Kathy Egner, Ph.D. (Children's Literature)
Raspberry lives in the inner city. Her mother is in the hospital because Shiketa, a young juvenile delinquent, hit her in the head with a metal pipe. Add to that the fact that Raspberry's father is a drug addict and you have the makings of a touching story. One strand of the story concerns Raspberry's obsession with money, which for her means security. After she steals money from her best friend, she cannot admit what she has done because, deep down, she is desperately afraid that her theft means she will end up like her father. Eventually, she confronts her fear, develops her courage, and owns up to the theft. Another strand of the story focuses on her mother's struggle to forgive Shiketa and to try to rebuild her life. Flake's writing is masterful and engaging, and Raspberry's growth as a person provides a wonderful role model for teenagers. 2003, Hyperion Books, $15.99. Ages 10 to 16.

Beth Guldseth (Children's Literature)
Raspberry Hill from Money Hungry is back. She and her mother still struggle to escape the effects, material and psychological, of having been homeless. Raspberry's mother is beaten up after she calls the cops on a neighbor, and her junkie dad reappears whenever he needs money. Worst of all, Raspberry can't stop herself from stealing from her good friend. Two other strong subplots--Mai's anger at being mixed-race and Raspberry's budding romance with Sato--are well developed. The book has tight writing that starts fast and doesn't falter. The story is told in realistic dialog and Raspberry's first person observations. Begging For Change may be even better than the first book about Raspberry. 2003, Jump at the Sun/Hyperion, $15.99. Ages 12 up.

CCBC (Cooperative Children's Book Center Choices, 2004)
Everything seems like such a struggle for teenager Raspberry Hill and her mother. They're no longer homeless, but every step forward, like having a decent apartment, has its downside-in this case, a threatening young neighbor who puts Raspberry's mother in the hospital. When Raspberry, who is always looking for ways to make money, sees a wad of bills in her friend Zora's purse, it just doesn't seem fair-why is everything so easy for Zora? She takes the money, and nothing is the same. Zora doesn't trust her and wants Raspberry to tell their friends and family what she's done. Meanwhile Raspberry's luck-never great-seems to spiral downward. When Zora accuses Raspberry of being just like Raspberry's father-a drug addict who steals some of Raspberry's hard-earned money-Raspberry aches at the thought it might be true. Sharon Flake's first-person narrative is alive with the words and feelings of a teen trying to make sense of herself and the people around her-good people trying their best to live a good life-in this novel that underscores how challenges both within and beyond one's own control, from personal choices to race and class prejudice, can make the struggle for a better life so hard. CCBC categories: Fiction for Young Adults. 2003, Jump at the Sun / Hyperion, 235 pages, $15.99 and $5.99. Ages 12-15.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, June 1, 2003 (Vol. 71, No. 11))
This sequel to Money Hungry (2001) stands on its own, as the tale of a young teenage girl struggling to do right by people in hard times. Raspberry Hill and her mother have a new home in a tough neighborhood. Her mother is hospitalized when a neighbor, on whom she's called the cops one too many times, takes revenge. Raspberry is still fixated on hoarding cash (her security blanket), which gets her into big difficulties when she takes some from her best friend's purse. Her friends from Money Hungry are back, and their old issues (being of mixed race, having absent parents) resurface. So does Raspberry's dad-a homeless drug addict, who loves his daughter on the one hand and betrays her on the other. Direct, conversational narrative and dialogue, and the representative urban setting make this a work that many different types will be able to enjoy on various levels. 2003, Hyperion, $15.99. Category: Fiction. Ages 11 to 15. © 2003 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Vicki Arkoff (Midwest Book Review, "Vicki's Bookshelf" column, August 2003)
From the first page of her book debut, "The Skin I'm In," it was clear that novelist Sharon G. Flake had talent to burn. Her latest accomplishment is "Begging for Change," a riveting novel for ages 10 and up, and the sequel to the 2002 Coretta Scott King Honor book, "Money Hungry." Here we again meet teenager Raspberry Hill, who was once homeless and has vowed never to end up on the streets again. To her, money equals security. But when a troubled neighborhood teenager attacks her mother, Raspberry is desperate for things in her life to change, and so ends up stealing from her best fried. But as the plot unfolds, it becomes evident that nothing good comes from bad money. As her thoughts alternate between the two men in her life -- as her relationship with Sato blossoms and her relationship with her drug-addicted father erodes -- Raspberry must finally confront the biggest of all her fears: is she really much different from her thieving father after all? How will her friends react when they find out what she's done? One thing is certain -- something's got to change. The apt title underscores the dichotomy underscoring Raspberry's dilemma. It also harkens back to a continuing theme close to the author's own truly inspirational story of her personal drive to break the cycle of poverty, and the writing success that has since resulted. "Begging For Change" is a gripping, unflinching look at the realities of too many young Americans. 2003, Hyperion, 238 pages, $15.99.

Karen Coats (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, July 2003 (Vol. 56, No. 11))
When Raspberry’s mother is brutally attacked by a neighbor girl, Raspberry’s resentment at her hard life begins to cloud her judgment. In her anger and uncertainty, she lashes out at her friend Zora by stealing money from Zora’s purse, not because she needs it, but simply because Zora has everything that Raspberry wants--a loving father, a nice home, no need to scrimp and save. Zora sees Raspberry’s thievery as a betrayal of their friendship that she cannot forgive; Raspberry herself fears that her action (and another theft) links her to her strung-out father, who keeps returning to steal from Raspberry and her mother. This sequel to Money Hungry takes readers back into the struggles of Raspberry and her “girls”--Ja’nae, Mai, and Zora--to work out the complex dynamics of need, greed, and friendship in a densely textured world complicated by Raspberry’s junkie father, Ja’nae’s irresponsible mother, Mai’s conflicted relationship with her Korean father, Raspberry’s crush on a young man, and the growing relationship between Raspberry’s mother and Zora’s father. Flake’s strength in these two books lies in developing genuine, believable adults and children who continue to grow and change through their relationships with each other. The disparate plot threads are capably intertwined, and the central characters, especially those that carry over from Money Hungry, have substantial back stories and distinctive voices. In fact, it is the tightly interwoven plot threads that contribute to the plausibility of Raspberry’s hopefulness despite her history; her community consists not only of junkies and hard-edged, violent girls, but also of adults and friends with a long history of supporting one another and forging successful lives because of that support. (Reviewed from galleys) Review Code: R* -- Denotes books of special distinction. (c) Copyright 2003, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 2003, Jump at the Sun/Hyperion, 240p, $15.99. Grades 7-10.

Horn Book (The Horn Book Guide, Spring 2004)
In this sequel to Money Hungry, Raspberry impulsively steals some money from her best friend. She only admits her guilt when, in an overly neat coincidence, Raspberry herself experiences what it's like to be ripped off by someone close to her. This novel is bogged down by too many subplots, including the reappearance of Raspberry's addict father and the identity issues of a biracial friend, but it's stronger than its predecessor. Category: Intermediate Fiction. 2003, Hyperion/Jump, 235pp, $15.99. Ages 9 to 12. Rating: 4: Recommended, with minor flaws.

Janie Barron (The Lorgnette - Heart of Texas Reviews (Vol. 16, No. 1))
Life for Raspberry Hill seems to be getting better, but only momentarily. A neighbor girl, whom Raspberry's mother has turned into the police many times, decides to attack her mother. Raspberry's mother lands in the hospital. Zora and her father, friends of Raspberry, take her to the hospital to be with her mother. Her father comes to the hospital after finding out about the incident on the news. He is a drunk, a drug user, and a beggar. Raspberry seeks revenge and resorts to stealing from her friend. Her father steals from Raspberry to support his habits. Of course, nothing but bad results from their stealing. Raspberry's mother recovers, her dad tries to turn his life around, but best of all Raspberry returns the money she has stolen. She learns that you have to be able to trust everyone--including yourself. This book would be very good for students that are accustomed to living with large, inner city problems. Readers from rural areas might not be able to relate to the story. Fiction. Grades Junior high. 2003, Jump at the Sun, 235p., $15.99. Ages 12 to 14.

Jennifer Bromann (VOYA, June 2003 (Vol. 26, No. 2))
Fans of the Coretta Scott King honor book Money Hungry (Hyperion, 2001/VOYA February 2002) will enjoy this sequel, and those who have not read it will need no background. Now living in a rough neighborhood with her mother, yet off the streets and out of the projects, Raspberry continues to be intrigued by money. She goes door-to-door asking to do jobs such as sweeping sidewalks to make money. She still does not see the harm, however, in stealing from those who have more than she and more than they need, including a woman down the street who has a candy dish full of quarters and a friend whose father is a doctor who is also dating Raspberry's mother. Raspberry's own father steals from her, and although she loses trust in him, it takes her a while to realize that she has done the same to others. Because the plot focuses on money and stealing, readers might grow tired of the constant moralizing and might find themselves often annoyed with, rather than sympathetic toward, Raspberry. The young characters behave their age, and middle-school readers will relate to their feelings about boys and their looks, especially their skin color. Teachers can use the lessons to stress the values of honesty, hard work, and friendship. VOYA CODES: 4Q 3P M (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; Will appeal with pushing; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8). 2003, Hyperion, 235p, $15.99. Ages 11 to 14.