‘Piecing me Together’

A Newbery Honor, Josette Frank Award and Coretta Scott King 2018 winner, ‘Piecing Me Together’ tells the story of a high school student attending an elite school on scholarship.  Jade is often reminded by her mother of the opportunities she is given by attending this private school. She knows she should feel lucky to be a student at this school which offers more than her local public school.  As a talented artist, Jade hopes she will be able to be true to herself despite the difficulty of being an outsider in an upper-class environment. Taking the bus across town each day to school and leaving her friends and neighborhood behind, Jade is somewhat torn between two worlds. When the dean encourages her to enroll in the Woman to Woman program where she is paired with a mentor, Jade recognizes it as another opportunity- a word she is tiring of.  Jade feels the contrast of her home life and school life.  She struggles to remain true to her old friends while trying to feel less lonely in a world not native to her upbringing.  Recommended.