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jrosenstein's review against another edition
4.0
This has always been popular with my students but I never picked it up until now. Flake's characters all seem very real and her depiction of the toll poverty and homelessness takes on young people is very moving. Some of the events in the story felt a little rushed and the ending left very little resolved. However, I like that Flake doesn't try to wrap everything up neatly but leaves a great deal of ambiguity about her characters' futures.
coleycole's review against another edition
4.0
Raspberry Hill is Money Hungry. After she and her mother work their way out of homelessness to a house in the projects, Raspberry becomes obsessed with making and hoarding money. She sells pencils, old candy, and even convinces her friends to help her clean a nursing home in order to make enough money to make her feel safe. When her mother discovers Raspberry’s large stash of cash, she throws it out the window, assuming Raspberry had stolen the money. As a result, they get robbed and Raspberry’s mother, thinking the house fundamentally unsafe for them, takes them back to the streets. With the help of friends, they are eventually able to find a safe apartment, and they dream moving into a nice house soon.
Raspberry is a great character; the reader comes to intimately understand that her hunger for money is driven by fear. Her obsession creates rifts between her and her classmates, friends, and eventually her mother, but the reader can recognize that her greed is a reaction to her situation, as opposed to her more affluent friend Zora, who accumulates possessions simply because she is materialistic. Flake does a nice job of creating well-drawn ancillary characters and themes, like rich Zora, who wants her parents to reconcile, and Ja’nae, who lives with her grandparents and sends her erstwhile mother money, hoping to see her again. Flake is also refreshingly comfortable with letting the book finish ambiguously – Raspberry and her mother are left with their hope restored, though they haven’t gotten into their dream home, and a burgeoning relationship between Raspberry’s mother and Zora’s father is not solidified – which is rare in tween lit.
Raspberry is a great character; the reader comes to intimately understand that her hunger for money is driven by fear. Her obsession creates rifts between her and her classmates, friends, and eventually her mother, but the reader can recognize that her greed is a reaction to her situation, as opposed to her more affluent friend Zora, who accumulates possessions simply because she is materialistic. Flake does a nice job of creating well-drawn ancillary characters and themes, like rich Zora, who wants her parents to reconcile, and Ja’nae, who lives with her grandparents and sends her erstwhile mother money, hoping to see her again. Flake is also refreshingly comfortable with letting the book finish ambiguously – Raspberry and her mother are left with their hope restored, though they haven’t gotten into their dream home, and a burgeoning relationship between Raspberry’s mother and Zora’s father is not solidified – which is rare in tween lit.
gggina13's review against another edition
3.0
This book had a good story but the ending wrapped up so quickly and sloppily? Like there were so many loose ends at about 10 pages left and I was panicking because I knew it couldn’t be ending there lol but it sho did. The feeling behind the main character was so real though and the kids and their issues were so realistic. The target audience, middle schoolers, probably get a lot more out of this than I did.
deathicey's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
1.0
I was unimpressed by "Money Hungry" by Sharon G. Flake because I was unable to empathize with any of the characters, and the overall plot fell flat, making for a rather uninteresting reading experience.
The main character's obsession with hoarding money, which lacked a compelling reason or a practical plan to better her situation, was one of the main causes of my disappointment. She simply saves the money without any specific intentions or immediate advantages, rather than using it to improve her life.
To its credit, the book does highlight how a compulsive focus on money can destroy friendships and it realistically captures the struggles of residing near poverty while perpetually fearing the possibility of being homeless.
Unfortunately, these few elements were not enough to salvage my overall impression of the book, which failed to engage me and left me wanting a more compelling narrative.
The main character's obsession with hoarding money, which lacked a compelling reason or a practical plan to better her situation, was one of the main causes of my disappointment. She simply saves the money without any specific intentions or immediate advantages, rather than using it to improve her life.
To its credit, the book does highlight how a compulsive focus on money can destroy friendships and it realistically captures the struggles of residing near poverty while perpetually fearing the possibility of being homeless.
Unfortunately, these few elements were not enough to salvage my overall impression of the book, which failed to engage me and left me wanting a more compelling narrative.
naomi41's review against another edition
4.0
The first book (prequel to Begging for Change) is Sharon G. Flake's amazing book called Money Hungry. We are able to begin the journey of Raspberry Hill, a 13 year old living in a poor neighborhood and consumed in the ideology that money is everything. Any dollar coming her way brings a glow to her face because she deeply believes that it will cure the hardships that passes by her life. Her mother and father are separated as he fell into an addiction of drugs and alcohol; lost his job, which evidently led to the period of homelessness for Raspberry and her mother. The obstacles that Raspberry has to overcome can relate to anyone at any age. I think that Sharon G. Flake does a great job of bringing reality to her audience straightforward without having to look for it. Her stories are amazing and everyone should read them!
zoes_human's review against another edition
4.0
Raspberry is a teen girl whose traumatic experience homelessness has driven her to be obsessed with making money. We follow her journey as she must confront her fears and balance them with the critical relationships in her life. An honest examination of the challenges faced by children in poverty and the struggles of families to hang on to one another in the face of crises.
unwrittensoul's review against another edition
2.0
The book lacks organization. It was just really random everyday actions that did not culminate into any real point or purpose. The ending was as random as the rest of the book. It left me with lots of questions and feelings unresolved.
amy_mancini's review against another edition
3.0
Great, authentic voice for main character/narrator. However, this storyline is just not as compelling as some of Flake's other work. I would still recommend it for my struggling middle school readers.
yabooknerd's review against another edition
4.0
Read it for a book club - lots to talk about in this one!