Jean Boreen, Ph.D. (Children's Literature)
Sadie, the twelve-year-old main character of this Depression-era novel, thinks she has life pretty under control until her father announces that they are leaving their Missouri home to create a new life in Texas. The new surroundings make Sadie appreciate those things she previously took for granted. For instance, in Missouri, no one treated Sadie's disabled father "differently," but in Texas they are rude and condescending. At her new school in Texas, Sadie finds herself the butt of jokes and general meanness from the girls who live in the type of house and with the type of family Sadie had in Missouri. But with the support of her parents and other children who have also become migrants due to the great Depression, Sadie begins to redefine herself. She takes it upon herself to work at a shrimp plant in the morning before school, handles herself at school with grace and patience, and becomes a friend to an old man who has none. Most importantly, she learns what it means to be a friend and support to others. This is a lovely book, perfect for middle school girls who have previously read Karen Hesse's Out of the Dust or experienced a bit of the Depression through Kit and the "American Girl" series. 2004, Henry Holt and Company, $16.95. Ages 11 to 16.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, July 15, 2004 (Vol. 72, No. 14))
These are hard times, Babygirl," Daddy says and, sure enough, 1933 is a rough year for Sadie Wynn. Her family has lost their house in drought-plagued Missouri, and Sadie's best friend in the world has moved to California. The Wynns move to Texas, near the Aransas Pass Seawall. It's a coming-down in the world, but survival is at stake. They make a home of a tar-paper shack, Daddy fishes, and Sadie goes off to clean shrimp at the cannery. It's a hard life, but Sadie is up to the challenge. She works hard, helps deliver a baby, finds a new friend, and shows empathy for a man she calls Mr. Sparrow, who lives in a cardboard box near the seawall. What could have been just another surviving-the-Depression story is, instead, a beautifully realized work, memorable for its Gulf Coast setting and the luminous voice of Sadie Wynn. An important addition to the genre from a new voice. 2004, Henry Holt, 256p, $16.95. Category: Fiction. Ages 10 up. © 2004 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Karen Coats (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, December 2004 (Vol. 58, No. 4))
Departing her Missouri home for the Texas coast because of drought and the Depression has left Sadie feeling bitter and resentful. She doesn't like the looks strangers give her strong and capable father, who has lost the use of his legs to polio. She doesn't like picking cotton, and she doesn't like the shantytown on the Aransas Pass Seawall where she and her family have ended up. Much as she tries to get her selfishness and irritation under control, she worries that what Mama says is true, that who you are on the inside always shows through on the outside. Sadie may be humble enough to work cleaning shrimp at the cannery, naïvely believing she can save enough money to get her family's old life back, but she still feels that she and her family are different from their neighbors in the shanty town; her snobbery almost costs her some important friendships. Sadie's self-accusations can be a bit wearying at times, but they are in keeping with her introspective character. Her moral development is consistent and believable as she moves from blaming others to realizing that she is the main author of her own misery. Along the way, the beauty of the coastal landscapes, the sorrow she feels for a lonely traveler who happens upon their home, and the persistent affection of friends guide her to a new understanding of what it means to be well off. Hale's lyrical prose evokes a strong sense of place and time; her well-drawn characters and eventful plot make this a meaty, satisfying read that will undoubtedly become a favorite in a Depression-era fiction collection. Review Code: R -- Recommended. (c) Copyright 2004, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 2004, Holt, 260p, $16.95. Grades 5-8.

Horn Book (The Horn Book Guide, Spring 2005)
In the summer of 1933, Sadie Wynn, twelve, and her family leave Missouri and settle on Texas's Gulf Coast in a makeshift community of cardboard houses, supportive neighbors, and the promise of a better life. Everyone sacrifices, but Sadie feels the most slighted of all. Sadie and her family, who not only endure the Depression but emerge stronger from it, are triumphant and memorable. Category: Intermediate Fiction. 2004, Holt, 259pp, 16.95. Ages 9 to 12. Rating: 2: Superior, well above average.

Marge Wood (The Lorgnette - Heart of Texas Reviews (Vol. 17, No. 2))
Sadie and her family have to move from Missouri to Texas. She is very bitter about their move. She doesn’t want to give up their house and their friends. She doesn’t want new people staring at her father, whose handicap makes him have to crawl along. He and her mother, however, have other ideas and are determined to make a new home along the coast of Texas where there is work. Sadie is ashamed of her selfishness but can’t seem to give it up. One day, she spies a man curled up asleep in a huge cardboard box. In her mind, she starts to call him Mr. Sparrow. She even leaves food for him. As their life improves and she makes new friends, she continues to wonder about Mr. Sparrow. As Christmas draws near, they are all making small gifts for one another. She finds a rusty tin that had once been hers. When she opens it, she finds a note from her Mr. Sparrow, signed Elijah Haines, thanking her for her gift of food. Underneath the note is a small, hand-carved seagull from her friend. This is a lovely novel for children, helping them to understand the importance of unselfishness. It would be a good addition to a children’s library. Fiction. Grades 4-8. 2004, Holt, 260p., $16.95. Ages 9 to 14.

Sherry York (VOYA, February 2005 (Vol. 27, No. 6))
On Sadie Wynn's twelfth birthday in 1933, she and her family leave Missouri. Forced out by drought and economic bad times, the family takes food and clothing and drives south to find work. Sadie regrets leaving her friend, her home, and familiar surroundings. After two wearying weeks of camping out, they stop to pick cotton, meet the Gillem family, join forces, and settle at the seawall by the harbor in Aransas Pass, Texas. They buy a dirt-floored, tarpaper shack and use their meager savings to build a fishing boat. Life is a continual struggle, and the children endure prejudice at school. After the premature birth of Grace, the baby's struggle for life helps Sadie realize that she must let go of the past. As the story ends, Sadie has become a dutiful daughter, found a new friend, forgiven the school girl who tormented her, and is forming a romantic relationship. The realistic characters and geographical setting are skillfully portrayed in an engaging narrative that is faithful to an adolescent girl's point of view. Accurate details about flour-sack dresses, cleaning and canning ducks, cleaning shrimp at a cannery, and a homeless man living in a cardboard box will help young readers understand the story's historical background. The father's inability to use his legs because of infantile paralysis is presented matter-of-factly as a minor aspect of his life. The Christian values of the parents and Sadie's struggles are realistic without didacticism. This book will be useful for leisure reading or as a supplemental history reading. VOYA CODES: 4Q 4P M J (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; Broad general YA appeal; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9). 2004, Henry Holt, 260p., $16.95. Ages 11 to 15.