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A review by middle_name_joy
Make Way for Dyamonde Daniel by Nikki Grimes
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!