Raspberry Hill is 13 years old, and an established entrepreneur. Selling candy, house cleaning, even skipping lunch — she is willing to try almost anything legal to earn money. Raspberry’s fixation with money is rooted in her desire for financial security. She and her mother share an apartment in the projects, but before that they spent time living on the streets. Raspberry is determined to never be without a home again. Her money-making mania swells to the point of causing rifts between Raspberry and her friends, and with her mother. That tension with her mother reaches its climax in a stunningly dramatic scene of misunderstanding. Accused of being greedy and obsessed, Raspberry is caught between wanting to repair the damaged relationships, and her drive to create a safety net for her life in this gripping portrait of a struggling and determined African American girl. The novel also looks at issues of racial tensions and identity in the character of one of Raspberry’s best friends, who is conflicted about her mixed African American and Korean heritage. (Ages 12–16)