The dramatic and unforgettable story of a girl and a family caught up in the turbulent days of the Depression from Newbery Medal and Coretta Scott Kind Award-winner Christopher Paul Curtis.
"We are a family on a journey to a place called wonderful." This is the motto of Deza Malone's family, but the road is getting rocky.
Deza is the smartest girl in her class, singled out by teachers for a special path in life. But the Great Depression hit Gary, Indiana hard, and there are no jobs for Black men. When her beloved father leaves to find work, Deza, Mother, and her older brother Jimmie go in search of him, and end up in a Hooverville outside Flint, Michigan. While Jimmie's beautiful voice inspires him to leave the camp to be a performer, Deza and Mother continue on, clinging to the hope that they will find Father.
The twists and turns of the Malone's journey reveal not only the devastation of the Depression but also the enduring strength of family bonds and the mighty heart of young Deza Malone.
On sale: March 12, 2013
Age: 9-12 years
Grade: Grades 6-8
Page count: 320 Pages
ISBN: 9780440422143
Reading level: Lexile: 750L | Fountas/Pinnell: U
CHRISTOPHER PAUL CURTIS is the recipient of the Coretta Scott King–Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement. He won the Newbery Medal and the Coretta Scott King Award for his bestselling second novel,
Bud, Not Buddy. His first novel,
The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963, was also singled out for many awards, among them a Newbery Honor and a Coretta Scott King Honor, and has been made into a Hallmark Channel Original Movie.
Curtis grew up in Flint, Michigan. After high school he began working on the assembly line at the Fisher Body Plant No. 1 while attending the Flint branch of the University of Michigan. He is now a full-time writer. He lives with his family in Windsor, Ontario.
Best of the Year:
Publishers WeeklyKirkus Reviews
“Witty and moving
.” —
The Wall Street Journal “The fluidity of the writing, the strong sense of place and time combined with well-drawn characters will captivate and delight. . . . a fitting literary companion to Bud Caldwell.” —
Kirkus Reviews, Starred “Curtis threads important bits of African-American history throughout the narrative. . . . Some readers will feel they are due a bit of happiness; others will be struck by how little has changed in 75 years for the nation’s have-nots.” —
Publishers Weekly, Starred
