Feathers by Jacqueline Woodson

Feathers by Jacqueline Woodson is set in 1971. Frannie is a 6th grader who goes to a school on "the other side of the highway". Almost everyone in the school is African American, and those who aren't are not white. That changes when a new boy arrives - he has long blond hair and claims his name is Jesus. He also claims he isn't white. This throws Frannie's whole 6th grade class into a tizzy! At home, Frannie is dealing with other issues. He brother, Sean, is deaf. This is only a problem when people who can hear tease him or make fun of Frannie. Their mother is pregnant again, after having lost three babies in the past. Everyone is worried about her and the baby. Plus, there is a war going on over in Vietnam. Frannie's class is studying poetry. One of the verses that sticks with Frannie is by Emily Dickenson: "Hope is the thing with feathers..." At first, Frannie doesn't understand what this metaphor means. By the end of her story, she does.

This was a really good book. I enjoyed getting to know Frannie and her family. I also liked Frannie's best friend, Samantha. This story was about so many different things, but it was really based on a simple idea: hope.