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Product Description Newbery Honor and Coretta Scott King Author Award WinnerNew York Times bestseller"Timely and timeless." --Jacqueline Woodson"Important and deeply moving." --John GreenAcclaimed author Renee Watson offers a powerful story about a girl striving for success in a world that too often seems like it's trying to break her.Jade believes she must get out of her poor neighborhood if she's ever going to succeed. Her mother tells her to take advantage of every opportunity that comes her way. And Jade has: every day she rides the bus away from her friends and to the private school where she feels like an outsider, but where she has plenty of opportunities. But some opportunities she doesn't really welcome, like an invitation to join Women to Women, a mentorship program for "at-risk" girls. Just because her mentor is black and graduated from the same high school doesn't mean she understands where Jade is coming from. She's tired of being singled out as someone who needs help, someone people want to fix. Jade wants to speak, to create, to express her joys and sorrows, her pain and her hope. Maybe there are some things she could show other women about understanding the world and finding ways to be real, to make a difference.NPR’s Best Books of 2017A 2017 New York Public Library Best Teen Book of the YearChicago Public Library’s Best Books of 2017A School Library Journal Best Book of 2017Kirkus Reviews’ Best Teen Books of 20172018 Josette Frank Award Winner From School Library Journal Gr 7 Up—High school junior Jade is an "at-risk" student from a rough neighborhood in Portland, OR. She is also a talented collage artist, and she attends an elite private school on scholarship. More than anything, she wants to go on a study abroad week offered at her school to use her Spanish skills. Instead, she is given an invitation to join Woman to Woman, a mentorship program for young women like her: poor and black. Her mentor, Maxine, is from a more privileged background, and Jade doesn't see what she can learn from her. But in spite of her early resistance to Maxine, Jade begins to open up and gain confidence, and, eventually, she is able to express the importance of her family, her community, and her art. The two strong female characters and the ways in which they struggle with and support each other form the center of this tale. Most young people will relate to Jade's search to find her voice and learn to advocate for herself in appropriate ways. The lack of a romantic lead may leave some young teen readers disappointed, but there is a real, refreshing strength in a fully fleshed-out female character whose story is her own. This is a memorable novel that demonstrates that a happy ending doesn't require a romantic subplot. VERDICT This unique and thought-provoking title offers a nuanced meditation on race, privilege, and intersectionality. A first purchase for YA collections.—Kristin Anderson, Columbus Metropolitan Library System, OH Review "Watson’s elegantly crafted novel speaks to the myriad of people who find themselves searching for themselves in the world. Timely and timeless, Piecing Me Together is a book about the ways young people deal with the hardships and heartbreak of everyday living while remaining whole and true to themselves. There is a little bit of Jade in all of us. As she and the rest of Watson’s characters jumped off the page and into my heart, I found myself again and again, remembering this." - Jacqueline Woodson, National Book Award-winning author of BROWN GIRL DREAMING"Watson, with rhythm and style, somehow gets at the toxicity of sympathy, the unquenchable thirst of fear, and the life-changing power of voice and opportunity, all wrapped up in Jade--the coolest young lady in the world. Or at least, in Portland, Oregon. Simply, Piecing Me Together is a book you'll want to hug!" - Jason Reynolds, New York Times bestselling and award-winning coauthor of ALL AMERICAN BOYS"An important and deeply moving no