Deja

Deja is a 10-year-old girl who lives in the Avalon Family Shelter with her parents and two siblings. She is the oldest of the children and has to take care of her brother and sister often because her father is not able to do so. Her mother works to earn money for the family. This puts Deja in a very mature role for her age. She is in charge when Ma is at work. Pop is not able to help with any chores, so she and Ma do it all.

Deja hates poverty and the life she shares with her family. Initially, she blames it all on Pop, who cannot hold down a job and who is anti-social and lies in bed with headaches often. By the end of the story, however, Deja learns her father is a hero. She gains new respect for him.

Deja tries to...