Common Sense Media Review
By Mary Eisenhart
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Unforgettable 12-year-old girl battles the Great Depression.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 9+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
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?
Deza is an unforgettable character whose perspective on historical events is by turns entertaining and provocative. 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. 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.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about what you know about your own family members' experiences during the Great Depression. Were they similar to the Malones'. Have more recent bad times had a similar effect on people you know?
Mr. Malone tells his kids that being called "a credit to your race," while possibly mean as a compliment, is actually an insult that shows the speaker as ignorant and foolish. 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?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : History
- Topics : History
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Wendy Lamb
- Publication date : January 10, 2012
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 9 - 12
- Number of pages : 320
- Last updated : October 1, 2025
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