CHRISTMAS AFTER ALL by Kathryn Lasky

Christmas After All is about the great depression diary of Minnie Swift who lives in Indianapolis in Indiana during 1932 and her family gets a kid from Texas to take care of and her name is Willie Faye and she is poor and comes with barley anything Willie Faye has a suitcase made of cardboard, pictures, and 3 pairs of clothes.She is all dirty and doesn't know what anything is like a bathtub or toilet because she had to use an outhouse and those things. Will Willie Faye ever even go to school and learn what it is like to live here?

My favorite part was when I learned about Willie Faye and how she won a pumpkin contest because it seemed like she had nothing. It made me happy that she had the biggest pumpkin and a little house in it because it was so big.

I would recommend this book for girls from ages from 9-97 years old.

Rating ****

Sophie

A YEAR DOWN YONDER by Richard Peck

Sequel to A Long Way from Chicago...Peck continues the adventures of Mary Alice. Since her father has lost his job, Mary Alice's parents are forced to take a tiny apartment in Chicago with no room for a 15 year old. Her brother Joey has grown up and joined the army, so Mary Alice is sent back to Grandma Dowdel for a YEAR, not just a week in the summer as usual. She knows that things out in the country are different, but is wholly unprepared for Grandma Dowdel's unconventional way of dealing with life in a small town. Is Grandma really crazy, or does she know exactly what she's doing?

I think kids ages 8-12 will enjoy this book

RATING: ***** *** (even better than #1)

LLL

A LONG WAY FROM CHICAGO by Richard Peck

This is a story of a family struggling to survive the great depression. Joey and Mary Alice are sent for a week during the summer to stay with Grandma Dowdel, a woman well known for being...let's just say different from your typical grandmother. Every one in town knows not to even try to mess with Mrs. Dowdel...but occasionally someone forgets, or they think they can outwit this hilarious, tough old lady.

I think kids ages 8-12 will enjoy this book.

Definitely a good read.

RATING: *****

LLL

Meet Kit by Valerie Tripp

Meet Kit is about a nine year old girl who is living during the great depression. Kit loves towrite newspapers for her dad. At her garden club, Kits mom invites Mrs. Howard to her house while Stirling’s dad looks for a job. Kit is excited that she will have a boy her age to play with. Stirling ends up having delicate health and cannot play. Kits family then has paying guests to help raise money because Kits dad’s company closes. My favorite part of the book is when kit finds out that Stirling has delicate health. Stirling cannot play and catches a cold and has to stay in bed . I think girls ages 7-10 will enjoy this book. RATING: **** by Go Bananas

Christmas After All: Minnie’s Great Depression Diary by Kathryn Lasky

This book is about a girl in the Great Depression who is trying to bring Christmas together with her family. It shows the entertainment and troubles they had during the Depression in Minnie’s diary. My favorite part is toward the end when the Christmas ends up being a good one. Even through all those tough times, it shows how close they were together. Also when the father came back home, it brought joy to my heart. I think children who are 9-13 years old will enjoy this book I think both boys and girls will read this book. But if your doing a report on this like I did I would suggest girls who are 11 or 12. Parts of the book children would not understand or have never heard of before. So doing extra research would be nice. RATING: *** Amber Hood