Deza Malone is back!

If you enjoyed Bud, not Buddy, be sure to read the companion book: The Mighty Miss Malone by Christopher Paul Curtis.  Deza Malone and her family are living through the Great Depression in Gary, Indiana.  Deza's father (like many others) is out of work, and he goes to Flint, Michigan, to try to find a job.  After Deza's mother loses her job, shes takes Deza and her brother Jimmie on the road, hopping trains and staying in questionable places to reach Flint. While looking for Mr. Malone, they have no choice but to stay in "Hooverville," a shantytown for the homeless.  It's easy to like Deza and admire her strong family ties, so when Mr. Malone is finally found, you'll be both happy and sad.  A humorous, yet realistic look at the hardships of the time.

2011 Newbery winner

And the winner is...Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool. It's 1936, and Abilene is twelve years old.  For reasons she doesn't understand, her father has sent her to Manifest, Kansas, to live with his friend Shady - once a bootlegger and now a pastor. Through stories told by Miss Sadie (a diviner) and old newspaper clippings, Abilene starts to put together the pieces of Manifest's past, but she can't figure out why it's so hard to learn about her father's life there.  The imagery, characters, and dialogue seem very authentic for the time period, and they pull the reader along while Abilene uncovers many of the community's secrets.  I was a bit disappointed, though. I figured a Newbery winner would really impress me, and I was just left with an "okay" impression.  But if you like historical fiction and/or strong female characters, give the book a try!

Not your typical grandmother

You might have mixed feelings if you were told you'd be spending a week of every summer at your grandparent's house.  In A Long Way from Chicago by Richard Peck, Joey starts out feeling the same way, but by the end of the book, I'd want to go to his grandmother's, too!  It's the time of the Great Depression, and each chapter represents a different summer that Joey and his sister spend with Grandma Dowdel.  She's NOT your typical elderly lady - she doesn't mind hauling out the shotgun, lying, stealing, or playing tricks on people.  But deep down, she's got a heart of gold.  Whether she's fooling the sheriff, hoping to win a prize for her gooseberry pie, or helping a young couple elope, Grandma will make you smile.

A Newbery treasure

Quite deserving of the Newbery Award it won, Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis is a wonderful blend of humor, tenderness, and historical fiction. The story is set in 1936 in Flint, Michigan. Bud is a 10-year-old running away from the orphanage and the latest (horrible) foster home. He doesn't know anything about his father, but he has a clue: a flyer, left by his mother, of Herman E. Calloway and his band, the Dusky Devastators of the Depression!!!!!! Convinced that Calloway is his father, Bud sets out to find him, taking his beat-up suitcase of treasured belongings and keeping in mind Bud Caldwell's Rules and Things for Having a Funner Life and Making a Better Liar Out of Yourself. I loved the description of the Great Depression, Bud's perception of life (he remembers Momma reading Twenty Thousand Leaks Under the Sea), and the way the band members embrace Bud's entrance into their lives. This would be a great book for sharing as a read-aloud.