School Library Journal Review
Gr 3-6-- Historical fiction should offer its readers a good story rooted in research. When the history becomes too obvious, the story suffers. Unfortunately, this is the problem with Hard Times , which tells about Charlie and his family's struggle in Oklahoma in 1933. School must close due to lack of funds, Charlie's father is out of work, his sister and brother-in-law decide to move to California to become farm workers, and a friend's father commits suicide because he can't support his family. Nature assaults the boy's family with dust storms that ruin crops, and they have to go and live with relatives because the bank takes their house. His father refuses to apply for assistance until Charlie's sister returns pregnant from California with stories of the disappointment they encountered. Readers certainly comes away with a picture of the Depression's hardships, but the characters remain two-dimensional vehicles who relate the events. Emily Crofford's A Matter of Pride (Carolrhoda, 1991), Evelyn Slaatten's The Good, the Bad and the Rest of Us (Morrow, 1980; o.p.), Naomi Karp's Nothing Rhymes with April (Harcourt, 1974; o.p.), and Mildred D. Taylor's Song of the Trees (Dial, 1975) present vivid pictures of life at this time and have well-drawn characters. --Renee Steinberg, Fieldstone Middle School, Montvale, NJ (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
As the Depression wears on in Oklahoma, conditions worsen for Charlie's family, and they are forced to request help from the government. Nevertheless, Charlie takes comfort in family togetherness and looks forward to better times. Using details that give an authentic flavor to her story, Antle offers a brief glimpse into an important phase in United States history. From HORN BOOK 1993, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
In the ``Once Upon America'' series, an Oklahoma family weathers the transition after Daddy loses his job, and they lose their house, in 1933. An older sister and her husband and child answer California's call, but later return with reports of discrimination and meager work; meanwhile, the rest of the family leaves the city to move in with grandparents on a farm. There's no real plot here, but Antle hangs the facts that are the book's obvious purpose on telling, well-chosen incidents (a dust storm; affections and adjustments in the new household; Daddy's reluctance to apply for public assistance) and moves it along with plenty of dialogue. A few details seem amiss (snapping beans in March?), but the simply drawn characters are likable and believable, the historical picture authentic. (Fiction. 7-10)
Booklist Review
Gr. 4-6. Rather than trying to present "the big picture," each of these two slice-of-life historical novellas wisely keeps a tight focus on its main character and his reaction to the events around him. The setting for Hard Times is Oklahoma in 1933. Eleven-year-old, harmonica-playing Charlie and his family have finally run out of luck. They move in with his paternal grandparents, and all try to cope with the hardships caused by the Great Depression. In Earthquake! Philip is determined to save the horses in the family stable from the fires raging across San Francisco after the Great Quake of 1906. While Earthquake! has the advantage of a dramatic disaster combined with a main character who has a passion for horses, both titles weave details of daily life into their narratives with hardly a self-conscious ripple. A brief addendum gives some historical context to each of these concisely written, effective titles. ~--Janice Del Negro
