Begging for Change

by Sharon G. Flake

Paperback, 2004

Status

Available

Call number

813.54

Publication

Jump At The Sun (2004), Paperback, 256 pages

Description

Teenaged Raspberry Hill tries to sort out her confused feelings of disgust, shame, and love for her homeless, drug addicted father and worries that she may have inherited his lying and stealing ways.

User reviews

LibraryThing member babbryan

Excellent! Real characters, real issues. The rich dialog is authentic and meaningful. I was surprised by this book. The main character is 14 years old, she is dealing with living in a rough neighborhood with her mother. Dad was kicked out when he became a drug addict. He shows up every now and

again to cause problems.

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LibraryThing member allen1993

Basically its a book about poverty. I didnt like the book but it showed alot of how you should be thankful for what you have.

LibraryThing member skstiles612

I was so wrong in what I thought this book was about. This is the story of a young girl whose father is a drug addict and her mother is trying to get ahead in life. Raspberry’s mother is dating her best friend’s father, a doctor. Raspberry’s mother is brutally attacked and ends up in the

hospital. While Raspberry is trying to deal with the incident, the area they live in and the fact that her father should have been there to protect them, she makes some bad decisions and steals some money. This threatens to tear her friendships apart and eats at her unmercifully. Unpleasant encounters with her father where he steals from her sets her on the path to thinking she has become like her. Raspberry has to go through a lot of thoughtful soul searching to set things right in her life. Excellent book. This is one that teens will definitely be able to relate to.

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LibraryThing member KeenerR

Begging For Change is the sequel to Money Hungry. Begging For Chang is about a teenager named Raspberry Hill. Raspberry is grieving the attack of her mother, by a neighborhood girl. Out of nowhere, her homeless, drug addict father shows up while she is at the hospital with her mom. Raspberry fears

that without her mom she will become homeless again and be like her father. So Raspberry begins stealing money again, from those who are helping her the most, like her friend Zora. Raspberry feels that money will protect her from being homeless and will make all her problems go away. It seems the more she tries not to be like her father her stealing makes her seem more ad more like him. Raspberry’s stealing affects her relationship with her mom, dad, friends, and boyfriend. Just before Raspberry may loose what’s most important to her she realizes money doesn’t solve problems, if anything it creates problems. Raspberry decides to change her ways and be appreciate the more important things in her life.
I recommend this book to everyone, mainly teenagers. Raspberry Hill is a teenager just like me, whose is trying to figuring out what she is supposed to do with her life and overcoming obstacles. This book is very inspiring to those who are going through hard times, especially during the recession when we feel that we will do whatever to get money.
Begging For Change was written by Sharon G. Flake, and is 235 pages.

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LibraryThing member mkschoen

Good job of presenting realism in an age-appropriate way, and show the human side.

Interesting in having the mother still be around (as opposed to the total orphan).

If you like, try: Virginia Enwer Wolf - Make Lemonade, True Believer
Jacqueline Woodson - Miracle Boys, Locomotion
Joan Bauer - On the

Road

Too depressing for me though.

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