Review: Sitting on Top of the World by Cheryl King

A novel straddling middle grade and young adult fiction, Cheryl King’s Sitting on Top of the World tells the story of the Great Depression through the eyes of a spunky young girl from Tennessee, magnificently blending a story of misfortune with an inspiring tale of human ingenuity.

June Baker is twelve years old when the stock market crash hits the small town of Maynardville in 1930. All of a sudden, banks are out of money, store shelves are practically empty, and men who’ve lost their jobs are traveling west to find paying work. June’s family starts having a tough time managing their farm, especially after her father is injured in an unfortunate accident and her mother comes down with Tuberculosis.

Her older brother, Josy, decides to start hopping trains to find jobs, stealthily dodging the dangerous bulls – police who arrest and attack railroad jumpers. After this lifestyle tragically catches up with Josy and others, June decides to sneak out to the train yard herself, disguised as a boy. When June ends up falling in love with a railroad bull, she’ll have to decide where her loyalties lie in terms of family.

Sitting on Top of the World is a superb intro to the events of the Great Depression for young readers, with the text even including a detailed discussion question guide at the back for use in classroom settings. June is a courageous, relatable character whose strong first-person perspective and distinctive voice help set this novel apart from others that take place during this time period. The book also addresses enough adult themes to function as a successful crossover text for a younger high school audience, who are likely to identify with Josy’s struggles.

Perhaps the biggest strength of the novel is King’s complex and astute perspective on racism in the 1930s United States. When Josy brings a Black friend, Pate, home from his initial train trip, other people in Maynardville object to him staying in the Baker household. June even loses her best friend for a time over this incident, but she ultimately decides that it’s better to treat Pate with kindness than to give in to the town’s conservative prejudices and oppressive beliefs. June and Pate will protect and care for each other when they meet up on the trains again, showing how deep friendship and connections can be forged across racial boundaries, despite living in discriminatory times.

One of the novel’s main pivotal revelations about the past of a complicated character is fairly predictable, but it still makes for a compelling plot point in terms of June’s choices. Additionally, the book is less a rail adventure, which happens early on, and mostly tells the story of the Great Depression’s impact on June and her family. The narrative doesn’t return to her decision to pretend to be a boy until much later in the novel, which may disappoint some readers gripped by this earlier plot thread. However, the story King tells about June’s family is riveting in its own right.

All told, Sitting on Top of the World is an original, meaningful, and powerfully told novel that will ultimately satisfy readers of any age.