| Nikki Grimes’ Dyamonde Daniel books (Make Way for Dyamonde Daniel is the first; Rich, the second, is out; and the third, Almost Zero, comes out in September) have gotten tons of great buzz, so maybe you’re way ahead of me in reading them!
Saturday morning, I got up early to grocery shop. I was having an English muffin before leaving, and I thought, "I’ll just read the first chapter of this before I go." Instead, I tore through the whole book. It’s not that it’s action-packed or full of cliffhangers. It’s just engaging. It was so easy to read, to stay there and hang out with zippy 3rd-grader Dyamonde–who wouldn’t want to? Dyamonde has moved to a new neighborhood and a new school, and she’s feeling kind of left out. She’s not one to let others decide her fate, which I love about her. So she sets out to remedy the situation. |
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This short chapter book (about 4200 words) covers a longer period of time than most–maybe a month or two? I don’t have it in front of me to double-check. Anyway, that time span gives Dyamonde’s adjustment and her growing friendship with Free, a new boy, a more genuine feeling than I usually get in chapter book friendships. There’s plenty of humor and attitude here, and it’s easy to see why this book is such a hit!