Ratings11
Average rating4.2
"Timely and timeless." --Jacqueline Woodson"Important and deeply moving." --John GreenAcclaimed author Renee Watson offers a powerful story about a girl striving for success in a world that too often seems like it's trying to break her.Jade believes she must get out of her poor neighborhood if she's ever going to succeed. Her mother tells her to take advantage of every opportunity that comes her way. And Jade has: every day she rides the bus away from her friends and to the private school where she feels like an outsider, but where she has plenty of opportunities. But some opportunities she doesn't really welcome, like an invitation to join Women to Women, a mentorship program for "at-risk" girls. Just because her mentor is black and graduated from the same high school doesn't mean she understands where Jade is coming from. She's tired of being singled out as someone who needs help, someone people want to fix. Jade wants to speak, to create, to express her joys and sorrows, her pain and her hope. Maybe there are some things she could show other women about understanding the world and finding ways to be real, to make a difference.A 2017 New York Public Library Best Teen Book of the YearA School Library Journal Best Book of 2017, Young Adult
Reviews with the most likes.
I picked this up as part of an online book club, and I'm so glad I did. It is beautifully written. It is also a book that will continue to sit with me as I think through my reactions to current events and attitudes toward those around me. My words don't do justice to the book. Just read it.
I appreciated Jade's voice and the clarity of Watson's message, found it well written and the charcters well developed, but I didn't find it particularly compelling to read. Have it on offer as part of our new book sets collection, have booktalked it a few times, and hope it finds more readers. Hoping I hear some kid opinion that's different than my own!
This book is quiet, yet powerful.
I love that I was able to just be with Jade.
It's so nice to read a story about a black girl that's not high stakes, drama driven, full of black pain. Instead, we are given glimpses into Jade's world, her life, her mind. And those glimpses help us journey along with Jade as she grows strong and becomes brave enough to use her voice.
I wish I'd had this when I was a teen.
I'm glad I have it now.
It'll stay with me for a long time.