Reviews

Shelf Awareness [Starred Review]

Mann delivers a stellar, historically accurate novel, inspired by real members of the 1930s Black Charlottesville community of Vinegar Hill. Short chapters keep up the pace as Allie navigates intertwined relationships, familial expectations, classism, and race. This outstanding, funny novel is a welcome addition to the historical fiction genre focused on BIPOC in the U.S. and should be perfect for fans of Ways to Make Sunshine by Renée Watson

Booklist

From fears of children contracting polio to foods served for Sunday dinner to vocabulary and courtesies typical of the time and place, Mann weaves in many period details that bring authenticity to the narrative. The well-drawn school, church, and home settings create believable backdrops for Mann’s first middle-grade novel, a simply told, heartening story of a girl facing ethical dilemmas and achieving what had once seemed to be impossible.

Horn Book

Allie is a likable character, and her humorous first-person narration, including detailed descriptions of her community, reflects her intense emotional highs and lows. Back matter includes an author’s note about the history of Vinegar Hill, lists of related books and films, and a link to a recipe for chicken and dumplings.

Publishers Weekly

Mann centers Vinegar Hill, a Black neighborhood in segregated 1930s Charlottesville, Va., in this sweet tale about 10-year-old Allie’s plans to find love for her single mother....The extensively researched setting provides a sensorial backdrop against which an amiable cast navigates low-stakes conflict. Characters are named after real historical figures, as discussed in an author’s note, which also details Mann’s desire to write stories about “communities pulling together, of people persevering for the sake of the children.” Further resources conclude.

Teen Librarian Toolbox: School Library Journal

This was a really solid read. 10-year-old Allie has lots of big feelings, especially about her best friend moving away and about her desire to find her mother a husband so she (Allie) can have a dad like she sees (and envies) other kids getting to have. Allie is the best kind of scheming, meddling busybody that I love to see in middle grade books. She’s feisty (see her brawl with Gwen), sassy (or, as her mother would say, has an attitude—see her mad marching and door-slamming), and lets her imagination run away with her (see her entire scheme to get a daddy). She doesn’t always make good choices, she suffers unpleasant consequences, and she’s quick with a comeback. She lives in the Vinegar Hill neighborhood of Charlottesville, in the 1930s, and deals with the segregation and racism of the era, but her most pressing concerns are about the loss of best pal Jewel (who moves to Chicago), her rivalry with Gwen, and her hopes for her mother to marry. She’s nosy and truly cannot mind her own business (something her mother makes her try to remember to do by making her write it 100 times). As her mother says, she’s headstrong. It’s a quality I found hard to parent (see my entire time raising my son) but love as an actual attribute in people both real and fictional. Allie has a PLAN and she will carry it out… even if it seems like it might not turn out exactly how she hopes. It’s a hard lesson, learning that things sometimes don’t turn out how you planned. Almost as hard a lesson as learning that people who were certain were odious enemies just maybe have some good in them after all.

A well-written debut that’s not to be missed.

Winner of the Mama's Chicken & Dumplings book launch coloring contest

Goodreads

This book was funny, sweet, and meaningful. I loved all the characters, from Allie’s strong single Mama to the principle at Allie’s school. All the kids were a delight as well, all funny, spunky, and real. Everyone was well-rounded, unique characters with some even based on historical figures. I even loved learning about this African American oasis of a town, Vinegar Hill. Mann also has a wonderful Author’s Note at the end about the history of this fascinating town and a list of books for further reading. I don’t want to talk it up too much, but this one is a winner and I think any kiddo would not only get an important introduction to life of African Americans in the 1930’s, I think they would enjoy learning it. I am surprised this is Mann’s debut and I look forward to whatever she has next.

Reading Middle Grade

I ADORED this young middle grade historical fiction...This book is short (208 pages), FUNNY, charming, and historically enlightening without being full of Black pain. It would make a wonderful read-aloud for families who enjoy Anna Rose Johnson’s and Kate Albus’s writing but want more Black stories with less slavery and strife. Perfect for grades 3-5.

Historical Novel Society

Narrated in a lively manner by Allie and set in Charlottesville’s Black neighborhood of Vinegar Hill, this is a charming and heartwarming novel, yet one that subtly reminds us from time to time of the indignities of the Jim Crow era. Allie, her friends, and her family are engaging, and it’s good to see teachers portrayed as positive role models. Vinegar Hill, mostly lost in the 1960s to “urban renewal,” is vividly portrayed.

The Story Sanctuary

I love Allie’s voice. She’s precocious and smart. Her friendship with Jewel is incredibly sweet. The girls support one another and share such a close bond. It was easy to empathize with Allie’s grief when Jewel moves away.

I think the story also has great layering in terms of showing the difference between Allie’s perspective on what’s happening and making the larger picture, or what the adults see going on, available to readers to pick up between the lines. Some of those moments made me laugh. A few were pretty poignant.

One of the things I enjoyed a lot is that Allie is a musician who plays the flute. She also often describes her experiences in terms of sounds, so the story contains a lot of onomatopoeia. The sounds were well-described, so I knew exactly what the descriptions meant. I thought that was a cool way to showcase Allie’s connection to sound as a musician and add a fun element to the story.

All in all, this is a delightful debut. I am really excited to see what Dionna Mann writes in the future. I have a feeling I’ll be picking up any subsequent novels she writes as well as recommending this one.

Always In The Middle

The 26 chapters flow smoothly through many humorous and memorable scenes. You get a peak at the segregation and the town’s history. MAMA’S CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS would make a great read-aloud and be perfect for any young readers (ages 8-11) just beginning their journey through middle grade books.