Title: Harbor Me
Author: Jacqueline Woodson
Date published: August 28, 2018
Publisher: Nancy Paulson Books/Penguin Young Readers
Jacqueline Woodson is the 2018-2019 National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature
Jacqueline Woodson’s first middle-grade novel since National Book Award winner Brown Girl Dreaming celebrates the healing that can occur when a group of students share their stories.
It all starts when six kids have to meet for a weekly chat–by themselves, with no adults to listen in. There, in the room they soon dub the ARTT Room (short for “A Room to Talk”), they discover it’s safe to talk about what’s bothering them–everything from Esteban’s father’s deportation and Haley’s father’s incarceration to Amari’s fears of racial profiling and Ashton’s adjustment to his changing family fortunes. When the six are together, they can express the feelings and fears they have to hide from the rest of the world. And together, they can grow braver and more ready for the rest of their lives.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher for reviewing purposes and all opinions are my own.
I wanted to try to do something a little more creative for this final stop on the Harbor Me blog tour, so I’m creating a playlist dedicated to the book in addition to an Instagram post! After reading it, I realized how much music really matter to Haley and her family; it was her connection with both her uncle who raised her and her father who was in prison. Not only does music resonate throughout the narrative, but Woodson’s lyrical writing style flows in an almost musical way.
While I don’t read middle grade fiction too often, I believe this book is one that everyone should read. Woodson tackles difficult topics in a graceful way that makes it easy to spark these sorts of conversations with children. Many people don’t believe that these difficult issues should be broached with kids, but Woodson shows that they talk about them nonetheless. Children encounter these things in real life, so why shouldn’t we have conversations with them about these issues?
I’ve compiled a list of 5 songs that I believe will complement and further enhance your reading experience. Please enjoy!
1. “Scenes from Childhood” by Schumann
The beginning of the book opens up with Haley describing her father playing the piano, with the piano music filling up their house as her uncle is packing. While we don’t yet know much about the characters, the sounds of the piano immediately draw us into the story.
2. “A Change is Gonna Come” by Aretha Franklin
At the beginning, Haley and her class are introduced to change when their brought to the ARTT room. Throughout the story, they learn that change comes in a lot of different forms–and it’s something they’ll always have to get used to.
3. “Come Talk to Me” by Peter Gabriel
Esteban is probably the first one of the group that realizes that talking is better than keeping everything bottled up. Once he’s able to share about what happened to his dad, he becomes more relaxed at their meetings, even sharing poetry with his new found friends.
4. “Lean on Me” by Bill Withers
All the kids in the ARTT room end up becoming friends that they know they can confide in; Haley realizes this when she finally opens up about her dad. They share struggles in their lives and know that the others will support them and won’t judge them.
5. “In the Summertime” by Mungo Jerry
The book ends with Haley requesting a song from her dad on the piano, one that she remembers from when she was little, before he went to jail. While I’m not 100% sure this is the song being referenced, it’s got a great piano line, and it’s something I could imagine her singing with her dad. It’s a hopeful note to end on, as she goes into summer reminiscing on the conversations and friends she made throughout the school year.
All in all, this is definitely a book that’ll make you feel, written in that eloquent way that we expect from Jacqueline Woodson.
AUTHOR BIO:
Jacqueline Woodson is the 2018-2019 National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, and she received the 2018 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award and 2018 Children’s Literature Legacy Award. She is the 2014 National Book Award Winner for her New York Times bestselling memoir Brown Girl Dreaming, which was also a recipient of the Coretta Scott King Award, a Newbery Honor, the NAACP Image Award and a Sibert Honor. Her recent adult book, Another Brooklyn, was a National Book Award finalist. She is the author of more than two dozen award-winning books for young adults, middle graders and children; among her many accolades, she is a four-time Newbery Honor winner, a four-time National Book Award finalist, and a two-time Coretta Scott King Award winner. Her books include The Other Side, Each Kindness, Caldecott Honor book Coming On Home Soon; Newbery Honor winners Feathers, Show Way, and After Tupac and D Foster; and Miracle’s Boys, which received the LA Times Book Prize and the Coretta Scott King Award. Jacqueline is also the recipient of the Margaret A. Edwards Award for lifetime achievement for her contributions to young adult literature and the winner of the Jane Addams Children’s Book Award. She lives with her family in Brooklyn, New York.
Want to check out more posts from the blog tour? Check out my fellow tour hosts below!
WEEK ONE
August 20 – Books4yourkids – Review
August 21 – HBB Reviews – Historical Overview of the Events
August 22 – Princess Reads A Lot – Review
August 23 – Beaming for books – Creative Instagram Picture
August 24 – The Dwarf Did It – Playlist
WEEK TWO
August 27 – Simone and Her Books – Review + Creative Instagram Picture
August 28 – Lo’s Lo-Down on Books – Review
August 29 – Bookfoolery – Review
August 30 – It’s Just About Write – Listicle
August 31 – Fangirl Fury – Spotlight
WEEK THREE
September 3 – Buttons Book Reviews – Review
September 4 – Alexis Lampley – Stylized Book Photo
September 5 – Margie’s Must Reads – Review
September 6 – Between the Shelves – Playlist + Creative Instagram Picture