Isn't that a given rule in most mentorship/student-teacher relationships? I also kept wondering who the other students in the mentorship program were-other black kids? But i thought there weren't many at the school.

The mentor program also wasn't entirely convincing-mentors and mentees should not have been allowed in each others' homes-meetings should all have been in public places. Some things annoyed me: Maxine the mentor didn't seem like good mentor material-how would she have been vetted and approved for that program? She was unemployed and irresponsible.

It was also fun to read a book set in Portland with lots of very specific details. It was easy to sympathize with the main character and her ups and downs as a teenager illustrated the ideas the author wanted to convey. This was a great story conveying the nuances of racism and classism in America. Maybe there are some things she could show other women about understanding the world and finding ways to be real, to make a difference.Ī 2017 New York Public Library Best Teen Book of the YearĬhicago Public Library's Best Books of 2017Ī School Library Journal Best Book of 2017Ģ018 Josette Frank Award Winner Read more Jade wants to speak, to create, to express her joys and sorrows, her pain and her hope. She's tired of being singled out as someone who needs help, someone people want to fix. Just because her mentor is black and graduated from the same high school doesn't mean she understands where Jade is coming from. But some opportunities she doesn't really welcome, like an invitation to join Women to Women, a mentorship program for 'at-risk' girls. And Jade has: every day she rides the bus away from her friends and to the private school where she feels like an outsider, but where she has plenty of opportunities.

Her mother tells her to take advantage of every opportunity that comes her way. Jade believes she must get out of her poor neighborhood if she's ever going to succeed. 'Important and deeply moving.' -John GreenĪcclaimed author Renee Watson offers a powerful story about a girl striving for success in a world that too often seems like it's trying to break her. 'Timely and timeless.' -Jacqueline Woodson Newbery Honor and Coretta Scott King Author Award Winner

Piecing Me Together by Renée Watson