2018, Nancy Paulsen Books, Penguin Random House
176 pgs.
Middle Grade Realistic Contemporary Fiction
Finished 4/9/19
Goodreads rating: 4.30 - 3971 ratings
My rating: 3
Setting: Contemporary Brooklyn, NY
First line/s: "We think they took my papi."
My comments: Hmmm. This book is beautifully crafted, with kids opening up to each other in loving, generous ways. But I have a few misgivings about it. The six kids portrayed all have different difficulties, experiences, ethnicities ... too many to make it seem at all real, just convenient for a good story. It's never revealed why they are all put into a "special" class of only six kids. There seem to be no (or very few) learning disabilities, physical disabilities or particular special needs. So why are they "special?" I taught fifth grade for years, and I can't quite imagine something like this taking place without more goofing around, hurt feelings occasionally, more misunderstandings.... I feel badly that I can't rate it any higher, there are just too many things I'm left bothered by.
Note: The dialogue was not put within quotation marks, but italicized. I really liked this.
Goodreads synopsis: 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.
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