Piecing Me Together by Renee Watson - ESSENTIAL

Watson, Renee Piecing Me Together 260 pgs, Bloomsbury Children’s Books, $17.99,

Language: PG(1 swear, 0 “F”); Mature Content: PG; Violence: PG;  

Jade is a teenage girl who believes the only way to succeed is to first get out of her poor neighborhood.  She has taken every opportunity without hesitation until she is accepted into the Women to Women mentorship program for girls who are considered to be “at risk”.  Jade only sees it as a program for black girls who are from “bad” neighborhoods.  She also feels her mentor doesn’t get or understand her at all.  Jade soon realized that there are things she can learn from her mentor, but there are also things her mentor can learn from Jade.  

This book was a very touching story about a problem that has been all too real in this country.  It really opened my eyes and my heart.  It is a book that should be read with an open heart and mind.  Mature Content is PG because there is talk about dating, hormones, and problems between the police and the African American’s in the city. Violence is PG because there is some police brutality partially described. 

MS/HS - ESSENTIAL Student Reviewer; JM(9th grade)