I loved this book! Defenitely reccommend this book for all grades 4 and up!

I gave this book 4.5 stars because I like the adventures they go on and it owns Black history. I like the part where Jimmy sings at the baseball game. I like the part when the Big Fight happens, too. A very, very good read!

Deza Malone serves as the wise beyond her years protagonist in this coming of age story during the Great Depression. We first met the Malone family in Curtis' 'Bud Not Buddy', and now get a chance to revisit Deza, her brother Jimmy, and her mother and father, all of whom are trying to get by one day at a time when seems like all of the decks are stacked against them. The poignant afterword makes this book all the more relevant for contemporary audiences as readers are encouraged to take a hard look at how unequal the world still seems.

This is a companion novel to *Bud, not Buddy*, the Newbery Award-winning children’s novel about an African-American boy in the Great Depression, who runs away from a neglectful foster home in order to search for the man he thinks might be his father. At one point Bud lands in a squatter’s camp near Flint, Michigan and meets a strong-willed young girl who treats him kindly and helps him along his way. In this novel, Curtis takes up the story of that girl, 12-year-old Deza Malone.

Deza and her mother, along with her older brother Jimmie, who “sings like an angel,” live with her father in Gary, Indiana. When her father is injured on a fishing trip, he loses his job at the steel mill and goes off to Michigan to look for work. When he doesn’t come back or write, Deza’s family is kicked out of their rented home, and they have to learn how to ride the rails to go to Michigan to find him. Curtis shows the difficulties of poor African-American families in those times, with rampant racism making jobs and survival even harder to come by. But Deza has her family and her own intelligence and intense desire to succeed to give her an edge. It’s another fine piece of characterization and storytelling by one of our better writers.

I was driving to and from Phoenix by myself for the #RnRArizona Half Marathon and thought it'd be the perfect time for an audio book or two. When I was looking I saw this one was available, the story was centered around a family who lived in Gary, Indiana and Flint, MI, and it wasn't too long - so sign me up. I'll be honest, it's for younger readers (I think like 4-7 grade level), but hey, I love me some Young Adult books so I figured I'd give it a try. Even still, I really enjoyed it. It touched on prejudice, history, family dynamics, etc. I also appreciated that this was a book focusing on an African American family because I know how impactful it can be for kids to have books they see themselves in (and although this is set in the Great Depression timeframe there are still plenty of relevant topics). This may not be my normal read, but it kept me engaged and inspired on my drive to Arizona. I would give it an 8 out of 10.

This was wonderful book. My class of grade 5 did it as a book report and I could find out about and understand the struggle of African Americans during the great depression and why they suffered a great quantity of it. I recommend this to everyone who comes across this book or wants to understand the struggle of this time period.

This is the best book I have ever read. Deza is so strong and brave it's amazing. I could not put this book down, and I would read it over and over again.

I love this book so much you should read it!!!!

I loved this book. IT IS AWESOME!:)

It is a really good story and I love how Deza's problems are what really happened. It just sad what happens when they settled and they are having a really good time then something terrible happens. Things keep happening to the poor dad. But Deza is a strong girl and she can handle stuff like that. The ending is amazing.