February 24: The Mighty Miss Malone by Christopher Paul Curtis

"We are a family on a journey to a place called wonderful" is the motto of Deza Malone's family. Deza is the smartest girl in her class in Gary, Indiana, singled out by teachers for a special path in life.

But the Great Depression hit Gary 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.

Jimmie's beautiful voice inspires him to leave the camp to be a performer, while Deza and Mother find a new home, and cling to the hope that they will find Father. The twists and turns of their story reveal the devastation of the Depression and prove that Deza truly is The Mighty Miss Malone .

Author Christopher Paul Curtis, winner of the 2000 Newbery Medal and the Coretta Scott King Author Award, was born and raised in Flint, Michigan. The Mighty Miss Malone is intended for high school level readers.

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