon decides she wants to go home, but will her Grandmother have her back and will Margaret still want to be friends? The power of friendship shines through at the most important aspect of this book, which I would recommend for a younger teen audience.

[Jessica]

i rellly injoyed reading this book , even though i didnt want to read it at first becuase the cover didnt in press me but yea i do belive you cant ever judge a book by its cover . anyways yea i relly liked this book . this book is about maison wins a scholar ship becuase shes relly smart and she accepeted to it . however she was afraid of loseing her best friend . and she didnt like how people treated her over there . so she eventually came back . this is an interesting book .

[Rebecca]

an enthusiastic student's response to this boosted it from a 3-star to a 4-star, made me love it even more than I enjoyed it on my own.

[Jillian h.]

It was a great book about friendship and how you sometimes have to learn that you need to let friends go sometimes. :(

[Barbaracase]

Captures the universal deep feelings of adolescence. Some books for juveniles are little but multi-faceted jewels, this is one of those.

[Isadora]

In the book "Last Summer with Maizon" Madison is the main character but the story was told by an omniscient narrator. Madison is having troubles with her family but her best friend Maizon is there every step of the way. Maizon applied for a school far away where she would live like a boarding school but Madison doesn't want Maizon to go. As the summer is beginning everything starts to go wrong, her father suffers from frequent heart attacks and her mother is beginning to become stressed.This book puts you on the edge of your seat because you aren't sure if the father will be ok or what and when all the stuff will happen.

I didn't really find this book very interesting or exciting because it was a little depressing and things happened too fast. Because the events all came at you like a swirling snowball you didn't really have time to thing and reflect on how that event would change the characters feelings or actions. I also like when characters reflect about their actions and have inner thinking but with this kind of narration there was barely any of either. I would recommend this book to those who want a quick realistic fiction read. In the end, the book gave me something to think about which is what a book should make you do, reflect.

[22016Patrice L.]

Woodson's Last Summer with Maizon was an easy read for early readers 3rd through 8th grade. It was a emotional journey through the Margaret's summer. Margaret had what could be considered the worst summer ever. She lost her father and her best friend, Maizon, who she considered a sister, was moving away to boarding school. Talk about a "double wammy." By the time her father died Maizon had already gone off to boarding school. She found herself alone and in the need of a friend.
This is a great story for young children. There were many events that took place that they can relate to such as friendship, loneliness, sadness and fear. Those connection are great for aiding critical thinking skills.

[Ouida Robinson]

Author: Jacqueline Woodson

Title: Last Summer with Maizon

Plot: Margaret and Maizon are friends. They are in the same grade at school. During summer Maizon and Margaret spend as much time together as possible because Maizon has been accepted in an boarding school in the fall.

Setting: Margaret hose and street

Characters: Margaret, Maizon, Ms. Dell and Hattie

Point of view: First Person

Theme: Friendship, Friends, School Life

Style: General Fiction; Chapter Book

Copyright: 1991

Notes: This is a good book about two friends. Many girls would be able to relate to this type of friendship.

[Lollo]

well, its a middle reader, not even sure the age its geared toward but she is on the board of lava and i have an 11 year old niece and i am always looking for good books to send her way. the beginning was a little slow but i couldn't tell if that was the book or the fact that it was written for a much younger person, then again, i remember thinking that when i was young about alot of books...all in all it deals with the death of a parent and the leaving of a best friend/evolution of friendship in an interesting way

[Rancel Bido]

I read this book as a group but i really liked it,i think Jacqeline Woodson did a awsome job at this book. When Maizon wins a scholarship to a boarding school for smart students,Margaret was upset and scared to lose her friend .After Maizon left to boarding school margaret discovers her talent,including being smart at school and winning a poetry contest.After like about three months Maizon came back from boarding school and the adults and peers in the brooklyn neighborhood were glad to see her again. You could find this book in MS.Stoddard's class.

[Hermioneginny]

Margaret ha undici anni, come la sua migliore amica Maizon. Vivono a Brooklin e affrontano la loro ultima estate insieme; il padre di Margaret muore e Maizon è stata accettata in un'esclusiva scuola privata. Margaret deve così rimboccarsi le maniche, trovare la vera se stessa e affrontare il mondo.

Una storia semplice e delicata.

* Un amico è qualcuno che sa quando esserci e quando non esserci.

[Ruthie22]

I think this is a really good book. On the 10 pages I did read about 2 girls. Maizon and Margaret. They are best friends. They know each other`s secrets, dreams, and everything. Margaret`s father is in the hospital. Maizon wants to go to a really expensive and good school, what is far away. Maizon`s mom is always working, and crying because Maizon`s dad.

[Liza]

This was given to me as part of our school's summer reading on diversity. I read it in one day and really liked the story. It has many themes to discuss from the loss of a parent, to racism, to classism, to bullying, to growing up. I look forward to hearing what middle school children have to say about it this fall.

[Tiffany]

This book was a good read. It didn't take me long to read and it had a realistic view on what happens in life. This books also proves the meaning of having and keeping a strong friendship. This story was said in the beginning, but had a nice ending. This is a good story for young girls in middle grades. What goes on in this book proves what can occur in real life.

[Christy]

Margaret loves her parents and hanging out with her best friend, Maizon. Then it happens, like a one-two punch, during the summer she turns eleven: first, Margaret's father dies of a heart attack, and then Maizon is accepted at an expensive boarding school, far away from the city they call home. For the first time in her life, Margaret has to turn to someone who isn't Maiz

[Sue Monroe]

African American characters

Characters who struggle with external problems (father dying, best friend leaving)
Characters who are defining themselves.

Might be good Point of View book when paired with the second book in the series Maizon at Blue Hill.
Nice language and realistic portrayal, better writing than many 6th grade 'friendship' books.

[Bonnie]

I bought the three Maizon books for my Little Free Library, as well as Black Girl Dreaming and now Another Brooklyn.
They were read quickly by a middle school girl in the neighborhood, and now I'm saving them for the next one.
All of these books are apparently to some degree autobiographic, since they include similar stories.

[Misael Rosa]

This book is ma good i re-read it 2 times already..it's about a maizon day she gets a scholarship to be accepted to a school and it's afraid to lose her best friend..I recomend this book to Odee smart people

[Elizabeth]

From a young girls point of view. She has the worst summer ever when her dad dies and best friend goes to boarding school. It does share how she learns to deal with these losses, writing poetry. Very touching story.

[Bev]

I chose this as the summer reading selection for 6th graders at my school. It was perfect for them because it allowed them to explore the relationship between two girls who friends but do not have the same opportunities available to them.

[Reis Fonkem]

this book was really tuching i love the way the author discribed evere single detail and also the book was really touching i felt sad when mazion's dad passed away and she was would never forget him the way he used to carry her up in the air

[Marissa Pezzullo]

Losing a good friend to anything is never easy. Margret is a strong girl who has her whits about her and she does a great job getting along. This would be a good book to have upper elementary students read becuase they are in a sort of awkward stage of finding and keeping a best friend.

[Tammy Knowles]

Last Summer with Maizon is a book about to young black girls that are best friends that tell each other everything. Doing the summer Margaret's father dies and Maizon the smart one gets accepted into an exceptional school. This is a great book to teach about friendship and hope to cope with loss.

[Kimberley]

Good, realistic fiction. It's sad, though. I didn't expect that. I don't mean it ends sad, but there are lots of struggles the characters go through. My students' hearts really went out to Margaret. Mine, too.

[Kensey]

THIS IS A STORY ABOUT 2 GIRLS BUT 1 GIRL HAS A BUNCH OF PROMBLEMS LIKE HER DAD HAS DIED HER BEST BEST FRIEND HAS MOVED AWAY AND SHE HAS NO ONE TO HANG OUT WITH! SO U SHOULD READ IT PLEASE!!!!!

[One step at a time]

So far I think that this book is good. I like it already so I think that if I keep on reading I'll come to like it a lot.

[Scott]

Another great one by Woodson, though it focuses more on grief and loss than on the politics of "Melanin Sun" or "I Hadn't Meant To Tell You This".

[Vanessa]

great book about an African American girl and her experiences at a predominantly white boarding school.