Strswberry Hill=a yummy read!

As an English teacher, I am very familiar with the poetry of Children's Poet Laureate Mary Ann Hoberman, so I was very excited to read her debut novel. With Strawberry Hill, Ms. Hoberman continues her tradition of wholesome fun for children, with a message tucked inside.

During the Depression, ten-year-old Allie moves with her family when her father finds a new job. She knows she is fortunate that he has a job, and they are moving from an apartment into a much larger home, but she will still miss her friends and routines in New Haven. The only saving grace is the name of her new street, Strawberry Hill, where she envisions white picket fences, stone walls, and strawberries growing in fields.
Although the first thing she discovers is that there aren't any strawberries, she also meets her neighbor Martha before the van is even unpacked, and her room has been painted pink as a special surprise for her. Not only is Martha Allie's age and fun to play with, across the street is another girl her age, Mimi. Here is where the conflict of the story comes in, because Martha doesn't "like" Mimi and doesn't play with her. Allie, on a quest to find 1 true best friend internally questions Martha's feelings as Cynthia, Martha's best friend returns from her summer vacation and begins to control the power structure of the little group.
As the school year begins and then progresses, Allie meets other girls, finds out a boy "likes" her, and discovers how the Depression has affected the families around her. In her journey to find a best friend, Allie learns about loyalty and respect.
I think Strawberry Hillis a great story for third-fifth grade girls. It depicts a different era where imagination drove children's play instead of electronics, and most of their play was physical and outside. Most of the friendship conflicts and questions are small, but will help readers as they age and hit the vicious middle school years. I would have liked more information stuck into the story about the conditions during the Depression, but maybe for children just learning about it for the first time (other than what we are going through now), it probably is perfect. As the story is told from Allie's point of view, she probably wouldn't notice the Depression unless it directly impacted her. One way this came across was in a great scene where Allie receives a package. I won't tell you what it is, but think of Ralphie from a Christmas story! Allie is more interested in saving the heavy mailing paper carefully, so she can use it for drawing. I would also have like to see Allie realize that you can have many friends and do different activities with each. However, then the message of loyalty and what makes a true friend would not have come across.