The Mighty Miss Malone

Review

Common Sense Media says

Unforgettable 12-year-old girl battles the Great Depression.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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What parents need to know

Parents need to know that positive messages abound in this tale of family tenacity in the Great Depression, but some of the misfortunes and hardships that befall the the Malone family are quite harrowing (e.g. losing their home, Mr. Malone's physical and mental deterioration) and may be troubling to more sensitive younger readers. The vivid snapshots of everyday life, main character Deza's exuberant, malapropism-laden love of language and learning, and the sudden dissonance of clashing worlds (say, the world of the Malones, and the world of the banker's family for whom Mrs. Malone cleans house) all add enjoyment, irony and interest to the story for thoughtful readers.

  • Educational value5
    Much about the Great Depression, from precarious employment, tent cities, and poorhouses to speakeasies, fancy cars, and shiny skyscrapers (not to mention baseball and boxing) will become vivid and memorable as experienced by Deza. Along with Deza's, the reader's critical thinking skills will get a workout as events progress; things aren't always what they seem, and they aren't always what the speaker believes, with the best intentions, to be true.
  • Positive messages5
    "We are a family on a journey to a place called Wonderful" is the Malones' family motto, and however bad things get, Deza never wavers from her belief in her family and that statement. Her parents and brother strive constantly against great odds to keep the family together and safe.
  • Positive role models5
    Deza and her family members' love and loyalty to one another are compelling, each of them (including the irrepressible Jimmie, whose sense of truth and reality tends to be a bit fluid)  admirable in their own way. Their decisions wouldn't always be appropriate under more normal circumstances -- for example, when they're living in what we would now call a homeless encampment, Mrs. Malone and Deza are advised to lie when people ask where they're from -- but they're always driven by love for the family.
  • Violence2
    An important scene, told in retrospect by the traumatized survivor, involves the wreck of a fishing boat that killed all but one of the men aboard, and there's some mystery as to what exactly happened. There's also a fight scene in which Jimmie is beaten by the neighborhood bully, whom Deza then trounces. The public hysteria leading up to the first boxing match between Joe Louis and Max Schmeling plays a role in the early part of the book.
  • Sex0
    During  perilous times on the road, Deza and her mother are advised to be extra careful, as life in the camps is even more dangerous for women and girls. On a more comic side, it's a recurring  theme that females of all ages, from Deza's friend Clarice to the ladies of Detroit, are gaga over her sweet-voiced brother Jimmie.
  • Language0
    Not applicable.
  • Consumerism0
    Fancy Buicks and Burma-Shave signs are part of the local color. One vignette has to do with bugs infesting the Quaker Oatmeal.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking1
    Some scenes take place in a speakeasy in Detroit, though none of the central characters imbibe.
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What's the story?

In May 1936, 12-year-old Deza Malone may be poor, but she's living a fairly secure, happy life in Gary, Ind., as the brightest student in her class and the beloved child of doting parents. But the Great Depression hits the family hard, first driving her father away from town in search of work, then Deza, her brother, and her mother after him when he disappears. Trouble and hardship follow, in which not only poverty but also racial prejudice play a role -- as does the kindness of strangers.

Is it any good?

 

Curtis' previous book, Bud, Not Buddy, in which young Deza makes an appearance, won both the Newbery Medal and the Coretta Scott King Award, among other honors, so THE MIGHTY MISS MALONE is in good company. Deza is an unforgettable character whose perspective on historical events is by turns entertaining and provocative. As the story progresses, young readers will have frequent occasion to contemplate what it might have been like, for example, to be in constant pain because half their teeth were rotting away. 

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What families can talk about

  • Families can talk about what you know about your own family members' experiences during the Great Depression and whether they were similar to the Malones'. Have more recent bad times had a similar effect on people you know?

  • In talking to his children about how being called "a credit to your race" -- while the speaker may mean it as a compliment -- is actually an insult that shows the speaker as ignorant and foolish, Mr. Malone says, "Be aware that that person is letting you know you need to keep an even sharper-than-normal eye on them. But be grateful, too, because they're letting you know exactly who they are." What are some other examples of "praise" that warn you to be extra careful of the speaker?

  • How does the lack of basic medical care affect the Malones? How might their lives be different today?

  • For the first time when she's in Flint, Deza understands why some kids hate school. What's different about this school and the one she used to attend? How do they compare to your school?

This review was written by Mary Eisenhart

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This review was written by Mary Eisenhart
Topics:history
Author:Christopher Paul Curtis
Book type:Fiction
Genre:History
Publisher:Wendy Lamb
Publication date:January 10, 2012
Number of pages:320
Hardcover price:$15.99
Publisher's recommended age(s):9 - 12
This review was written by Mary Eisenhart
 

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About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.
Our child development rating guidelines

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