The Mighty Miss Malone

By: Christopher Paul Curtis

Narrated by: Bahni Turpin

In the Newbery Medal and Coretta Scott King Award - winning Bud, not Buddy, Bud met a girl named Deza Malone in a Hooverville. This is her story.

“We are a family on a journey to a place called wonderful" is the motto of Deza Malone's family. Deza is the smartest girl in her class in Gary, Indiana, singled out by teachers for a special path in life. But the Great Depression has hit Gary hard, and there are no jobs for black men. When her beloved father leaves to find work, Deza, Mother, and her older brother Jimmie go in search of him, and end up in a Hooverville outside Flint, Michigan. Jimmie's beautiful voice inspires him to leave the camp to be a performer, while Deza and Mother find a new home, and cling to the hope that they will find Father. The twists and turns of their story reveal the devastation of the Depression and prove that Deza truly is the Mighty Miss Malone.

©2012 Christopher Paul Curtis (P)2012 Listening Library

Critic reviews

“Witty and moving.” (The Wall Street Journal)

“The fluidity of the writing, the strong sense of place and time combined with well-drawn characters will captivate and delight...a fitting literary companion to Bud Caldwell.” (Kirkus Reviews, starred)

“Curtis threads important bits of African-American history throughout the narrative...Some readers will feel they are due a bit of happiness; others will be struck by how little has changed in 75 years for the nation’s have-nots.” (Publishers Weekly, starred)

Broke my heart

Christopher Paul Curtis is truly an American writer of times gone by. He knows the art of writing and how to portray the feelings of the characters he writes about.
Although this is a fictional story, some of the events and doings of the people during this time period are true.
As I read the heartaches of the characters, my heart broke for them and all they went through.
This is a book that I would definitely listen to again.

Wonderful!

Charming, wise, and so touching. This is a book I will read again. I recommend to any who enjoys historical fiction, and the hard truth about our history with our Afro-American neighbors.

Christopher Paul Curtis is Awesome

Where does The Mighty Miss Malone rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

ten!

What other book might you compare The Mighty Miss Malone to and why?

If you like historical fiction you might like other titles by Christopher Paul Curtis such as: Bud Not Buddy, Elijah of Buxton, or The Watson's Go To Birmingham.

Any additional comments?

Deza lives with her parents and her older brother, Jimmie, in Gary, Indiana. It is 1936, and even though her parents are both hardworking people, the Depression has taken its toll on their family. Her father lost his job a while back and even though he is always looking for work there is just nothing to be found.

Deza makes her family proud because she is the gets the highest marks in her class and does her best to keep her brother in line as well; this is how she earns her nickname, “the Mighty Miss Malone.” It is a good thing she is mighty, because their family is put through the wringer; it seems like whatever can go wrong does go wrong, and the question is can Deza tough enough to help her family make through the terrible trials of the Depression?

A story rich with many lessons

it was unexpectedly full of a lot of food for thought. bringing to mind the many hardships that people faced during that time in history. loved the characters especially Deza, a true heroine.

Moving and Important Story for Our 10 Year Old

We listened to this book as a family on a road trip and we all became very invested in Deza’s life & struggles. This was the first audiobook our 10 year old listened to and it was an amazing experience for him. It brought up many important topics and rich conversations. We all loved Deza but every character had such depth and lifelike dialogue and details. Learning about The Depression through the Malone family was eye-opening for our son. Thank you to Mr. Curtis for writing such a moving and beautiful story and to audible for breathing life into it.

captivating

great story ! gives a historical account from the perspective of a little girl during the great depression. a must read!

Perfect

Excellent Author and a Reader to match!!! I listen to anything by this author and now I’m looking for books read by this reader as well.

love

my 8 and 9 year old really enjoyed this bookm. their favorite parts were the alliteration and the boxing history.

Fantastic characters

A Powerful story of trials, despair and brief moments of happiness. Going to purchase the hardback for my 12 year old daughter. Narrator kept me all the way attached.

Mighty!

Wonderful story of a family during the Great Depression. Really captures the hardships and simple joys of living in that time.