Sharon G. Flake - Begging for Change

Begging For Change, written by Sharon G. Flake, is a short book with a cover displaying a change cup (though you shouldn't judge a book by its cover!). The first line on the back says, "I hated it when Momma and me lived on the streets," and I picked this one up because I wanted to know why this girl had been on the streets.

Strawberry lives with her mother who, we learn, has been hit in the head by a girl named Shiketa who lives nearby. Strawberry is scared; her father is a crack-head who lives on the streets, and with her mother in the hospital, how will she have an income? So while her best friend Zora, and Zora's father are away from the table at dinner, Strawberry steals some of Zora's money straight out of her purse. Zora never has any problems like Strawberry does, after all... its only fair.

Strawberry has a hard time understanding why her mother isn't irate about what Shiketa did, but together they must overcome the troubles Shiketa's friend Miracle gives them. Strawberry realizes one day that Zora isn't too happy with her, but she doesn't want to give the money back. Her father stops by one day, and when Strawberry lets him in and tells him she'll give him just a little money, he ends up stealing a couple hundred dollars! Now she knows how it feels... and she starts wondering, will she become just like her father; living on the streets, drugging, stealing?

Begging for Change is a title with double meaning. The first thing you think of is like the illustration; begging for money. But it's also about changes Strabwerry struggles with. She is trying to be comfortable with the growing attention she is receiving with boys, she's trying to understand her friend Mai, who is half Black and half Korean (and struggling with her own identity), and she is struggling with money, and knowing what is right and wrong. Strawberry's "girls" help her through her hard times, and together they learn more about themselves. The biggest lesson in this book, in my opinion, is forgiveness. There are several times within Begging for Change where forgiving is an issue.

I likes this story because it seemed very real. Sharon G. Flake made the story come to life through Strawberry's point of view by using realistic language, such as Strawberry and her friends would use. I liked the characters the author used as well; they all had special personalities that made this story better.

This story kind of bored me at first; the beginning is a little slow for my liking. It seems like the action is all packed toward the end of the story, and the book itself could have been probably 10 pages less.

All in all, I really enjoyed this story. It teaches a great lesson in forgiving, and understanding how hard it can be to forgive someone for betraying you. It also is yet another good story about growing up.