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yapha's review against another edition
4.0
Dyamonde Daniel is starting third grade in a new school and having a hard time making friends.When a new boy joins her class, she faces down his grumpiness and confronts him about his attitude. Recommended for grades 1 & up.
abigailbat's review against another edition
3.0
Dyamonde Daniel is a girl with a lot of smarts and energy, but she's lacking one important thing: a best friend. She and her mother recently moved and Dyamonde started at a new school. When a kid even newer than her joins her class, Dyamonde is surprised to see how rude he is to everyone. She senses that there's more to this kid Free than meets the eye and she's determined to get to the bottom of it. It turns out that Dyamonde and Free have more in common than she ever thought they would.
This is a rather slight story, but one with a positive message of getting to know people before you judge them and finding common ground on which to build a friendship. There is a *severe* shortage of early chapter books written by people of color and also with protagonists of color, so this is definitely a series to know about. It's a series that can be useful in starting discussions and teaching about bullying and creating a safe place.
This is a rather slight story, but one with a positive message of getting to know people before you judge them and finding common ground on which to build a friendship. There is a *severe* shortage of early chapter books written by people of color and also with protagonists of color, so this is definitely a series to know about. It's a series that can be useful in starting discussions and teaching about bullying and creating a safe place.
krismarley's review against another edition
3.0
Great illustrations. I will look for his name in other stuff. Not much happens in this first of the series.
tami_provencher's review against another edition
4.0
Dyamonde Daniels is truly a treasure! “Irrepressible” is often used to describe young characters. In this case it is wholly appropriate. Dyamonde lives with her mother in an apartment in the city. She is your average, happy third grader. She is outgoing, determinedly friendly and positive. She is one of the most delightfully honest, intelligent, joyful young role models for children I have ever come across.
There are three books in the series: Dyamonde Daniels, Rich, and Almost Zero. In each story Dyamonde encounters real-life problems. First, she must break through the barriers of a withdrawn and sullen boy in her class by extending her unconditional friendship. Next, she realizes a new friend lives in a shelter and must figure out how to deal with both her friend’s circumstances and her inability to change them. The third book shows Dyamonde discovering the difference between needs and wants when it comes to material possessions, as well as gratitude for what she does have.
The wonderful thing about all the Dyamonde Daniels stories is their ability to address serious, difficult issues without presenting hackneyed or contrived solutions. Instead they provide a realistic–and still positive–way to both talk about and live with circumstances as they are. They are thoroughly enjoyable reads without being the slightest bit “preachy.”
The books are also an easy read. I think they would be appropriate especially for 1st through 3rd graders. Although I have not yet had the opportunity to read them aloud to a class, I definitely have it on my list for next year!
There are three books in the series: Dyamonde Daniels, Rich, and Almost Zero. In each story Dyamonde encounters real-life problems. First, she must break through the barriers of a withdrawn and sullen boy in her class by extending her unconditional friendship. Next, she realizes a new friend lives in a shelter and must figure out how to deal with both her friend’s circumstances and her inability to change them. The third book shows Dyamonde discovering the difference between needs and wants when it comes to material possessions, as well as gratitude for what she does have.
The wonderful thing about all the Dyamonde Daniels stories is their ability to address serious, difficult issues without presenting hackneyed or contrived solutions. Instead they provide a realistic–and still positive–way to both talk about and live with circumstances as they are. They are thoroughly enjoyable reads without being the slightest bit “preachy.”
The books are also an easy read. I think they would be appropriate especially for 1st through 3rd graders. Although I have not yet had the opportunity to read them aloud to a class, I definitely have it on my list for next year!
aminata's review against another edition
3.0
Very quick read that I read while I was actually supposed to be working... oops.
It was a nice fun read, and I am glad we had a diverse cast of characters.
Obviously not for me, but I would love for my younger siblings to read it.
It was a nice fun read, and I am glad we had a diverse cast of characters.
Obviously not for me, but I would love for my younger siblings to read it.
cjeziorski's review against another edition
4.0
This is a good transitional book for students wanting to move to chapter books. The voice is strong for the chapters. Dyamonde has a lot of energy and positivity. I do appreciate how issues like divorce and unemployment are part of the story without being lessons for the reader. I’m looking forward to reading more.
kevinhendricks's review against another edition
3.0
This is a quick (74 pages) early chapter book for early readers that I read to the kids. It's fast and fun and Dyamonde is quite the pistol of a kid.
libraryjen's review against another edition
4.0
A great series for kids just transitioning to chapter books. Dyamonde (pronounced Diamond) is a smart, feisty, and fun 3rd grader who tells it like it is and is looking for friends. A quick, entertaining read with a nice lesson in friendship and kindness. Definitely recommended!! 4 stars.
middle_name_joy's review against another edition
4.0
Spunky Dyamonde Daniel, pronounced diamond, has just moved to Washington Heights from Brooklyn following her parents’ divorce, but she is not the newest kid on the block: that distinction belongs to Free, the Rude Boy who grunts at people and scowls all the time at school. Free is a far cry from Dyamonde’s best friend from her old neighborhood, Alisha. Free is a bully who picks on kids younger than him and is even defiant to teachers—and for no reason!
But, there is more to uncover about Free, and Dyamonde makes it her mission to figure him out! She simultaneously stands up and reaches out to Free, and soon they discover that they have a lot in common: they have both been teased about their names, they are both smart. Above all, they learn that everyone has their own burdens and that you have to get to know people before you judge them. Listening and finding common ground is how friends are made, and friends is exactly what Dyamonde and Free become.
When I first read Make Way for Dyamonde Daniel, I was thrilled to have found an early chapter book that depicted a strong female character who was not formed from the white, suburban, cookie-cutter mold that produces so many young heroines at this level of fiction. The reality that Dyamonde is black is not trumpeted, but rather is a simple fact of her identity.
Dyamonde deals with issues real children might encounter, such as her parents’ divorce and subsequent life in a single-parent household as a latch-key kid, and peer relationships and bullying at school. I appreciated that the novel did not shy away from such serious issues, but it also did not dwell on them unnecessarily, leaving room for hope and the opportunity for good choices to be made by all the characters.
Now I am using this great book as the subject of a novel study with my second grade small group. I finished the whole packet, including vocabulary and discussion questions for each chapter, and even project-based assessments. I can't wait to get started implementing it with the students on Tuesday!
But, there is more to uncover about Free, and Dyamonde makes it her mission to figure him out! She simultaneously stands up and reaches out to Free, and soon they discover that they have a lot in common: they have both been teased about their names, they are both smart. Above all, they learn that everyone has their own burdens and that you have to get to know people before you judge them. Listening and finding common ground is how friends are made, and friends is exactly what Dyamonde and Free become.
When I first read Make Way for Dyamonde Daniel, I was thrilled to have found an early chapter book that depicted a strong female character who was not formed from the white, suburban, cookie-cutter mold that produces so many young heroines at this level of fiction. The reality that Dyamonde is black is not trumpeted, but rather is a simple fact of her identity.
Dyamonde deals with issues real children might encounter, such as her parents’ divorce and subsequent life in a single-parent household as a latch-key kid, and peer relationships and bullying at school. I appreciated that the novel did not shy away from such serious issues, but it also did not dwell on them unnecessarily, leaving room for hope and the opportunity for good choices to be made by all the characters.
Now I am using this great book as the subject of a novel study with my second grade small group. I finished the whole packet, including vocabulary and discussion questions for each chapter, and even project-based assessments. I can't wait to get started implementing it with the students on Tuesday!