I liked this book, although I did skim through the middle. It is not a dramatic feeling book, although it could have been, based on the plot points. Good for teens who like realistic fiction with no love drama. ( )

I had not heard of this book until my library added it to their digital collection. I'm so glad I stumbled across it! The audiobook was read beautifully by the author herself, and the writing was so poetic. ( )

I tried to read [b:This Side of Home|22392935|This Side of Home|Renée Watson|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1422732313s/22392935.jpg|41813444] when it came out and didn't get far because Watson's writing style doesn't appeal much to me. In terms of Nancy Pearl's doorways, my biggest door is language and the language Watson employs seems serviceable but unremarkable. The dialogue tends to sound unnatural at times, especially when it's full of exposition. For me, if I'm not getting beautiful sentences, then I need a super exciting plot. I kept waiting for the plot to get going and then realized there wasn't going to be much of a plot.

Despite not liking This Side of Home I had high hopes for Piecing Me Together because of all the awards it's won. But I found the same issues I had with Watson's earlier book.

Still, Piecing Me Together does a lot of good things. Good exploration of themes. Good characters. Good structure with the very short chapters. Though Jade is a junior in high school, I think this book will work for readers as young as 11 or 12. So I think I understand why the Newbery committee chose to honor it. But it's still not a book I enjoyed very much. It felt didactic and predictable to me. But adults like me are not the intended audience. The lessons this book offers are important and are presented in a way that will probably work pretty well for tweens and teens.
( )

Newbery Honor Book!

Jade is a young black teenage girl in the more predominantly white Portland, Oregon. Struggling with identity as she attends the almost all white private school she attends, Jade explores her life through the lens of a black, strong, independent woman in a world that she tries to silence her. I would use this book in a middle school setting, more 7th-8th grade, and have the students do a reflection problem on their own identity and how they fit into our society.