Books with author JacquelineWoodson

A Newbery Honor BookThe day D Foster enters Neeka and her best friend’s lives, the world opens up for them. Suddenly they’re keenly aware of things beyond their block in Queens, things that are happening in the world—like the shooting of Tupac Shakur—and in search of their Big Purpose in life. When—all too soon—D’s mom swoops in to reclaim her, and Tupac dies, they are left with a sense of how quickly things can change and how even all-too-brief connections can touch deeply.Includes a Discussion Guide by Jacqueline Woodson"A slender, note-perfect novel."—The Washington Post"The subtlety and depth with which the author conveys the girls' relationships lend this novel exceptional vividness and staying power."—Publishers Weekly "Jacqueline Woodson has written another absorbing story that all readers—especially those who have felt the loss of a friendship—will identify with."—Children's Literature "Woodson creates a thought-provoking story about the importance of acceptance and connections in life."—VOYA

Jacqueline Woodson is the 2018-2019 National Ambassador for Young People’s LiteratureMargaret loves her parents and hanging out with her best friend, Maizon. Then it happens, like a one-two punch, during the summer she turns eleven: first, Margaret's father dies of a heart attack, and then Maizon is accepted at an expensive boarding school, far away from the city they call home. For the first time in her life, Margaret has to turn to someone who isn't Maizon, who doesn't know her heart and her dreams. . . . "Ms. Woodson writes with a sure understanding of the thoughts of young people, offering a poetic, eloquent narrative that is not simply a story of nearly adolescent children, but a mature exploration of grown-up issues: death, racism, independence, the nurturing of the gifted black child and, most important, self-discovery."(The New York Times)

If things hadn't changed, their parents would still be alive. Charlie would never have gotten busted and sent to Rahway Correctional. Ty'ree would have gone to college instead of having to work fulltime to support them. And Lafayette wouldn't have all these questions these whys, whens, and hows clattering around in his head. Why did Mama have to die? Why does Charlie hate him so much now, and when did he turn into such a stranger? And how are the three of them_Miracle's sons, her boys-supposed to survive these times together when so much seems to be set against them?

Jacqueline Woodson is the 2018-2019 National Ambassador for Young People’s LiteratureA lyrical coming-of-age story from a three-time Newbery Honor winning authorThirteen-year-old Staggerlee used to be called Evangeline, but she took on a fiercer name. She's always been different--set apart by the tragic deaths of her grandparents in an anti-civil rights bombing, by her parents' interracial marriage, and by her family's retreat from the world. This summer she has a new reason to feel set apart--her confused longing for her friend Hazel. When cousin Trout comes to stay, she gives Staggerlee a first glimpse of her possible future selves and the world beyond childhood.

Jacqueline Woodson is the 2018-2019 National Ambassador for Children's LiteratureThe acclaimed New York Times bestselling and National Book Award–winning author of Brown Girl Dreaming writes a wonderfully moving love story evocative of Romeo and Juliet. In this bindup of If You Come Softly and Behind You, Jacqueline Woodson has created two heartbreaking, interconnected tales that beautifully capture the undying power of first love.Sometimes, love outlives us.Miah is black and Ellie is white. But that doesn't matter to them. All they want is to be together. But then, on a tragic evening, Ellie and Miah are separated forever. Now each is trying to figure out how to move on—without the other. "Woodson handles delicate, even explosive subject matter with exceptional clarity, surety, and depth."—Publishers Weekly, starred review of If You Come Softly"Love and sadness permeate the pages of this brief, beautifully written novel, but there is a feeling of hope at the end."—KLIATT on Behind You"Woodson writes with impressive poetry about race, love, death, and what grief feels like—the things that 'snap the heart'—and her characters' open strength and wary optimism resonate."—Booklist on Behind You

Jacqueline Woodson is the 2018-2019 National Ambassador for Young People’s LiteratureHurricane Katrina took her mother and granmother. And even though Laurel Daneau has moves on to a new life--one that includes a new best friend, a spot on the cheerleading squad, and dating the co-captain of the football team--she can't get past the pain of that loss. Then her new boyfriend introduces her to meth, and Laurel is instantly seduced by its spell, the way it erases, even if only temporarily, her memories. Soon Laurel is completely hooked, a shell of her former self, desperate to be whole again, but lacking the strength to break free. But with the help of a new friend--and the loyalty of an old one--she is able to rewrite her own story and move on with her own life.Dreamlike in quality and weaving flashbacks to the hurricane in with Laurel's present-day struggles, this is a stunning novel that readers won't want to miss.

A compelling story of survival from a four-time Newbery Honor winning authorAt the end of I Hadn't Meant to Tell You This, Lena and her younger sister, Dion, set off on their own, desperate to escape their abusive father. Disguised as boys, they hitchhike along, traveling in search of their mother's relatives. They don't know what they will find, or who they can trust along the way, but they do know that they can't afford to make even one single mistake. Dramatic and moving, this is a heart-wrenching story of two young girls in search of a place to call home.

Three-time Newbery Honor author Jacqualine Woodson explores race and sexuality through the eyes of a compelling narratorMelanin Sun has a lot to say. But sometimes it's hard to speak his mind, so he fills up notebooks with his thoughts instead. He writes about his mom a lot--they're about as close as they can be, because they have no other family. So when she suddenly tells him she's gay, his world is turned upside down. And if that weren't hard enough for him to accept, her girlfriend is white. Melanin Sun is angry and scared. How can his mom do this to him--is this the end of their closeness? What will his friends think? And can he let her girlfriend be part of their family?

Jacqueline Woodson, one of today's finest writers, tells the moving story of her childhood in mesmerizing verse. Raised in South Carolina and New York, Woodson always felt halfway home in each place. In vivid poems, she shares what it was like to grow up as an African American in the 1960s and 1970s, living with the remnants of Jim Crow and her growing awareness of the Civil Rights movement. Touching and powerful, each poem is both accessible and emotionally charged, each line a glimpse into a child’s soul as she searches for her place in the world. Woodson’s eloquent poetry also reflects the joy of finding her voice through writing stories, despite the fact that she struggled with reading as a child. Her love of stories inspired her and stayed with her, creating the first sparks of the gifted writer she was to become. Praise for Jacqueline Woodson:Ms. Woodson writes with a sure understanding of the thoughts of young people, offering a poetic, eloquent narrative that is not simply a story . . . but a mature exploration of grown-up issues and self-discovery.”—The New York Times Book Review

Jacqueline Woodson is the 2018-2019 National Ambassador for Young People’s LiteratureMargaret and Maizon are back together on Madison Street, but their friendship is different now. Margaret needs more time alone, and it's not just the two of them any more-their new neighbor and classmate, Caroline, has become part of their lives. But that seems minor next to what is about to happen to Maizon. . . . "Woodson's candid assessments of relations between blacks and whites are as searching as ever, and her characters just as commanding." (Publishers Weekly)

Jacqueline Woodson is the 2018-2019 National Ambassador for Young People’s LiteratureView our feature on Jacqueline Woodson's Feathers.“Hope is the thing with feathers” starts the poem Frannie is reading in school. Frannie hasn’t thought much about hope. There are so many other things to think about. Each day, her friend Samantha seems a bit more “holy.” There is a new boy in class everyone is calling the Jesus Boy. And although the new boy looks like a white kid, he says he’s not white. Who is he?During a winter full of surprises, good and bad, Frannie starts seeing a lot of things in a new light—her brother Sean’s deafness, her mother’s fear, the class bully’s anger, her best friend’s faith and her own desire for “the thing with feathers.”Jacqueline Woodson once again takes readers on a journey into a young girl’s heart and reveals the pain and the joy of learning to look beneath the surface.