Though her best friend, Free, is excited about a poetry contest, Dyamonde has little interest in writing verse. She is curious, though, about Damaris, a new classmate with a secret. Dyamonde befriends her and encourages her to enter the contest with a poem that reveals what she's been hiding. Featuring several of the same vividly drawn African American characters as the first book in the Dyamonde Daniel series, the second volume looks at the sensitive issues of poverty and homelessness from different angles and in a reassuringly matter-of-fact way. Expressive ink drawings illustrate this fine beginning chapter book.

Dyamonde's best friend Free has his eye on winning a poetry contest's cash prize. But shy classmate Damaris, who lives in a homeless shelter, is the real poet, and her growing friendship with Dyamonde helps them all redefine their ideas about wealth. Matter-of-fact discussions of homelessness and job loss make this chapter book a timely addition.

"Dyamonde liked to know everything, and she'd made up her mind that she was going to get to know Damaris Dancer." Third graders Dyamonde and her friend Free make a new friend and discover what it really means to be rich. Free, whose father's job loss has meant unfamiliar and unwelcome belt-tightening, is challenged by ever-optimistic Dyamonde to rethink his definition of what it means to be poor. A poetry contest with a cash reward offers Free the hope of a coveted video game. When shy, enigmatic Damaris also enters the competition, the duo becomes a trio. Damaris's hidden life in a homeless shelter becomes public through her poetry, and the three friends learn together about true wealth. Fast-paced, believable urban school situations, including a memorable visit to a thrift store, make this a particularly relevant series entry for chapter-book readers. Christie's light pen-and-ink sketches bring these good-hearted characters to life. Young readers will wish they had a friend like Dyamonde. (Fiction. 6-9)