By: Jessica Matthews, Shelby Cobb, Sherine Andrews, Carly Baker The Great Depression By: Jessica Matthews, Shelby Cobb, Sherine Andrews, Carly Baker

Purpose Our company, made up of Jessica, Shelby, Carly and Sherine, has decided to educate people on one of the darker times in the United States of America’s history: the Great Depression. Hopefully this will be helpful.

All About Pam Muñoz Ryan Is the author of Esperanza Rising as well as more than twenty-four other books. She was born and raised in California's San Joaquin Valley. She has received the Pura Belpre Medal, the Jane Addams Peace Award, an ALA Top Ten Best Book for Young Adults, the Americas Award Honor Book, Willa Cather Award, the California Young Reader Medal, the ALA Sibert Honor and NCTE's Orbis Pictus Award. She just so happens to be part of many ethnicities, such as: Spanish, Mexican, Basque, Italian, Oklahoman.

Summary of Esperanza Rising Esperanza is a young girl living in Mexico in the 1920's. Her  father was murdered on the eve of her 13th birthday. In order for her mother to avoid being forced to marry Esperanza's uncle, they had to escape to America in the middle of the night. When they got there Esperanza was forced to learn how to do many new things, and along with that she had to learn how to deal with the discrimination against Mexican immigrants.

All About Milton Meltzer Born on May 8, 1915 in Worcester, Massachusetts. A couple of his widely known books of his are Mark Twain Himself, and Starting From Home. He won the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award. He has been a part of over 202 novels. Milton enjoyed school very much, and was thought to have been “born to learn”.

Summary of Tough Times Tough Times is about a boy named Joey and his quest for a better life for him and his family. The Great Depression has hit America, and the veterans are fighting back. The veterans are saying that the government owes them a bonus for fighting in the war, but they won’t give it to them since they are so out of money. Joey, his father, his friend Hank, and Hank’s dad, Newt, go to Washington D.C. to join the riot. They stay in make-shift tents in places called “Hoovervilles.” After a couple of days out there, the President sends a mob of soldiers to the camps to gas them out. When Joey learns of this and is sick and tired of all the fighting, he runs away. He comes upon the railroad riders, a group of kids that are homeless and ride the railways. He finds that compared to those kids, his life is easy, so he goes back to his family and lives through the depression with his chin lifted high.

All About Leslie J. Wyatt A member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) She is currently the 2010 mentor for the Missouri chapter of the SCBWI. She has been a part of over 117 novels and articles. The book we read, Poor is Just a Starting Place, is her best known book. Her favorite saying, and life memo is, “Live for what is recorded in heaven. Care nothing for what is recorded on earth.”

Summary of Poor Is Just a Starting Place Poor Is Just a Starting Place, by Leslie J. Wyatt, is about a little girl about twelve years-old named Artie Wilson. Even though she is so young, she already is dreaming about making a better life for herself. She aspires to further her education in high school and eventually become a teacher in a city. For her poor is just a starting place.

All About Christopher Paul Curtis “To me the highest accolade comes when a young reader tells me, ‘I really liked your book.’ The young seem to be able to say ‘really’ with a clarity, a faith, and an honesty that we as adults have long forgotten. That is why I write.”—Christopher Paul Curtis He was born in Flint, Michigan His two most famous books are Bud, not Buddy, and The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963. Bud, not Buddy was the first to win the Newbery Medal and the Coretta Scott King Author Award.

Summary of Bud, Not Buddy This book is about a little African American boy named Bud. He is an orphan that lives in Flint, Michigan, during the Great Depression. After his mother dies from being sick, he goes on a search to find his dad. His mother had left him clues about who he might be, by leaving flyers around about a certain Herman E. Calloway, who was in a band in Grand Rapids, Michigan. After losing his best friend Bugs, when he jumped into the train without Bud, he decided he would walk to Grand Rapids in search of his father. Finally, a man named Lefty Louie takes him there and Bud starts to live with the band. Everyone in the band excepted Bud except for Herman E. Calloway. In the end, Bud finds out that Herman is his grandfather and the story ends with the shock and Bud and Herman slowly starting a relationship.

Conclusion Thank you for watching! Hope it helped you in your learning about the historical fiction part of the Great Depression. Go take the test and see how much you’ve really learned.