Harbor Me by Jacqueline Woodson - OPTIONAL

Harbor Me by Jacqueline Woodson, 176 pages. Nancy Paulsen Books (Penguin Random House), 2018. $18.

Language: G (0 swears); Mature Content: PG; Violence: G.

BUYING ADVISORY: MS - OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

Told through the voice of Haley, a 12yo whose black mother has died and whose white father is incarcerated, this is the story of six peers put in a class together. Each student has their own story of what it is like to be a youth right now with society grappling with race, poverty, and immigration. The kids in the class are allowed free time to talk each Friday and as the year goes on they each share their story and become dear friends.

I have complicated feelings about this book because I did not think the writing was believable but I do think the issues in it are very gently handled in a way appropriate for younger readers. The relationships are so sweet and so intimate so fast, and the emotions expressed so poetic, that I just didn’t buy the story of these young kids bonding so profoundly. That said, I loved hearing their individual stories and the writing was beautiful - starting with the title and the image of friends harboring each other.

Jen Wecker, HS English Teacher