Brown Girl Dreaming
Jacqueline Woodson
4 Stars

Jacqueline Woodson let’s us in on some of her memories of growing up in Ohio, South Carolina, and New York. These memories are told in free verse poems which in turn showcase the amazing voice that the young Jacqueline is just learning to discover in the book. With each poem there is much that is said, and often much that isn’t said. People and memories are painted with rich words that transport the reader to this world of memories and understanding. The “How to Listen” poems were especially my favorites. Because in those poems I saw a younger version of myself trying to stop and listen in order to figure out the world (and my own memories) that made me. Woodson has created a collection of poems that not only shows us how she found her voice, but that the act of finding one’s voice is a universal dream for all. The only wish I had about this book was that it would keep going. Once the book was finished, I ached to read more. And with the power that is Jacqueline Woodson being the author, I am not surprised.

Congrats on winning the National Book Award, Newbery honor, Coretta Scott King Award, and Robert F. Sibert Award. After reading this book, I totally understand why everyone else thought it was amazing too.

Nancy Paulsen Books, Penguin Group, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-399-25251-8
FORMAT: Free Verse
AGES: Elementary School, Middle School, and everyone else