Jacqueline Woodson

Right to the heart. Woodson goes right to the heart of the many terrifying and sorrowful things that many of our kids are facing right now, every day, in this frightening and sad country. That she can do that without lecturing, with immediate and compelling characters, with gorgeous language and poetry for when the moment is heading off the cliffs of sorrow, is a testament to her great power as a writer and her great compassion as a human being. This is a book about pulling together and show more supporting one another. This is a book about hearing. About seeing the people around us and singing a song together rather than in spite of each other. Beautiful. Hard.

Set in beginning of 6th grade, looking back on 5th. One incarcerated parent, one stolen by immigration, one deceased. The fear of gun violence. Racism. Economic privilege. Bullying. Growing up in 6 voices from many different backgrounds. show less

I won an ARC of this from Goodreads and it. is. magnificent. Honestly, it is probably the best book I have read this year. Jacqueline Woodson has this magical way of bringing her readers right into her characters so that we're seeing and feeling through their eyes. This kind of empathetic writing is something that I've never seen and is what makes Woodson so utterly brilliant. Her characters, settings, and story are also so rich. Aubrey and Melody (and their relationship) are standouts for show more me, heartwarming and heart-crushing all at once.

"You're never leaving this world, Daddy. Cuz then you'd be leaving me. I'm never leaving you and you're never leaving me. That's all she wrote." (No lie, this line had me crying.) show less

Beautifully written in free verse, this is a memoir of growing up in South Carolina and Brooklyn. Although her story is simple and short, she brings a wealth of images that allow the reader to empathize. Woodson dreamed of being an author in spite of having learning difficulties and not being able to come close to her sister’s scholastic achievements. Despite the conditions for African Americans in the sixties and seventies, Woodson was a happy child and relates her understanding of the show more growing civil rights movement, the strength of her family, and her dreams. If this had been written in prose it would simply have been an adult’s memoir. Free verse portrayed the candor of the child. show less

Jacqueline Woodson is a young and very prolific writer so I wanted to explore her work. I picked up this book for children and found it lovely.

It's about a new girl who comes to school and, despite many efforts, is not accepted by others. But the book is not written from the new girl's point of view. It's from the view of one of the many children who did not welcome that new girl. And it's about the missed opportunity to show kindness.

The books is a short, powerful lesson. There's no happy show more ending. It would spark wonderful conversations between a parent and child. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. show less