Money Hungry (Coretta Scott King Author Honor Books)
The author of The Skin I'm In offers another provocative slice  of city life, vibrantly evoking its sights, sounds and smells.  With her brassy voice and saucy attitude, 13-year-old Raspberry  Hill emerges as a vivacious heroine. She knows first-hand that  living in the housing project is better than being out on the  streets, but she and her mother are equally determined to move  to a safer neighborhood. That's why Raspberry is so "money  hungry," hoarding her savings and doing almost anything ("I  wouldn't do nothing bad. Nothing that would hurt people, like  selling dope, or shoplifting") to earn a few extra dollars. Her  stinginess (well known throughout the school) causes as many  problems as solutions. When her money issues begin interfering  with her friendships, Raspberry is forced to reexamine her  priorities and values. Flake candidly expresses the difficulty  in breaking the cycle of poverty and leaves it up to readers to  judge Raspberry's acts. Ironically, it's not the heroine's stash  of hard-earned cash that brings about positive change for the  family, but rather her mother's ingenuity and the support  offered by generous neighbors. Ages 8-12. (June)Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.