Reviews

Piecing Me Together by Renée Watson

papertraildiary's review against another edition

3.0

I think this is the kind of book that would be a source of comfort to young women of colour as they may identify with the issues Jade faces out in the world, at school, and at home. They'd find this book inspiring and hopeful. What I really appreciated was that there was absolutely zero love interest - this was purely about Jade figuring out and pursuing what she wants out of life and how she can do good in the world.

I think the book could've used a better edit, more explanation in some areas, and I found that some surrounding characters were not fleshed out enough. It took a long time to ramp up this story, but when it did it was quite lovely.

mary00's review against another edition

4.0

4.5 stars

I thought this Newbery Honor book was engaging and beautifully written. The author used a deft touch in handling serious topics. The main character, Jade, was extremely likable and relatable. Excellent read! I breezed through this one.

gdulecki's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

wow wow wow this was beautiful and I have tears on my face still as I write this!!! I agree with Ariana 100% that the author did an incredible job of writing an authentic teenage girl™️ who felt so raw and real. The character growth and development throughout the book was such a joy to witness and I’m so glad we got this from the library. It has a sticker on the spine labeling it “best of the best” and that’s so correct

haileyrt's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

A great story of a young black artist Jade finding her voice and fighting against racial prejudice that goes on around her. As someone who's held my tongue and wanted to speak up for myself in the face of racism or adversity, this story is a great, quick read to get a glimpse of a young, talented, black girls life and what she goes through living in Oregon. Her situation vs. the students around her is interesting to read about, especially comparing each situation to one another. Maxine's story also intrigued me, and I do see the two sides of the same coin argument. I'm really glad Jade was able to find her voice and speak up for herself, and I also loved the art and poetry elements of the story. 

rebeconda's review against another edition

4.0

4.5 This is engrossing, meaningful coming of age YA story of Jade, a teenager in Portland, OR, living between worlds. Jade attends a well resourced, majority white school on scholarship, lives with food insecurity in a neighborhood far from her school, wrestling with her Black identity. It’s a book about friendship, marginalization, classism, micro aggression, and art. Great read for teens and adults alike.

morganreadsandruns's review against another edition

5.0

This book should really be talked about more. It's so good! This is a great example of how a book can talk about very important and relevant topics (racism, micro-aggressions, police brutality) without having a super dry narrative. I absolutely loved the characters and writing. This book really allows you to see the perspective of life as a young, Black girl in America.

lauren33's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

3.75

laila4343's review against another edition

5.0

I absolutely loved this. Jade is a wonderful character and I didn’t want to put this down once I got into it.

ellaxiao's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective

Read for work (sixth grade seminar) maybe the best book I’ve read on navigating life at private PWI as scholarship student of color, really good arc on self advocacy 

ltimberlake's review against another edition

inspiring reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0