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Nowhere to Call Home
Unable to cope with the financial ruin caused by the Great Depression, Frances's father has taken his own life. Sad and bewildered, Frances cashes in the railroad ticket that would have carried her to her aunt's home, trades in her dress for trousers and a cap, and hits the rails as a hobo called Frankie Blue. With Stewpot, another young hobo, as her guide, Frankie learns to sneak on and off trains, find food, and protect herself. Then Stewpot gets sick, and Frankie realizes that the reality of life on the rails is far different from her romantic notions.
208 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1999
11 people are currently reading
217 people want to read
About the author
Cynthia C. DeFelice
33 books119 followersCynthia DeFelice is the author of many bestselling titles for young readers, including the novels Wild Life, The Ghost of Cutler Creek, Signal, and The Missing Manatee, as well as the picture books, One Potato, Two Potato, and Casey in the Bath. Her books have been nominated for an Edgar Allen Poe Award and listed as American Library Association Notable Children's Books and Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year, among numerous other honors.
Cynthia was born in Philadelphia in 1951. As a child, she was always reading. Summer vacations began with a trip to the bookstore, where she and her sister and brothers were allowed to pick out books for their summer reading. “To me,” she says, “those trips to the bookstore were even better than the rare occasions when we were given a quarter and turned loose at the penny-candy store on the boardwalk.” Cynthia has worked as a bookseller, a barn painter, a storyteller, and a school librarian.
When asked what she loves best about being an author, she can’t pick just one answer: “I love the feeling of being caught up in the lives of the characters I am writing about. I enjoy the challenge of trying to write as honestly as I can, and I find enormous satisfaction in hearing from readers that something I wrote touched them, delighted them, made them shiver with fear or shake with laughter, or think about something new.” Cynthia and her husband live in Geneva, New York.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/cynthi...
Cynthia was born in Philadelphia in 1951. As a child, she was always reading. Summer vacations began with a trip to the bookstore, where she and her sister and brothers were allowed to pick out books for their summer reading. “To me,” she says, “those trips to the bookstore were even better than the rare occasions when we were given a quarter and turned loose at the penny-candy store on the boardwalk.” Cynthia has worked as a bookseller, a barn painter, a storyteller, and a school librarian.
When asked what she loves best about being an author, she can’t pick just one answer: “I love the feeling of being caught up in the lives of the characters I am writing about. I enjoy the challenge of trying to write as honestly as I can, and I find enormous satisfaction in hearing from readers that something I wrote touched them, delighted them, made them shiver with fear or shake with laughter, or think about something new.” Cynthia and her husband live in Geneva, New York.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/cynthi...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
January 25, 2018
Favorite childhood book right here, first book that dived into the social condition. Much love, some things don't change...
January 10, 2016
Joe Flaherty
Review on Nowhere to Call Home
Nowhere to Call Home is a book about a twelve year old girl named Francis that runs away from home to be a hobo during the Great Depression. She was living in a wealthy family when her father commits suicide two years after the stock market crash in 1929. Her aunt arranged to take Francis in to live with her in Chicago. However, a conversation Francis overhears changes this course of action. She hears Junius, her family's gardener, talking about how he was become a hobo and jump trains in order to find a job. This life of adventure sounded intriguing so instead of going to live at her aunt’s house, she cashes in her train ticket and disguises herself as a boy. Then she hops her first freight train, on which she meets Stewpot, a 15 year old hobo. Throughout the book, Stewpot and “Frankie Blue”, as she calls herself, traverse the country as hobos living on the rails. This results in a realistic yet adventurous tale of the life of a hobo during the Great Depression.
The two protagonists in the book are Frankie Blue and Stewpot. They are the main characters of the story. Stewpot takes Frankie under his wing and teaches her how to survive while being homeless. Typically, a hobo is considered a dirty, drunk bum. Stewpot is the opposite of all these things because he is hardworking, protective and intelligent. Frankie is daring and learns gratitude for the little things that she has, where previously she lived a comfortable life. On their travels, they also meet minor protagonists with names such as Blink, Peg-Leg Al, Dot, and Vera. There is no main antagonist in the book except the "bulls," or railroad cops, that will arrest hobos and try to keep them off the trains.
I enjoyed the book because it is about hobos in the Great Depression, and I am a fan of historical fiction. Reading about American history and the different time periods that our country has had is interesting and informative. Reading the book gave me insight to not only the time period but also living as a hobo. I was able to make a connection to the book because I would love to travel the country and after reading this book think that traveling on freight trains would be an experience. The power of a freight train while our vast countryside would make me feel insignificant.
Although there was not a lot of traditional figurative language, one way the author brought the book to life was through abstract language. She used time period language that was used by hobos in the '30s. For example, cleaning their clothes was called "a boil up, " camps were referred to as "jungles," and to get on a moving train was called "flipping a train." However, some more traditional figurative language could be found. One example of figurative language is “She sat for a while, feeling the car rock back and forth, listening to the steady clickety-clack of the train wheels and trying to stop the rapid beating of her heart” (DeFelice 46). This example of figurative language contains onomatopoeia, which is the “clickety-clack” of the boxcar. Another example of figurative language is when Stewpot introduces Frankie to some of his old friends. He says “This here’s Frankie Blue. He’s green, but that’s okay” (DeFelice 65). This example is a metaphor, because Frankie really couldn’t be green. My last example of figurative language is when Frankie describes the scenery outside one of the boxcars that she is riding in with Stewpot. “He was still staring out the doorway, but Frankie knew he wasn’t seeing the gaunt, bare trees or the low, gray sky or the light snow that was just beginning to fall” (DeFelice 116). This example is imagery, because it describes the nature outside of the boxcar.
The person that I would recommend this book to in my class would probably be anybody that likes history because the book takes place in a very significant period of American history.
Review on Nowhere to Call Home
Nowhere to Call Home is a book about a twelve year old girl named Francis that runs away from home to be a hobo during the Great Depression. She was living in a wealthy family when her father commits suicide two years after the stock market crash in 1929. Her aunt arranged to take Francis in to live with her in Chicago. However, a conversation Francis overhears changes this course of action. She hears Junius, her family's gardener, talking about how he was become a hobo and jump trains in order to find a job. This life of adventure sounded intriguing so instead of going to live at her aunt’s house, she cashes in her train ticket and disguises herself as a boy. Then she hops her first freight train, on which she meets Stewpot, a 15 year old hobo. Throughout the book, Stewpot and “Frankie Blue”, as she calls herself, traverse the country as hobos living on the rails. This results in a realistic yet adventurous tale of the life of a hobo during the Great Depression.
The two protagonists in the book are Frankie Blue and Stewpot. They are the main characters of the story. Stewpot takes Frankie under his wing and teaches her how to survive while being homeless. Typically, a hobo is considered a dirty, drunk bum. Stewpot is the opposite of all these things because he is hardworking, protective and intelligent. Frankie is daring and learns gratitude for the little things that she has, where previously she lived a comfortable life. On their travels, they also meet minor protagonists with names such as Blink, Peg-Leg Al, Dot, and Vera. There is no main antagonist in the book except the "bulls," or railroad cops, that will arrest hobos and try to keep them off the trains.
I enjoyed the book because it is about hobos in the Great Depression, and I am a fan of historical fiction. Reading about American history and the different time periods that our country has had is interesting and informative. Reading the book gave me insight to not only the time period but also living as a hobo. I was able to make a connection to the book because I would love to travel the country and after reading this book think that traveling on freight trains would be an experience. The power of a freight train while our vast countryside would make me feel insignificant.
Although there was not a lot of traditional figurative language, one way the author brought the book to life was through abstract language. She used time period language that was used by hobos in the '30s. For example, cleaning their clothes was called "a boil up, " camps were referred to as "jungles," and to get on a moving train was called "flipping a train." However, some more traditional figurative language could be found. One example of figurative language is “She sat for a while, feeling the car rock back and forth, listening to the steady clickety-clack of the train wheels and trying to stop the rapid beating of her heart” (DeFelice 46). This example of figurative language contains onomatopoeia, which is the “clickety-clack” of the boxcar. Another example of figurative language is when Stewpot introduces Frankie to some of his old friends. He says “This here’s Frankie Blue. He’s green, but that’s okay” (DeFelice 65). This example is a metaphor, because Frankie really couldn’t be green. My last example of figurative language is when Frankie describes the scenery outside one of the boxcars that she is riding in with Stewpot. “He was still staring out the doorway, but Frankie knew he wasn’t seeing the gaunt, bare trees or the low, gray sky or the light snow that was just beginning to fall” (DeFelice 116). This example is imagery, because it describes the nature outside of the boxcar.
The person that I would recommend this book to in my class would probably be anybody that likes history because the book takes place in a very significant period of American history.
September 17, 2014
This is one of my favorite books ever. I actually got to read the author and she was phenomenal. I'm in my 20's and I still cry at this book.
April 3, 2018
I really enjoyed this book. I didn’t expect to, honestly. Cynthia DeFelice is a local author who was scheduled to come speak at my school, so most of the eighth grade class read this in advance of her visit. Unfortunately, there weren’t enough copies for my class to read it at the same time, so we were only about three days into the novel when DeFelice visited. It wasn’t until I heard her speak that I realized how much she has actually written. Mostly historical fiction novels, and I’m guessing a lot of material that would work well in the classroom. I have to say, in another life I would love to be a writer of young adult historical fiction. I’d enjoy the research just as much as the writing, although I don’t know that I could even come up with an interesting-enough plot to hold the attention of today’s teenagers. I just think it would be fascinating to saturate myself in the details of what life was like for someone living during a different time.
Nowhere to Call Home takes place during the Great Depression and follows Francis Elizabeth Barrow, later called “Frankie Blue” in the days and weeks following her wealthy father’s suicide. After going bankrupt, Mr. Barrow couldn’t stand face the idea of life as a pauper, and took his own life, leaving behind his orphaned daughter. When Frankie discovers that she’ll be sent to live with an aunt she barely knows, she decides instead to hit the road, or the tracks, more like, and become a train-jumping hobo.
This is a somewhat watered-down story, in that a girl as young as Frankie would no doubt have encountered a darker and more sinister side of the hobo life than she ever actually does while riding the rails. Still, she experiences her fair share of adversity and tragedy, and DeFelice does hint at some of the more traumatic realities of a female hobo’s plight.
Some of the dialogue involving the hobos sounded artificial, but perhaps that’s just because a lot of old fashioned slang that never made it into the 21st century. The friendship between Frankie and “Stewpot,” another young hobo who becomes her travel buddy, is sweet and seems genuine, and they both have a believable need for the companionship they offer one another, even though it seems unlikely that a pair in their situation would bond so quickly. It’s the best part of the novel, along with the surprise ending, which was bittersweet, but still make me smile.
Nowhere to Call Home takes place during the Great Depression and follows Francis Elizabeth Barrow, later called “Frankie Blue” in the days and weeks following her wealthy father’s suicide. After going bankrupt, Mr. Barrow couldn’t stand face the idea of life as a pauper, and took his own life, leaving behind his orphaned daughter. When Frankie discovers that she’ll be sent to live with an aunt she barely knows, she decides instead to hit the road, or the tracks, more like, and become a train-jumping hobo.
This is a somewhat watered-down story, in that a girl as young as Frankie would no doubt have encountered a darker and more sinister side of the hobo life than she ever actually does while riding the rails. Still, she experiences her fair share of adversity and tragedy, and DeFelice does hint at some of the more traumatic realities of a female hobo’s plight.
Some of the dialogue involving the hobos sounded artificial, but perhaps that’s just because a lot of old fashioned slang that never made it into the 21st century. The friendship between Frankie and “Stewpot,” another young hobo who becomes her travel buddy, is sweet and seems genuine, and they both have a believable need for the companionship they offer one another, even though it seems unlikely that a pair in their situation would bond so quickly. It’s the best part of the novel, along with the surprise ending, which was bittersweet, but still make me smile.
May 24, 2018
Nowhere to Call Home by Cynthia C. DeFelice has been my favorite book for many years and will continue to be one that I always cite as my favorite novel of all-time.
I am not sure quite what drew me so easily to this book. I was in 5th grade when I read it, got through it fairly quickly, and was left absolutely amazed by how DeFelice shaped the characters. Set during the Great Depression, this book does not shy away from including historical points and difficult topics for readers to confront, using the characters of Frances (Frankie) and Stewpot.
The book starts out with Frances's father killing himself after losing his fortune gained during the height of the American economy before the devastating crash of the Great Depression. She is sent to live with her Aunt, but decides very quickly and on a whim that she is going to disguise herself as a boy, becoming Frankie, and live out the life of a homeless person. She idolizes and romanticizes this lifestyle, finding it so interesting and so adventurous to hop trains and travel around. What she fails to realize, is how difficult it is to find food, comfortable shelter, and a safe environment. She comes across a 15 year-old boy named Stewpot on her travels and he decides to take her under his wing- all the while never revealing that she is actually a girl who has simply cut her hair and undergone a disguise.
The book follows the two young adults around as they encounter many obstacles throughout their journey, forcing Frances to overcome her idealization and understand the gravity of how dangerous and uncomfortable it is to be a "hobo". DeFelice uses these characters as a lens into what people today can only begin to assume life was like during such a terrible time for Americans. You will fall in love with Frances and Stewpot throughout their journey, easily growing very attached to the characters. I found myself crying more than once upon reaching the end of the novel. It is easy to feel as though you have gone on this insane and fantastical adventure with these two characters and that you too have barely grasped the surface of their experience.
I am not sure quite what drew me so easily to this book. I was in 5th grade when I read it, got through it fairly quickly, and was left absolutely amazed by how DeFelice shaped the characters. Set during the Great Depression, this book does not shy away from including historical points and difficult topics for readers to confront, using the characters of Frances (Frankie) and Stewpot.
The book starts out with Frances's father killing himself after losing his fortune gained during the height of the American economy before the devastating crash of the Great Depression. She is sent to live with her Aunt, but decides very quickly and on a whim that she is going to disguise herself as a boy, becoming Frankie, and live out the life of a homeless person. She idolizes and romanticizes this lifestyle, finding it so interesting and so adventurous to hop trains and travel around. What she fails to realize, is how difficult it is to find food, comfortable shelter, and a safe environment. She comes across a 15 year-old boy named Stewpot on her travels and he decides to take her under his wing- all the while never revealing that she is actually a girl who has simply cut her hair and undergone a disguise.
The book follows the two young adults around as they encounter many obstacles throughout their journey, forcing Frances to overcome her idealization and understand the gravity of how dangerous and uncomfortable it is to be a "hobo". DeFelice uses these characters as a lens into what people today can only begin to assume life was like during such a terrible time for Americans. You will fall in love with Frances and Stewpot throughout their journey, easily growing very attached to the characters. I found myself crying more than once upon reaching the end of the novel. It is easy to feel as though you have gone on this insane and fantastical adventure with these two characters and that you too have barely grasped the surface of their experience.
February 8, 2023
"Die reichen Pinkel regieren die Welt. Sie sind diejenigen, die sie besser machen könnten. Wenn sie wollten." - Jack
Am Anfang erschien mir die Handlung zäh und Frances war mir ziemlich unsympathisch. Ihre Entscheidung, von zuhause wegzulaufen, erschien mir als naiv und impulsiv und ich hielt sie für ziemlich oberflächlich. Auf ihrer Reise quer durchs ganze Land ist sie allerdings richtig gereift und an ihrem Umgang mit Stewpot erkennt man, was für ein liebevoller und umgänglicher Mensch sie eigentlich ist. Am Ende des Buches mag sie immer noch naiv sein, aber auf eine liebenswerte Weise, die wohl ihrem jungen Alter und ihrer wenigen Erfahrungen geschuldet ist.
Stewpot hingegen ist mir vom ersten Moment an ans Herz gewachsen. Seine Offenheit und sein Charme haben es mir angetan. Ich habe mich mit Frankie gefreut, dass er sie sofort kameradschaftlich behandelt und mit Frankie geweint, als er gestorben ist. Besonders das Ende hat mich mitgenommen, weil ich zu den beiden Bos durch die Geschichte hindurch eine Beziehung aufgebaut habe. Ich habe das Gefühl, dass sie nicht "nirgends zuhause" waren - sie haben beieinander ein Zuhause gefunden.
Ein tolles Buch, das das Elend in der damaligen Gesellschaft und die unbekannte Welt der Hobos auf kurzweilige Weise, aber doch eindrücklich präsentiert!
Am Anfang erschien mir die Handlung zäh und Frances war mir ziemlich unsympathisch. Ihre Entscheidung, von zuhause wegzulaufen, erschien mir als naiv und impulsiv und ich hielt sie für ziemlich oberflächlich. Auf ihrer Reise quer durchs ganze Land ist sie allerdings richtig gereift und an ihrem Umgang mit Stewpot erkennt man, was für ein liebevoller und umgänglicher Mensch sie eigentlich ist. Am Ende des Buches mag sie immer noch naiv sein, aber auf eine liebenswerte Weise, die wohl ihrem jungen Alter und ihrer wenigen Erfahrungen geschuldet ist.
Stewpot hingegen ist mir vom ersten Moment an ans Herz gewachsen. Seine Offenheit und sein Charme haben es mir angetan. Ich habe mich mit Frankie gefreut, dass er sie sofort kameradschaftlich behandelt und mit Frankie geweint, als er gestorben ist. Besonders das Ende hat mich mitgenommen, weil ich zu den beiden Bos durch die Geschichte hindurch eine Beziehung aufgebaut habe. Ich habe das Gefühl, dass sie nicht "nirgends zuhause" waren - sie haben beieinander ein Zuhause gefunden.
Ein tolles Buch, das das Elend in der damaligen Gesellschaft und die unbekannte Welt der Hobos auf kurzweilige Weise, aber doch eindrücklich präsentiert!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 29, 2017
After Francis' father goes bankrupt and commits suicide, she learns that she will be going to live with her widowed aunt. So when she hears the gardener talking about hoboing, she decides she'd rather do that than live with an aunt she doesn't know. So she puts on boys' clothes and cuts her hair. Conveniently, the first rain she hops on has a nice, older experienced boy. Stewpot, who has been hoboing for several years and is will to who Frankie the ropes.
October 20, 2022
Read this for class last year. It was okay but boring at times. Looks like someone from the same class came and gave it two stars too. It was probably one of the better things I've had to read for class, but that's only because the other books we read for school are so boring I'd rather watch grass grow.
October 29, 2024
This was such a formative book for me. It was THE first book I ever read that dealt with adult themes such as loss, finding your purpose, struggling when things seem hopeless. It was the first book that ever earned my tears, and will always have a special place in my heart
March 27, 2024
So good, but had me in tears.
May 3, 2012
I thought this book was powerful and well-written story. The book is set during the great depression. Frankie, the main character, is left alone without anything. Her father commits suicide after losing everything because of the economic downturn. Frankie is supposed to go and live with her aunt, but instead she choses to live as a hobo on the railroad.
I feel that this book would benefit children in grades 6th and up. I feel that sharing this book with younger students would be difficult because of the graphic content that is present. By sharing this book, it would help introduce our country’s current economic state. This book would allow students to talk about how the economy has affected their families. While the book presented adult issues such as suicide and economic troubles, students are allowed a glimpse into historical content that drastically changed America.
I feel that this book would benefit children in grades 6th and up. I feel that sharing this book with younger students would be difficult because of the graphic content that is present. By sharing this book, it would help introduce our country’s current economic state. This book would allow students to talk about how the economy has affected their families. While the book presented adult issues such as suicide and economic troubles, students are allowed a glimpse into historical content that drastically changed America.
March 23, 2022
I first read this book at ten years old and it broke my heart but I couldn’t put it down. It’s one of those books that you can’t stop reading again and falling in love with even though you know what’s coming. The ending feels too short but it’s fitting. Though I’ve always wondered how the conversations went, what was her family’s reactions? How did she explain her time away? Did she ever talk about it or was it too hard? Did she ever reach out to Stewpot’s mother?
I do believe Frances/Frankie learned many lessons that will both haunt and carry her through her life not only from Stewpot but from the others they encountered and the things they saw. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys historical fiction set during the Great Depression.
I do believe Frances/Frankie learned many lessons that will both haunt and carry her through her life not only from Stewpot but from the others they encountered and the things they saw. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys historical fiction set during the Great Depression.
March 14, 2015
I read this book with a book group and didn't like it very much. This book was set in the Great Depression and the whole story had to do with hoboes. The writing was all right, and I was interested in the book but I didn't especially like the characters. The book seemed like it would be better liked in an age range from seven to ten although the heroine was twelve. The very beginning and end of the book was depressing and sad which did not at all add to my liking for it. This book also ended on a very incomplete note, I don't mind cliff hangers, but another sentence was all I wanted! I would not recommend this book.
July 26, 2021
Her father committed suicide. His lawyer was selling the home and all of their possessions to pay off her father's debts. Twelve year-old Frances Elizabeth Barrows was being sent to Chicago to live with an aunt she didn't know. Junius, the old gardener, spun beautiful stories of life as a hobo. Instead of going to Chicago, Francis dressed as a boy, called herself Frankie, and set out to be a hobo. Traveling with a friend called Stewpot, Frankie soon learns that the life of a hobo wasn't what Junius said it was.
This is a wonderful story of the life of a hobo during the Great Depression. But, it also provides insight into the heart of a confused little girl. Highly recommended.
This is a wonderful story of the life of a hobo during the Great Depression. But, it also provides insight into the heart of a confused little girl. Highly recommended.
February 9, 2012
While I liked the premise of this book, I feel like it touched on so many things, but never went quite deep enough. the reasons for Frankie to be on the road felt somewhat weak from the start. And the character she started as had a lot of depth that somehow vanished somewhere in the telling of the story.
I really wanted to love this book. This is one of my favorite eras to read. As it stands, it's a solid story and one I liked well enough. But it's not one I would rave about. I might add it to my homeschool curriculum but it's not a book that I would make required reading.
I really wanted to love this book. This is one of my favorite eras to read. As it stands, it's a solid story and one I liked well enough. But it's not one I would rave about. I might add it to my homeschool curriculum but it's not a book that I would make required reading.
Read
November 21, 2016I thought of this book as touching and adventures.it was about a girl who was heading to her aunts when she decides to become a hobo then she meets a young hobo boy in a box car.i find it weird why she would do this she did say she did it because she wanted to explore life with out luxury.I find it brave and dumb.This book had a lot of ups and downs and sad parts and happy parts but that's what makes this a good book.In the end the boy dies and the girl heads back home.That ending really got me as I got really attached to the boy but it also really good to see the girl move on.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 15, 2008
Set in the time of the great depression, a young girl's father commits suicide when he loses everything, and she takes to the rails as a hobo, after hearing that it might be an exciting life. Disguised as a boy, Frankie Blue is exposed to the realities of life for the poor. I really liked the realism used in the way many homeless people are treated. The book also makes references to Hoovertowns and Hoover blankets.
The book left me in a reflective mood.
The book left me in a reflective mood.
May 14, 2014
gr 4-6 200 pgs
1929, Philadelphia/Chicago. When her father loses all his money and commits suicide, 12 year old Frances is sent to live with an aunt she's never met. But Frances has heard about "riding the rails" and decides being on her own would be better idea. She disguises herself as a boy and meets a hobo named Stewpot who teaches her how to survive.
A good story, although a little predictable.
1929, Philadelphia/Chicago. When her father loses all his money and commits suicide, 12 year old Frances is sent to live with an aunt she's never met. But Frances has heard about "riding the rails" and decides being on her own would be better idea. She disguises herself as a boy and meets a hobo named Stewpot who teaches her how to survive.
A good story, although a little predictable.
March 15, 2016
I grabbed this book for a quick read for my class and LOVED IT. It told the story of a girl during the aftermath of The Depression. After the death of her father, Frances cuts her hair and poses as a boy and begins to hop trains across America. She learns how to survive on her own but then learns how to cope with despair and death of family and friends. I would use this book in my classroom to describe the effects of The Depression. A great and easy read.
November 25, 2009
i loved this book i thought it was amazing. ya know what i did a book report on this book my favorite part was when she met the guy.
quote " the other hoboe "
the place where i read thiis book was at my old school Peruvian Park Elementry. to them I thank. kudose to you Mrs.Wright.
quote " the other hoboe "
the place where i read thiis book was at my old school Peruvian Park Elementry. to them I thank. kudose to you Mrs.Wright.
February 20, 2016
Wonderful story! I read this aloud to my children(12, 10, 8, 5yrs). They loved it and begged for more chapters each day we read it. For them, this was an eye-opening story of the dangers of poverty during the Depression.
December 23, 2008
It was an awesome book... most of the time. If someone asked if it was a thumbs-up or thumbs-down, I would say thumbs-up.
May 29, 2012
Great story in early 1930's about rich girl turned hobo & her experiences riding the rails.
June 24, 2012
Historical Fiction - Great Depression - Read Aloud
After dad shoots himself because of stock market, Francis becomes a hobo instead of moving to Chicago to live with her aunt.
After dad shoots himself because of stock market, Francis becomes a hobo instead of moving to Chicago to live with her aunt.
July 2, 2012
This was a great book. It made me cry. I had to write a book report on this and I still liked it!
September 8, 2012
Short and sweet. I always love when I get my hand on a good young reader. Creed's teacher read it to his class.
March 1, 2023
I guess you never think about the rich...er people during the depression
October 18, 2009
Very good book. I plan to re-read it when I get the chance.
November 10, 2012
Too similar to "The Journey of Natty Gann". I thought it was unimaginitive.
February 17, 2013
Very good but I hated the ending
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews