Scan barcode
jenmangler's review against another edition
4.0
This was a beautiful book about hope and compassion, two things we all need to have. And it's just so beautifully written. I love spending time in the worlds Jacqueline Woodson creates in her stories.
dahliagreenleaf's review
3.0
Rating: 3.5 stars
I got this book for free in fifth grade for reading a certain amount of books, and it has just sat in my room untouched since. So I picked it up the other day, and it was decently interesting. I think this book was meant for younger kids, so it seemed a little childish so me(wow no shit lotus) (also I’m writing this at like 6:45 and I’m tired lol). It could have been more interesting, the plot was a little boring to me. There were some interesting parts(like deaf representation) but most of this book was just boring ngl. :/
I got this book for free in fifth grade for reading a certain amount of books, and it has just sat in my room untouched since. So I picked it up the other day, and it was decently interesting. I think this book was meant for younger kids, so it seemed a little childish so me(wow no shit lotus) (also I’m writing this at like 6:45 and I’m tired lol). It could have been more interesting, the plot was a little boring to me. There were some interesting parts(like deaf representation) but most of this book was just boring ngl. :/
amypt46's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abortion and Racism
roseleaf24's review against another edition
4.0
Frannie knows a thing or two about being on the outside of things. She started school a month late a few years ago because of a bad case of the chicken pox, and she sees how hearing people make all kinds of assumptions when they see her brother Sean is deaf. But she's not sure what to do when a white boy joins her class, or why he's on their side of the highway. She doesn't even know his name, since everyone starts calling him Jesus. Her best friend, who seems to have these things figured out with a lot more certainty than Frannie can muster, wonders if he might actually BE Jesus.
Feathers is a brief, quiet book that packs a lot of impact. Woodson does an amazing job of showing all the ways we leave people out, and her characters do a wonderfully balanced and realistic job of dealing with this. I really loved these characters, and by limiting the time to just a few days, the problems they faced all felt realistic. I struggled with the theology in the book, but wouldn't have found it quite the challenge if it hadn't been such a prevalent topic and if the grownups hadn't seemed so woefully inadequate in sharing their own beliefs.
Feathers is a brief, quiet book that packs a lot of impact. Woodson does an amazing job of showing all the ways we leave people out, and her characters do a wonderfully balanced and realistic job of dealing with this. I really loved these characters, and by limiting the time to just a few days, the problems they faced all felt realistic. I struggled with the theology in the book, but wouldn't have found it quite the challenge if it hadn't been such a prevalent topic and if the grownups hadn't seemed so woefully inadequate in sharing their own beliefs.
debandleo's review against another edition
2.0
As a middle grade book about bullying, accepting those who don’t look like you , behave like you, or believe the things that you do, it has a lot to say. The plot, other than touching on those themes was just OK in my opinion. The writing was meh.
cindyjac's review against another edition
3.0
It's the 70s..a familiar time for me, although a different setting. The characters: Frannie, her deaf brother, the new boy, Jesus, who is on their side of the tracks in a school that white kids don't go to...except his parents are black...the bully, the mother who has lost many babies and is pregnant again. It's a sweet story that glides along; nothing special really happens. It's just life. Maybe that's enough for a story?
onceuponacarm's review against another edition
4.0
Beautiful writing (but of course, it's Jacqueline Woodson) and a seemingly simple storyline woven through with symbolism and hope (i.e., the thing with feathers). I read this because it was the favorite book of a character in When Friendship Followed Me Home, which I just finished. Lovely book, but I was surprised by how quickly the ending came up, way before I expected since many parts felt unresolved or unexplored. If I hadn't been reading an ebook, maybe I'd have expected it due to pages running out? I guess Woodson wanted to leave us readers with an open ending and some hope, but I would like to know more about what happened with Frannie, her family, and "Jesus Boy."
liavi's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
wendiwoo1's review against another edition
5.0
This book was complete perfection. The love, the hope, the pain of each character was so tangible. My only problem is that I was left wanting more. I could have crawled into this story and stayed there for quite awhile.
pattydsf's review against another edition
3.0
“Ms. Johnson says each day holds its own memory - its own moments that we can write about later. She says we should always look for the moments and some of them might be perfect, filled with light and hope and laughter. Moments that stay with us forever and ever.”
I so enjoyed listening to Brown Girl Dreaming that I wanted to know what Woodson’s earlier books were like. Also I love Emily Dickinson’s poetry, so this seemed like the perfect book to listen to. It is a good audiobook and a lovely story. Woodson’s language is beautiful and language filled books make, for me, wonderful listens.
Frannie and her family live on the wrong side of the highway. Life is not always easy – Frannie’s mother has had several miscarriages and a little sister only lived for a few months. Sean, Frannie’s brother is deaf and that adds another layer to the family’s dealings with the world.
This book is just a slice of Frannie’s life. She is learning to see the bigger world and her place in it. Nothing is resolved, lots of possibilities exist. I liked having this window on a world that no longer exists and that I could not visit without Woodson’s writings.
This novel is about the moments in Frannie’s life, the ones she might look back on and realize that they stayed forever and ever. I feel privileged by this opportunity.
I so enjoyed listening to Brown Girl Dreaming that I wanted to know what Woodson’s earlier books were like. Also I love Emily Dickinson’s poetry, so this seemed like the perfect book to listen to. It is a good audiobook and a lovely story. Woodson’s language is beautiful and language filled books make, for me, wonderful listens.
Frannie and her family live on the wrong side of the highway. Life is not always easy – Frannie’s mother has had several miscarriages and a little sister only lived for a few months. Sean, Frannie’s brother is deaf and that adds another layer to the family’s dealings with the world.
This book is just a slice of Frannie’s life. She is learning to see the bigger world and her place in it. Nothing is resolved, lots of possibilities exist. I liked having this window on a world that no longer exists and that I could not visit without Woodson’s writings.
This novel is about the moments in Frannie’s life, the ones she might look back on and realize that they stayed forever and ever. I feel privileged by this opportunity.