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4.32 AVERAGE
4.32 AVERAGE
Gorgeous book... a lovely way to spend a Saturday evening.
"Brown Girl Dreaming" by Jacqueline Woodson includes events from the author's childhood years. The book contains heavy themes and topics such as segregation, Civil Rights, religion, and family dynamics. Because it's written in a lovely verse format, it seems to make these themes a little easier to process. I think all readers will find that at some point during the story, an event, word, or phrase will stir something in his or her own heart. There were several pages where I had to stop and re-read part of a passage several times just so I could savor the way the words were written.
Readers who enjoyed "Out of the Dust" and "Inside Out and Back Again" would likely enjoy this book. Like those book, "Brown Girl Dreaming" is told from a young person's point of view. The narrators are all dealing with a hardship and comes to find her own way or surviving.
When I think about including this in my classroom library, I think about how my fourth graders would react to seeing a book written in verse. The format and content will present many teachable moments for mid-elementary grades, but would be an appropriate read for upper elementary/middle school students and beyond. I will be interested to see how my students react to and identify with the narrator and the struggles she faces.
Readers who enjoyed "Out of the Dust" and "Inside Out and Back Again" would likely enjoy this book. Like those book, "Brown Girl Dreaming" is told from a young person's point of view. The narrators are all dealing with a hardship and comes to find her own way or surviving.
When I think about including this in my classroom library, I think about how my fourth graders would react to seeing a book written in verse. The format and content will present many teachable moments for mid-elementary grades, but would be an appropriate read for upper elementary/middle school students and beyond. I will be interested to see how my students react to and identify with the narrator and the struggles she faces.
Little, lyrical snapshots of Woodson's life that, when read as a whole, create a beautiful tapestry for the reader of growing up in the South and New York, being brown, being a writer. I'd like to read this out loud with my daughter.
Beautiful and honest and relatable. Loved it and recommend to kids of today as well as kids of the 70s and 80s.
I listened to this as an audiobook, and at first I thought the poetic language was a little too overwrought. After a few chapters, though, it seemed very true to the author’s voice. It has the extra explanatory phrases that mark it as a YA novel, but it’s still a beautifully told story. Read it if you live in Brooklyn, especially Bushwick.
Listening to the audio version of this book read by the author was probably the smartest reading decision I have ever made.
Jacqueline Woodson weaves an amazing narrative. The ways she uses her power over words to tell us about her childhood thoughts and the world that surrounded her is really captivating.
The storytelling was succinct and brilliant. She manages to capture the things about childhood that we as adults look back on both as nostalgic and yet sometimes difficult to fully come to terms with. Her point of view was really powerful and that power pulls you through her stories as everything ebbs and flows.
I would like to echo the recommendation of so many other readers and say that you should seriously consider listening to this book. It is only around 4 hours long and the author does an amazing job in her reading.
Jacqueline Woodson weaves an amazing narrative. The ways she uses her power over words to tell us about her childhood thoughts and the world that surrounded her is really captivating.
The storytelling was succinct and brilliant. She manages to capture the things about childhood that we as adults look back on both as nostalgic and yet sometimes difficult to fully come to terms with. Her point of view was really powerful and that power pulls you through her stories as everything ebbs and flows.
I would like to echo the recommendation of so many other readers and say that you should seriously consider listening to this book. It is only around 4 hours long and the author does an amazing job in her reading.
Brought back a lot of memories of growing up in North Carolina in the early 1970's. Written in poetry, which makes it easy to read, yet full of meaning.
This only took me so long because I took a big break just after starting it. The Audible book, read by the author, is lovely.
My daughter and I started reading this aloud together several months ago, and then it got shelved because my younger son was not quite understanding much of it and our read alouds shifted. So we decided to each finish the book on our own, and I devoured the final 1/3 before bed one night. I find it amazing how full of life Woodson's short poems are, vivid with emotion, bringing her childhood feelings and impressions to life on the page. Just about every poem made me stop and think. It's no wonder this book's cover image is so adorned with awards!
Beautifully written. I was surprised because I hadn't looked into the book before I cracked it open and it is structured like a series of poems, which is lovely.