Review by Booklist Review
Smart, confident Dyamonde sits in her third-grade classroom and wonders why she's been at her new school for weeks and still doesn't have a best friend. In walks Free, a new student who's so withdrawn and irritable that Dyamonde secretly names him Rude Boy. When plucky Dyamonde challenges Free, he begins to open up and slowly becomes a friend. Any child who is a new kid could benefit from contrasting the two main characters: Free tends to look backward to his old life and inward to his emotions, while Dyamonde looks forward to a new best friend and outward to the people and possibilities of her new neighborhood. Clean, direct prose and strong, clear characterizations make this an appealing early chapter book, while Christie's stylized, dynamic drawings give it a fresh look. A welcome addition to the steadily growing list of beginning chapter books with African American protagonists, this is a promising start for the Dyamonde Daniel series.--Phelan, Carolyn Copyright 2009 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 2-4-Dyamonde, a third grader, is still coping with her parents' divorce and the subsequent move to a new neighborhood. She misses old friends and is trying to find her spot in a new school. When a new boy, Free, joins her class, she tries to be friendly, but is quickly shut down. What's going on with that boy? It's like he's trying to make everyone hate him. Dyamonde is a take-charge kind of girl who isn't willing to take "no" for an answer. Over time, the two African-American children discover common threads in their lives and gradually become friends in Nikki Grimes's beginning chapter book (Puffin, 2010), the first title in a projected series. Read by the author with gentle humor, this delightful book will find an audience with the Junie B. Jones and Clementine set.-Teresa Bateman. Brigadoon Elementary School, Federal Way, WA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Smart, spunky third-grader Dyamonde has everything going for her--except a best friend. The new kid, Free, doesn't show much promise at first, and Dyamonde nicknames him "Rude Boy"--until she takes the time to get to know him. A quirky heroine, an unusual friendship, and a city setting make this start to a new series a welcome addition. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Third grader Dyamonde Daniel, transplanted from Brooklyn to Washington Heights because of her parents' divorce, is looking for a best friend. She is smart in school, especially when it comes to numbers, and sometimes her bravado makes her seem cocky. Deep down, Dyamonde is like most other kids: She wants a friend and she wants to belong. But as her new friend Free, also newly relocated because of family issues, says, "Wow! You're amazing.You really don't care what people think." He hides his fondness for reading from the other children and is grouchy and belligerent to the little kids until Dyamonde calls him on his attitude, cementing their friendship. City youngsters will welcome a story set in their worldthe world of small businesses, nosy old folks, small apartments and people from many cultures, and new readers will welcome the familiar situations, large font and ample white space. Gregory's familiar black-and-white sketches add a hip, urban feel to the tale. Here's hoping this series kick-off leads to many more stories about best friends Dyamonde and Free. (Fiction. 7-10) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
