Product Description

Eleven-year-old Margo Bandini has never been afraid of anything. Her life in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, with Mama and Papa and her little brother, Charlie, has always felt secure. But it's 1933, and the Great Depression is changing things for families all across America.

One day the impossible happens: Papa cannot make the payments for their house, and the Sheriff Sale sign goes up on their door. They have two weeks to pay the bank, or leave their home forever. Now Margo is afraid--but she's also determined to find a way to help Papa save their home.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #113737 in Books
• Published on: 2000-08-08
• Released on: 2000-08-08
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 112 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780440415299
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From Publishers Weekly
First-time author De Young uses her own family history to create a Depression-era story about first-generation Italian-Americans living in Johnstown, Pa., in 1933. Eleven-year-old Margo Bandini, her parents and young brother, Charlie, face losing their house if they do not find a way to pay back the bank loan used to cover hospital expenses for Charlie's emergency leg operation. In a letter, Margo appeals to Eleanor "Everywhere" Roosevelt, the person she admires most, for help. Her teacher (who moonlights as a reporter and knows the First Lady) provides a swift, personal delivery of the letter and soon Margo receives a reply that restores her faith in miracles and resolves the crisis. Despite its rather contrived conclusion, this historic novel is successful in conveying the climate of the times: the "domino" effect of the steel mill cutting back workers' hours translating into failing businesses and the necessity of neighbors relying on one another for support during hard times. Margo emerges as an admirable heroine whose actions reveal a generous heart and determination to help her family hold on to their home. Ages 8-12.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Grade 3-6-This Depression-era story is rich with the details of life in the small mining and steel town of Johnstown, PA. When her family is threatened with losing their home and business because they are unable to pay their bank loans, 11-year-old Margo Bandini writes a desperate letter to Mrs. Roosevelt as part of a class assignment. Margo has read about the First Lady's interest in children and her visits to people all over the world and hopes that the woman might find a way to save her home. With a little help from Margo's teacher, who is also a newspaper writer and a friend of Mrs. Roosevelt's, the letter gets the attention of the First Lady, who then arranges with the bank to refinance the family's loan as a part of the New Deal relief program. The outcome of this plot may seem outlandish, yet this novel is based on events that actually occurred in the author's family. The strong and believable female characters, the smooth integration of historical facts into the story, and the compelling first-person narrative make this a good choice for social-studies reading, historical-fiction assignments, or book discussion.
Joan Zaleski, Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews
De Young weaves this heartwarming Depression-era episode around a true family story. When Margo Bandini, 11, learns that her family is about to lose their home, she takes advantage of a class assignment to write a letter to Eleanor Roosevelt, enclosing her father's medal from WWI and asking for help. Writing in a smooth, unornamented style, the author fleshes out the tale with an extended hunt for Margo's missing little brother Charlie that teaches her not to prejudge the hoboes who pass through town; provides a light dusting of background information about the Great Depression's causes and effects through Margo's reading of newspapers; slips in a surpriseMargo's fifth-grade teacher, Miss Dobson, and her favorite journalist, E.D. Kirby, turn out to be one and the same; and ends on a happy notethe Bandinis get to keep their house after the local bank manager gets a call from the White House. The plot turns in plausible directions, and readers will find amiable characters here, as well as a clear picture of the time's anxieties and hardships. (Fiction. 8-11) -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Customer Reviews

THE CHILDREN (AND ADULTS) LOVE THIS BOOK!
I am a teacher in Johnstown. Many of the students in our building live, or are very familiar with, the part of town depicted in "A Letter to Mrs. Roosevelt". The children listened so closely as one or two chapters were read each day. Once in a while, a child would cry out, "Hey! I know where that is - it's right near MY house!" So many times they asked me to keep reading. They couldn't wait to hear what would happen to "Margo" and "Charlie" next! We were so fortunate to have C. Coco De Young visit our school and talk with students currently reading "A Letter to Mrs. Roosevelt". She spoke to the children just as she had written her book...WITH HEART. She took the time to answer questions while inspiring the students to read and write. This book can be integrated into the curriculum so easily. It is history and geography. It is interesting, imaginative, and heart-warming. It is the Great Depression as seen through the eyes of another child.

Fabulous and inspiring!!
I am a fourth grade teacher in New Jersey and my students and I just finished reading this book. We couldn't put it down!!! Mrs. DeYoung developed such wonderful characters and my students were able to empathize with each and every one of them. Thank you Mrs. DeYoung for making this wonderful book not only enlightening, but educational!! We can't wait for a new book!!

This book was great!
This book was about a young girl at the time of the depression. Her family grows poor when her brother goes to the hostpital for a leg infection. They can not pay the morage bills, so in 2 weeks are expected to get the money they owe, or else they will have to leave their home. At the time a lot of exiting things happen, with her and her best friend, in school and at home. I liked this book a lot and I bet you will to!