Poor Is Just a Starting Place

by Leslie J. Wyatt

Living during the Depression on her family farm, twelve-year-old Artie Wilson is weary with her poor lifestyle and limited option in rural Kentucky and so makes a promise to herself to do all she can to get an education in order to make something of herself and break the family's cycle of poverty once and for all.

Genres: Historical

32 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2005

About the author

Leslie J. Wyatt is a freelance writer for children and adults. In addition to numerous publishing credits, she is a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators and graduate of The Institute of Children's Literature. Leslie lives with her husband and six children in their 1883 farmhouse in rural Missouri.

Reviews

[Carna · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Poor Is Just a Starting Place" is about an adolescent girl, Artie, who is growing up in rural Kentucky during the Great Depression. I thought this story was very inspiring. As an adult, I have many experiences to rely upon when thinking about periods in history like the Great Depression, even though I did not experience it myself. As a middle schooler reading this book who does not yet have worldly experiences to call upon, I thought Leslie Wyatt did a great job of allowing the reader to put themselves in the shoes of Artie and experience these times together. Most notable for me is her sorrowful and resentful feelings for always being hungry. Also, her relationship with her school mate Sarah James is so realistically portrayed that you feel hurt by some of the things Sarah James says and does to point out their socio-economical differences. It is inspirational that despite her current situation, Artie feels admiration for her relatives who fought in the Revolutionary War. Overall, I thought this was a very quick read that stimulated feelings for me like any adult piece of literature. This is the sort of book I would introduce as a way for my middle schoolers to get a real feel for the sentiments of the time. I would use this book in a book club and have students discuss questions about how they would feel in Artie's shoes, how they would feel would a feel about Artie's father and whether or not they would have Artie's perseverance.

[Jerianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was good, but really, barely a 4. There are many books like this, and this isn't the best one, but it was a pretty good read, and worth my time.

[Shelby Cacciamani]

That's actually me on the cover I was happy to do the photo

[Juniper Schaefer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book and was like how my family acts too!

[Yihua Shi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some snippets of good writing

[Felicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Tina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Artie is a young girl living with her family in rural KY during the time of the depression. Her family struggles to make ends meet, but her mother is ill with TB and her father is selfish and only interested in what best suits him. I kept hoping the character of the father would change or adapt or even receive consequences for his choices, but that never really happens. Artie grows and strengthens, but she's the only one who does. The ending felt short, as if the story just drops off and has only a slight flavor of resolution.

[Dianna · Rating 3 out of 5]

#32 done. This was an interesting historical fiction which took place in rural central KY in the early years of the depression. I enjoyed the plot and the characters up until the end. It felt as if the author just wanted to keep it short or just wanted us to want more but instead it felt unfinished.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a quick read. The story was okay.

[Linnea · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have poor farmers as my ancestry close enough that I have seen the way it was. Loved the relatability of that setting.

[Joyce · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an okay book, better than I expected. It was very descriptive. But the story was too simple, and the plot somehow seemed overused... I don't know, but Artie's story seemed... incomplete.

[Christina]

Engaging read. I appreciated the way it showed the humanity of various characters and the way they could appreciate each other in spite of differences. For one of the relationships, this caused some tension for me, but I appreciated the sense of healing and hope the other characters were able to hold onto in spite of the challenges. Willingness to work together and finding steps they could take in difficult times are things I appreciated about the main characters and most of the supporting ones.