Book Review: No Promises in the Wind

No Promises in the Wind
by Irene Hunt

Summary:
Josh Grondowski is 15 years old during the Great Depression. When things at home get tense, he decides to strike out on his own. The book is written from Josh's point of view in the first person and narrates his and his brothers' experiences as they fend for themselves in a frightened America. It tells of their journey south, begging and trying to stay warm and fed. It tells of the friends they make along the way, including a beautiful clown named Emily, a kind dwarf, a fatherly truck driver and his pretty yet tomboyish niece.

Personal Opinion: I really liked this book! I knew about the Depression and the terrible things that people then went through, but it didn't fully hit me until I read this book. Sometimes the book is really sad, other times it's very sweet. I almost couldn't put it down.

Age Limit: I'd say 14 and up.

Cautions: Kids being exposed to extreme hardship (danger of starvation, little to no protection from the elements, etc.). One character is violently killed (sucked under wheels of a moving train, described as just "disappearing"). Mild language in one or two parts. Josh and his brother are attacked and robbed once. Josh hits his brother once.