Historical Fiction, (Very) Young Adult Lit
This book might be fiction (read: made up), but the history isn't. When Delphine first sees a bunch of signs on the wall at the Center, she's not sure what they're about. They read:
JUSTICE FOR ALL
ALL POWER TO ALL OF THE PEOPLE
REMEMBER LI'L BOBBY
FREE HUEY. (14.10)
Who the heck is Bobby, you ask? Why he's Bobby Hutton, of course, a real sixteen-year-old who was the first person recruited to the Black Panther Party… and the first person to die in the party a year later, while in a shoot-out with the police. That's why everyone wants to remember him at the Center: It's a way of encouraging them to keep up the good fight for power.
This is just one of many examples of the historical truth woven into this made-up story. Delphine might be a figment of imagination, but much of the story around the Black Panther Party is real.
As for young adult lit, we might more accurately call this very young adult lit. One Crazy Summer is centered around an eleven-year-old and her younger sisters, and it's very much written for readers of similar age. The language is simple, the story is clear, the thoughts and feelings are relatable. That doesn't mean older readers can't totally get into this one, though; after all, the Civil Rights Movement is a pretty interesting backdrop and pretty much everyone knows what's it's like to have beef with their mom.