Money Hungry
by Sharon G. Flake

Scholastic,2001,187 pp., $7.99
IBSN: 0-439-40171-2

You live in the projects, but are desperately hanging on for a better life. You know about homelessness, and have experienced it. You do everything to get money. Your mother works and attends school, but it’s still not enough. Thirteen-year-old Raspberry Hill has lived this life and it has turned her into a money freak. 

Raspberry believes that money will protect her from the hardships of life. To earn money, and to support her family, Raspberry does some crazy schemes. Some that include her friends. She washes cars, sells rotten candy, skips lunch to make money, and cleans houses just to keep the cash rolling in her pockets. Money Hungry is not all about Raspberry. She involves her friends Zora, Ja’nae and Mai. They too, struggle with problems with their lives, including divorce, parents leaving, and deaths. You are also introduced to Zora’s dad who is seen with Raspberry’s mom. When Raspberry is caught with no money in her pocket, she is still able to count on the support of her friends and family.

 Money Hungry is a very good book, and easy to read. It shows the struggles and hard times that Raspberry and her mother experience. (And the other friends and their family). When you’re reading Money Hungry, you can really picture yourself in the book, and where it takes place. Sharon G. Flake did a very good job of keeping readers interested and always wanting to know what terrible or exciting thing will happen next.  

Determination is a big part in the book. Raspberry does many things that most people wouldn’t do, but she needs the money. That also shows courage. Doing something not very fun, or doing it because you need the money, may sometimes be embarrassing. Even when Raspberry’s friends say one of her ideas are ridiculous, she still does them, to get the money. Raspberry goes through embarrassing things, but knows it's best for her and her family.  

Money Hungry is a very enjoyable book. I would recommend this book for girl teens. I think adults would like the book because they would understand it, but I think teens would enjoy it more. It was a hard book to relate to because I have never experienced the things that happen in the book, but it made me feel like I was really there and kept me reading. The book was not challenging to understand, or long to read. It was easy to follow along with who and what the characters were doing and how they were involved. Even though the book is not incredibly long, it was still packed with detail, and showed Sharon G. Flake really enjoyed writing it. Money Hungry is a well written book that shows times of desperation, friendship, and loving and happy times. Begging for Change, the sequel was also a very enjoyable book to read.

~ reviewed by Claire