Synopses & Reviews
Jacqueline Woodson was the 2018-2019 National Ambassador for Young People's Literature
A New York Times Bestseller
Jacqueline Woodson's first middle-grade novel since National Book Award winner Brown Girl Dreaming celebrates the healing that can occur when a group of students share their stories.
It all starts when six kids have to meet for a weekly chat--by themselves, with no adults to listen in. There, in the room they soon dub the ARTT Room (short for "A Room to Talk"), they discover it's safe to talk about what's bothering them--everything from Esteban's father's deportation and Haley's father's incarceration to Amari's fears of racial profiling and Ashton's adjustment to his changing family fortunes. When the six are together, they can express the feelings and fears they have to hide from the rest of the world. And together, they can grow braver and more ready for the rest of their lives.
Review
"Woodson delivers a powerful tale of community and mutual growth....This story, told with exquisite language and clarity of narrative, is both heartbreaking and hopeful. An extraordinary and timely piece of writing." Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review)
Review
"Woodson celebrates all that is essential and good for humanity—compassion, understanding, security, and freedom....this novel will leave an indelible mark on readers' minds." Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)
Review
"The magic is in the writing. Woodson tells stories torn from headlines but personalizes them with poetry and memories, blunting their trauma with understanding and love." Booklist (Starred Review)
Review
"Woodson's spare, lyrical, and evocative prose carries the story seamlessly, weaving in themes of justice and family, friendship and courage. This is a timely and beautifully written story that should be on library shelves everywhere." School Library Journal (Starred Review)
Synopsis
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Jacqueline Woodson's first middle-grade novel since National Book Award winner Brown Girl Dreaming celebrates the healing that can occur when a group of students share their stories.
It all starts when six kids have to meet for a weekly chat--by themselves, with no adults to listen in. There, in the room they soon dub the ARTT Room (short for "A Room to Talk"), they discover it's safe to talk about what's bothering them--everything from Esteban's father's deportation and Haley's father's incarceration to Amari's fears of racial profiling and Ashton's adjustment to his changing family fortunes. When the six are together, they can express the feelings and fears they have to hide from the rest of the world. And together, they can grow braver and more ready for the rest of their lives.
About the Author
Jacqueline Woodson is the 2018-2019 National Ambassador for Young People's Literature. She received the 2018 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award and 2018 Children's Literature Legacy Award. Her National Book Award- winning memoir, Brown Girl Dreaming, was a New York Times bestseller and received the Coretta Scott King Award, a Newbery Honor, the NAACP Image Award and a Sibert Honor. Her adult book Another Brooklyn was a National Book Award finalist. Author of over two dozen books for young readers, she's won four Newbery Honors, four National Book Awards, and two Coretta Scott King Awards. Her books include Caldecott Honor book Coming On Home Soon; Newbery Honor winners Feathers, Show Way, and After Tupac and D Foster; and Miracle's Boys, which received the LA Times Book Prize and the Coretta Scott King Award. She also received the Margaret A. Edwards Award for lifetime achievement for her contributions to young adult literature and the Jane Addams Children's Book Award. She lives with her family in Brooklyn, New York.