Begging for Change by Sharon Flake
Jump at the Sun/Hyperion Books for Children, New York: 2003
ISBN: 078680601-X

Plot Summary:
Begging for Change is the sequel to Flake's 2002 novel Money Hungry. The story picks up with Raspberry Hill's mother in the hospital after being attacked with a metal pipe by a 17-year-old girl who lives across the street. Raspberry and her mother have still not gotten into their house in the nice neighborhood of Pecan Landings, so they must deal with all the riff-raff causing trouble on their street. On top of it, Raspberry's crack-addicted father has found out where they live and shows up from time to time to steal her money.

In a moment of impulse, Raspberry steals her friend Zora's money--partly because she just loves money, but mostly because she resents Zora and her seemingly perfect life. This understandably causes a rift in their friendship, which makes life difficult because Raspberry's mother is dating Zora's father. After Raspberry's father steals her money, she realizes how Zora feels and the two eventually make up. The re-appearance of Raspberry's father lights a fire under her mother to get them into the house in Pecan Landings, and this time they win the right to move in. Raspberry also develops a sweet romance with Sato, one of the boys who was always teasing her in the first book.

Critical Evaluation:
I enjoyed this book more than Money Hungry. The writing is a bit more subtle and Raspberry is less annoying. Flake's take on the themes of trust, jealousy, greed and forgiveness are refreshing. Each character has a little of everything, rather than one character embodying each trait. I also appreciated how Raspberry and her mother were the ones to solve their problems this time, rather than having the men swoop in and take care of everything.

Reader’s Annotation:
Raspberry Hill still has money on the brain, but she's starting to see how little it means without the love and trust of her friends and family.

Information about the Author:
Sharon Flake is the author of many books for young adults. She has won the Coretta Scott King Honor Book award, and the Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe Award for new talent. She is a former youth counselor and lives in Pittsburgh with her daughter.

Genre: realistic fiction

Curriculum Ties: 7th-9th grade English

Booktalking Ideas:
Re-introduce Raspberry Hill, explain that the novel is a sequel to the award winning Money Hungry. Talk about her mother being attacked by Shiketa and her mixed emotions about how to deal with her attacker, then talk about Raspberry's crackhead father and her mixed emotions about how to deal with him. When should someone forgive, and when should someone forget?

Reading Level/Interest Age:
This would be appropriate for ages 13-16. The themes are mature, but the writing is simple, making it a good book for older readers reading at a low level.

Challenge Issues:
This book might be challenged for its realistic depiction of life in the ghetto, and for characters addicted to crack. I would give the challenger a copy of the library's selection policy and have them fill out a complaint form.

Why I chose this book:
I chose this book because I had read Money Hungry and was curious to see what happened next to Raspberry Hill.