Genre/Subject: Realistic Fiction
Ages: 9 and up
Plot: In Gary, Indiana, a twelve-year-old girl named Deza Malone was the smartest kid in school, but now she wears patched clothes and has rotting teeth. The story is set in 1963 and the country is desperately struggling due to the Depression. Despite the country, Deza has her best friend, library books, her school, a devoted teacher, and her family. Deza is intelligent and desires to be a teacher and a writer. Her father lost his job, and cannot find any work, and the family has no money for entertainment. Deza's brother Jimmie has a wonderful singing voice and loves to perform, and her father is a great storyteller. Together, the family does the best they can during the Depression and have high hopes for the future. But, their future is not good, because Deza's dad is desperate for work, and he decides to leave his family, and travel back to where he grew up in Flint, Michigan. He believes he might have better luck finding a job, there. Deza's father promises to write and send money, and will move the entire family up north when he gets up north. Deza' mom loses her job as well, and the family gets evicted from their home. With no where else to go, the family leaves for Flint, Michigan to find Deza's father. With no money, they take a few belongings and sneak onto a train headed for Michigan. When they arrive to Lint, they house is gone. The find a shack in the homeless camp outside of town. Deza's mom manages to find some work, but her brother Jimmie takes off on his own to find a singing job in the city. There is no word from her dad. Deza is losing control over her dreams, but she never loses hope even through the struggle for survival.
Review: Deza is first introduced as a character in Curtis' Newberry Medal-winning novel, Bud, Not Buddy. The story is told from the point of view of a little girl, and throughout her expression of the Depression, the story becomes very inspiring. Deza has high hopes and is able to accept her family's misfortune. She values family, friendship, and learning throughout hard times. With the Depression as the setting, the story takes many different turns, and readers will not know what to expect. One day Deza's parents have jobs, another day they lose their jobs. This story explains that no matter how bad off a person is, there may be other worse situations.
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