Brown Girl Dreaming

"Earlier this year, when I spent a day with Jacqueline Woodson for a story, I saw that the realness she brings to her writing is also present in person, allowing her to captivate grade-school students with her stories about life and her lessons about acceptance. In this book, she uses free verse to tell the story of growing up in a segregated South. It’s for children as much as it is for adults; the themes — of aching for home, searching for family support and discovering one’s voice — will resonate with everyone. It’s beautiful and, most important, accessible."