Love from Your Friend, Hannah

Skolsky vividly shows readers what life was like during the Depression for one spunky heroine with a terrific sense of humor. Beginning with a letter dated September 27, 1937, and ending with July 3, 1938, Hannah Diamond reveals--through notes to friends, relatives and even the president and First Lady of the United States--a clear picture of Grand View, N.Y., where she and her parents live in the back of their roadside diner. Hannah colorfully describes some of the restaurant's most memorable visitors, from a down-and-out artist (""My father said because of hard times those men can't find a job and you shouldn't call them bums because it could happen to anybody"") to the famous Madame Chiang Kai-shek (only her nose is visible to Hannah through the window of a limo, which she sketches in one clever drawing). She also vents her frustrations with best friend Aggie who's moved away (""Dear Aggie, I wrote you six letters already. I did not forget you. You forgot me""), a bully on the school bus and Aunt Becky, who persists in knitting itchy, bumpy sweaters for Hannah and her dog Skippy to wear. Hannah's fresh, lively letters (and the responses she receives, ranging in length from two lines to several pages), evoke the hardships and dreams of Americans weathering hard times, while conveying the childhood concerns and passions of a perceptive, endearing preadolescent. Ages 8-12. (Mar.)