ABOUT THIS BOOK

Eleven-year-old Margo Bandini has never been afraid of anything. Her life in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, with Mama and Papa and her little brother, Charlie, has always felt secure. But it's 1933, and the Great Depression is changing things for families all across America.

One day the impossible happens: Papa cannot make the payments for their house, and the Sheriff Sale sign goes up on their door. They have two weeks to pay the bank, or leave their home forever. Now Margo is afraid--but she's also determined to find a way to help Papa save their home.


REVIEWS

"[A] heartwarming Depression-era episode around a true family story."--Kirkus Reviews

"This historic novel is successful in conveying the climate of the times. . . . Margo emerges as an admirable heroine."--Publishers Weekly

"Based on a true family story, this novel . . . creates a strong sense of place and time, when the Depression was felt up to the front porch of a loving family home."--Booklist


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

C. Coco De Young grew up in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. Her father's family home was saved with the help of Eleanor Roosevelt.


AWARDS

WINNER 1997 - Delacorte Dell Yearling Contest for a First Middle-Grade Novel
NOMINEE 2002 - Illinois Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award
WINNER 2000 - Maine Student Book Award
WINNER 2000 - Massachusetts Children's Book Award