Review: The Mighty Miss Malone by Christopher Paul Curtis

The Mighty Miss Malone by Christopher Paul Curtis.

Wendy Lamb Books
Publication Date: January 2012
List Price: $15.99
ISBN-13: 9780385734912

Review: The Malones are "a family on a journey to a place called Wonderful!" And author Christopher Paul Curtis shows us that journey in that book, The Mighty Miss Malone. This story of love and adventure takes you through the life of twelve year old, Deza Malone. As the plot thickens, we learn more and more about what it was like to live during the Great Depression.

Deza Malone is your average African American lower class child living during the Great Depression. Deza lives in Michigan with her older brother Jimmie, her mother, and father. Jimmie sings with the voice of an angel, but often gets in trouble because of his insecurities. Deza's parents are some of the nicest people in the town. Deza loves her family dearly. Her life seemed perfect, at first. But soon, her father left on a fishing trip and didn't come back for several days. The family searched for days on end and after a few weeks, they found him! He brought with him stories of terror about what had happened to him. Now, things were back to normal; or so they seemed. Suddenly, Deza experienced another surprise. Her father left in the middle of the night to go find work in the city. They never heard back from him. As time passed, the Malones just hoped and "went through the motions" of life as they waited for something to happen. At last something did happen, but it wasn't good. Deza, her mother, and Jimmie were kicked out of their home by their landlord. Now they were on the road in a small camp for homeless people on the move. Soon they get accustomed to living there. But, another unfortunate turn of events occurs! Jimmie leaves Deza and her mother on a nearby train, to see if he can find work as a singer in the city. Will they ever see Deza's father or brother Jimmie again? Or, will Deza ever find a real home? You'll have to read it to find out!

The Mighty Miss Malone was fantastic! Deza's inspiring story makes you wonder what you would do in her position. Curtis' amazing writing draws you into the story until you don't even realize that you're reading a book! I could not put this book down. And, I'm sure you won't be able to either. The Mighty Miss Malone helps you to realize the very strong and real racism that occurred during this time. I find it awful how terrible African Americans were treated by others. Also, the heart wrenching story of Deza Malone and her family really makes you feel for her. Very few authors can make you feel this way. But, Christopher Paul Curtis is a true professional. The Mighty Miss Malone is factual in terms of US history, and at the same time expresses true love within a family. The Mighty Miss Malone is the perfect book to read if you enjoy stories about how love perseveres during times of crisis.

Review written by Savannah (7th grade student).

We would like to thank Random House for providing a copy of The Mighty Miss Malone for this review.

Have you read The Mighty Miss Malone? How would you rate it?