Rose's Journal: The Story of a Girl in the Great Depression

All of these books by Marissa Moss are fabulous. I use them to teach reading and history to students. The books are engaging and perfect for ages 8-12. I have and love Hannah's Journal and Rachel's Journal.

Great lesson for children today. I recommend this book be read to and by your children and then enter into a discussion with them about their feelings for the characters in the book and the life they were forced to live.

Marissa Moss's Dustbowl story is one of the most compelling books I've ever read on the topic. I'm a literate adult, but was shocked at how much I DIDN"T know before I read this book. She packs Depression-era "facts" into a heartbreaking (and ultimately heartwarming) tale of a girl and her family, all rendered especially poignant with charming drawings that accompany the text. The whirling storms of dirt that cover everything with mounds of dirt ("we could tell where it came from by the color: gray dirt from Oklahoma; red dirt from Texas; brown was our own Kansas dirt") are brought to life with the evocative drawings, as well as the well-rounded characters. This book should be read by every child--and adult--in the country, as an essential part of U.S. history. I loved the book, was moved by it, and was sorry when it ended.

Rose's Journal is one of Marissa Moss' best books yet. It is both a vivid picture of the Depression era and a moving portrait of an individual child. Rose's relationships with her family, friends, farm animals and land are delicately, poignantly, and even humorously depicted. The narrator's soulful and childlike drawings leaven the serious text; her words are also enhanced visually with real photos of the time and drawings of her brother's comic strips. A humane, creative, refreshing and vivid way to present history to children.