Author:  Floriana Hall

Publisher:  DDDD Publications

ISBN:  0-9701600-2-X

The following review was contributed by: Jennifer Brown

Goodness knows that memoirs have enjoyed their vogue.  Seems like personal stories about growing up in the ‘20’s, ‘30’s, ‘40’s, and ‘50’s abound these days.  But how many of them are written for middle school aged children?  Not many, but Floriana Hall’s SMALL CHANGE is one of them.

SMALL CHANGE tells Floriana’s story about growing up during the Great Depression, all the way through her senior graduation in 1945.  In this version of her life story, she recalls in great detail not having much food to eat during the Great Depression.  She explains what life was like, using an outhouse for a bathroom, surviving illness without the help of a doctor, and even playing Kick the Can for fun.

To children of today, most of the things Floriana did when she was their age seems very foreign.  To read about them in a textbook is one thing, but to read someone’s personal story is quite another.

SMALL CHANGE is simply written and, with its large type and short chapters, should be easily read by children in the middle school age range.  Floriana handles difficult subjects such as shyness around boys and her father’s devious behavior very gently and without being sordid or “too adult” for the age range of her readers.

This book would make an excellent tool for report-writing, use as a study guide, or even a read-aloud book for the class.  SMALL CHANGE can certainly teach today’s children a big lesson about diversity, resilience, and history.