RICH

Dyamonde Daniel is back for a second installment in Nikki Grimes’s chapter book series. Listeners will feel a strong connection as Grimes dramatizes her characters’ perceptions of the poor and homeless in their city. Best friends Dyamonde and Free spend time searching secondhand stores for “treasure” and discussing the poetry contest that has just been announced at school. When they uncover a secret that their classmate Damaris does not want to share, they decide to befriend her. Grimes portrays Dyamonde’s infectious personality as she finds poetry in the most unexpected place and inspires Damaris to write with her heart. Grimes crisply weaves a story of friendship, trust, and poetry, and her straightforward delivery makes it ring true. E.A.B. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine [Published: JANUARY 2011]