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Nancy Keane's | Booktalks -- Quick and Simple | |
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Woodson,
Jacqueline.
FEATHERS New York : G. P. Putnam's Sons, 2007 IL 5-8, RL 4.4 ISBN 0399239898 |
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Frannie,
an African American sixth grade student, is inspired by Emily Dickenson’s
poem that states, “Hope is the thing with feathers”. Dealing with
the difficulties in her past, she dreams that her life would be more like
the poem portrays. The gracefulness of the poem appeals to her and makes
her want to live in that world. The Newbery Honor Award winner, Jacqueline
Woodsen, takes us on a wild journey through the past when racial segregation
was the norm. A town split between two racially divided schools,
with just a road in between, to keep the two races separated. Frannie
wonders what it would be like to cross the street until a new student breaks
the segregation and enrolls in an all black school. The new student,
“Jesus Boy” named after his long hair and pale skin, instantly stands out
and is not accepted based on his race. We later discover that Frannie
and “Jesus Boy” share a deep connection than anyone could have ever predicted.
Will his other classmate accept him in the end, or is friendship solely
based on color. Read Feathers, by Jacqueline Woodsen, to find out
the shocking conclusion.
(Jill Park, jb-park@wiu.edu, college student) |
| SUBJECTS:
Race relations -- Fiction.
African Americans -- Fiction. Schools -- Fiction. Deaf -- Fiction. Family life -- Fiction. Religion -- Fiction. |
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