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After Tupac and D Foster

3.6 of 5 stars 3.60 · rating details · 1,483 ratings · 361 reviews

D Foster showed up a few months before Tupac got shot that first time and left us the summer before he died. The day D Foster enters Neeka and her best friend’s lives, the world opens up for them. D comes from a world vastly different from their safe Queens neighborhood, and through her, the girls see another side of life that includes loss, foster families and an amount o...more

Hardcover, 151 pages

Published January 10th 2008 by Putnam Juvenile

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The Penderwicks on Gardam Street by Jeanne Birdsall

2009 Newbery Contenders

32nd out of 91 books — 548 voters

Little Town on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Newbery Medal Honor Books

73rd out of 230 books — 179 voters

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Jan 02, 2009 Claire Scott rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: anyone looking for "urban fiction" for a younger audience than YA

Shelves: high-younger-readers, middle-grade, to-get-for-emerson, lbgtq, poc-author, poc-diverse-cast, poc-mc

My favorite of Jacqueline Woodson's chapter books, by far. Beautifully written, thoughtful, and -- what really makes me prefer this to her other books -- swimming in complicated real-life situations without becoming too issue-driven.

My favorite thing about this book is that it feels very much written for a younger audience despite topics that are normally reserved for didactic picture books or teen readers: it addresses injustice, prison, homophobia, racism, the foster care system, and other is...more

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May 07, 2008 Jennifer Wardrip rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: trt-posted-reviews

Reviewed by Grandma Bev for TeensReadToo.com

Woodson's engrossing story contains a lot of big issues, but the main theme is about friendship, and how unexpected changes come into our lives as we are touched by others.

AFTER TUPAC & D FOSTER is a tension-filled story of how two twelve-year-old girls meet an outsider and become friends with her. "D" is a foster child, and has adopted "Foster" as her last name. Abandoned by her mother, D Foster is searching for something that is missing in her l...more

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Feb 16, 2008 Betsy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Some authors make writing reviews easy. You pick up their book, glance at the cover, and the words pour out of you like a hard spring rain. Jacqueline Woodson is not one of those authors, and this is not a bad thing. Her books are deep little critters. Their surface concerns hint at fuller depths. Her Newbery Honor winning book Feathers was a novel that I made the mistake of reading, putting down for a month or two, and then picking up to review. I couldn't do it. It isn't that it wasn't a good...more Some authors make writing reviews easy. You pick up their book, glance at the cover, and the words pour out of you like a hard spring rain. Jacqueline Woodson is not one of those authors, and this is not a bad thing. Her books are deep little critters. Their surface concerns hint at fuller depths. Her Newbery Honor winning book Feathers was a novel that I made the mistake of reading, putting down for a month or two, and then picking up to review. I couldn't do it. It isn't that it wasn't a good book. More that I couldn't figure out what to say about it when the time came. Fortunately, I don't have that problem with After Tupac & D Foster. A title that feels more autobiographical than anything else, After Tupac is a lovely take on friendship, trouble, and an awe-inspiring performer whose legend only seems to grow.

He was killed on September 13, 1996, but before Tupac died there was D Foster. In a neighborhood in Queens, our narrator and her best friend Neeka meet D, a girl who is eleven-years-old like them and has seen a lot of homes in her day. The three bond almost immediately and through the course of their acquaintance try to juggle the everyday realities of family, their shared love of Tupac, and the future as it comes to them. D Foster just wants to stay in one home from here on in, but when her real mom gets her act together and wants her back, the closeness of the girls is sorely tested.

A lot has been said in professional reviews of this title about Woodson's choice to keep her heroine's name out of the book. I wish the Acknowledgments or the bookflap could have said whether or not Woodson based any of this on her own feelings about Tupac when he was killed. As far as I can tell, she was probably not the age of the girls in this book when it happened. But once in a while a celebrity death hits hard and close to home. You certainly get that impression in this book, and in such a way that the reader isn't left wondering why all these people should care about a guy they've never even met. And if that personal a touch has come into her book, then it would make sense to keep the main character's name out of it. How often on a given day do you say your own name to yourself? How often do you even hear your own name, always assuming that you're not a kid raising your hand in class? By keeping everything in the first person, we get this story through the eyes of someone who pays more attention to the people around her than she does to herself. As she herself says, "Mostly I was the quiet one in the group, The Brain. Mostly I watched and listened." Pity the person who had to write the blurb for this book, eh?

People always have their bugaboos about books, and one of mine is that there isn't a quintessential child or teen book out there about The Black Panthers. It just chaps my hide. So whenever I see a mention of the Panthers in a book I get all excited. Woodson rightly points out that Tupac's mom was a former Panther, and Woodson is one of the few authors to even acknowledge the Panther programs like those offering free breakfast and prenatal care. I've also not seen that many fictional books for kids and teens that address Tupac and his life. As one reviewer of the book pointed out, Woodson acknowledges the man's own homophobia, but for the most part he comes off looking pretty good here. Certainly you wish there was an accompanying CD or something that would let you hear the songs the girls are listening to.

The age range for this book is very very interesting to consider. I mean our heroines are eleven and maybe twelve during the course of the story. But the writing is definitely from an adult, or at the very least teen, perspective looking back at that time. The girls also have to deal with issues that your average everyday tween book isn't considering. Things like having your best friend's brother gay and in jail for a crime he never committed. Then again, nothing in this book is inappropriate for ten and eleven-year-olds either. Woodson keeps the profanities low to non-existent without sacrificing her language or dialogue.

And man, does she have an ear for dialogue and prose. It's hard to read this book without hearing the very voices of the characters that are saying them. Who else can get away with a sentence like, "brother ain't know me from a can of paint"? I don't usually read a book and find myself yearning for the audio book version as well, but After Tupac & D Foster may have to be the exception. If the audio book could get the rights to actual Tupac songs too, you could end up with a bloody piece of fine art on your hands, you could! Woodson's prose is top notch too, of course. I loved the moment when you saw the three girls becoming friends with the help of some double dutch. When Woodson ends her chapter with the sentence, "And the three of us had a rhythm going," there's simply nothing more to be said. Woodson doesn't go in for long self-indulgent paragraphs or heavily repeated thoughts or themes. The editing on this puppy was top notch and there's not a wasted word in the text.

A great little Woodson book, and one that I think would be perfectly acceptable in the children's section of any library. Profanity, if there is any, is negligible (and certainly not memorable) and the violence is always in the past. This is just a really good story about friends, keeping them, losing them, and how you never really know what's going on in another person's brain. An ode to the cusp of adolescence without fudging the inner details. Woodson through and through.

Ages 10-17. (less)

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Feb 24, 2009 Jess rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: newbery-honor, juv, orca-2010-2011

How does Jacqueline Woodson manage to fit so much into such a slim book? It's not that it has a big plot, but more than there's so much life in so few pages. Each character - even the younger kids who only appear for a few moments on the page - is distinct and full of character. The descriptions of food make you hungry, the sense of the neighborhood is palpable, even though the description is sparse, and most of all - the sense of being eleven, twelve, thirteen. My childhood doesn't bear any out...more

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Jan 21, 2009 Eva Mitnick rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: children, ya

When I heard, as a high school student, that John Lennon had been shot, I called my friend Kathy and we cried on the phone together, and I cried off and on for many days after that. We were devastated; it felt like the end of an era.

Children and teenagers feel things intensely. Music has huge meaning, and musicians can sometimes enter your soul and reverberate there. For the nameless young narrator of this book and her friends Neeka and D, Tupac is such a musician. Not only his songs but his ver...more When I heard, as a high school student, that John Lennon had been shot, I called my friend Kathy and we cried on the phone together, and I cried off and on for many days after that. We were devastated; it felt like the end of an era.

Children and teenagers feel things intensely. Music has huge meaning, and musicians can sometimes enter your soul and reverberate there. For the nameless young narrator of this book and her friends Neeka and D, Tupac is such a musician. Not only his songs but his very living of the lifestyle he sings about elevates him to a mythical height in their eyes. They feel the tragic elements of his life as keenly as the events in their own lives – Neeka’s gay brother being in jail, the scariness of being black in an unjust society, D being a foster child, all three girls growing away from childhood, and D moving away from New York City all together.

The three girls’ instant, intense friendship (after an initial and very short period of wariness) is spot on, as is their easy banter, spoken in slangy black English that their own mothers try to squelch. They’re trying to figure out who they are and how they will fit into their own futures – at one point, Neeka imagines being a professor, maybe of law, lecturing to a whole room of attentive, respectful faces. Our narrator, who has been friends with Neeka since birth, wants to laugh at first but then realizes that this isn’t a farfetched dream. The girl whose point of view we share throughout the book is the bookish one. She observes everyone but also participates in the action and freely shares her thoughts. Despite this, I found her a bit of a mystery – we never gain the understanding of her and her family the way we do of Neeka or even of D, the original Child of Mystery. What does our narrator want from life? Where is she headed? Somewhere important for sure, with those powers of observation and introspection – perhaps she’ll be a writer.

Although it didn’t hit me personally with the same force as the astounding Miracle’s Boys, After Tupac & D Foster is an absorbing read for grades 5 and up.
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Apr 20, 2013 Christina rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: youth

THIS BOOK. Not one word is wasted or unimportant. It is short, but says so much. It's one little book but after reading I'm filled with so much. The narrator lets you read and feel all these things...general things like age and starting to wonder about your big purpose, or the way that perceptions about being "lucky" and relating to family differing between characters, connecting to music and celebrities, brief friendships. Specific things like the neighborhood and the characters and the events...more

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Mar 30, 2013 Joy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: newbery-project

2009 Newbery Honor Book

This is a book that I would not have picked up at all except it was on the Newbery list. I had to look up Tupac on Wikipedia because I don't listen to rap and had never heard of him before this book.

The story is set in the mid-90s (Tupac died in 1996 so it takes place between 1994 and 1996). The book is told in first person perspective but the narrator is never named so I'll just call her "narrator girl." Narrator girl lives in New York City and is always hanging around wi...more

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Jan 20, 2013 Laura rated it 5 of 5 stars

A professor of mine once commented that she sometimes remains concerned for a character after a novel's end, hoping long after the last pages are turned that a character will find her way. After Tupac and D Foster is one such book with young protagonists who will remain in my periphery, unforgettable. One day the unnamed narrator and her best friend Neeka are approached by the headstrong D, who steps off of a bus in their Queens, New York neighborhood while looking for her life's "Big Purpose."...more

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Dec 12, 2012 Phil added it

After Tupac and D Foster was a really cool story in an unexpected way. I had high expectations for this book after reading the title, but I did not expect the story to be rooted some deeply is sisterly bonds. Even though I generally would not have an instant connection with an African American, teenage girl, I found myself with a reasonably deep connection by the story’s end. I think what makes this book so approachable are its element of relationships in general as they bond more and closely in...more

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Dec 12, 2012 Annastasshia Ames rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: 5-6th grade

After Tupac and D Foster follows a a child's connection with music and how these words can influence a society. The story is narrated by one of the 3 main characters that remains unnamed through out the novel. The book tell a story of friendship between Neeka, D, and the narrator. They were also known as "three the hard way". The narrator and Neeka Live in a middle class, relatively safe neighborhood in New York City where they are required to stay on the block. D roams onto the street and makes...more

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Dec 11, 2012 Sarah Allen added it

After Tupac and D Foster is a story about three inner city girls that meet unexpectedly. D likes to roam.(D is a foster child) On one of her outings she ends up on Neeka's street. Neeka and her best friend become fond of D and how mysterious she appears to them. They are not allowed to even walk to the next street, so meeting a girl that is allowed to roam where she pleases is exciting to the girls. The three friends bond over the music of Tupac. They relate to Tupac and what his music is about....more After Tupac and D Foster is a story about three inner city girls that meet unexpectedly. D likes to roam.(D is a foster child) On one of her outings she ends up on Neeka's street. Neeka and her best friend become fond of D and how mysterious she appears to them. They are not allowed to even walk to the next street, so meeting a girl that is allowed to roam where she pleases is exciting to the girls. The three friends bond over the music of Tupac. They relate to Tupac and what his music is about. Tupac is a role model, in some ways, to the girls. They see where he comes from and realize that they could be great. The night that Tupac is shot the first time the girls bond over the tragedy. They stay up and listen to the radio and pay close attention to all of the updates. They are so happy to hear that Tupac is a miracle. He survives the near fatal attack. The girls are even closer to each other now. D finds peace within herself and all three girls begin to sort the issues out in their lives. Towards the end of the book D finds out that her mother wants to take her back. She is ready to try again with D. D leaves the girls and moves away with her mother. Around the same time that D leave, Tupac is shot again. This time it was fatal. Now the two girls have lost the most important influences in their lives. This book is a great resource to get student's to start reading. I will have this on my bookshelf in my classroom. After Tupac and D Foster is one of the best young adult books that I have had the pleasure of reading. I would want my student's to take a few things from this book. First, Greatness is found within. Great people are unique. They have a big purpose for their lives and they pursue it with passion. Second, friendships like Neeka, her best friend, and D are very rare. When you come across a friendship like this never let it go. Even while you're apart always have your friends on your mind. Finally, have an open mind. Consider every event and every person in your life important to your own story. (less)

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Dec 09, 2012 Kelly Breeden rated it 5 of 5 stars

After Tupac and D Foster by Jacqueline Woodson is an amazing book. It is perfect for students in the middle grades to read for many reasons. The book centers around a group of three female friends, and it follows them from the ages of 11 to 13. Their friendship has a strong base in their love for the rapper Tupac, and much of the story takes place before his fatal shooting in 1996. These three friends are African American girls who live in Queens, New York. The book is narrated by one of the fri...more

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Dec 08, 2012 Damarcus Henley rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is a story about two young girls, Neeka and the narrator. They meet a new girl on their block named D. She is a foster child who is hoping to one day meet her mother. While Neeka and the narrator have more strict but loving families, they envy D’s freedom, D on the other would do anything to have what the other girls have, a loving family and a place to call home. These girls share in common their love for rapper Tupac. They feel like his lyrics speak directly to them and explains their liv...more

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Oct 22, 2012 Maribel Galvez rated it 5 of 5 stars

Grade/interest level: Middle School (6-8)
Reading level: 4.6 (Lexile 750L)
Genre: Multicultural, Realistic Fiction

Main Characters: Unnamed Narrator, Neeka, D
Setting: Queens, New York in 1990’s
POV: Unnamed Narrator

For Neeka and her friends, growing up in Queens has always been safe and sheltered. One day, a new girl named D Foster enters her life, and brings with her a knowledge of loss, foster families, and freedom Neeka and her friends had only heard in rap albums, particularly those of Tupac S...more

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Feb 08, 2012 Madison rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: chapter-books, multicultural-books

After Tupac and D Foster is the story of three unlikely friends. Neeka, a confined girl with the desire for freedom from her large family; D Foster, a foster child who is free to roam but does not have a family; and the narrator and main character, who is an intelligent girl who looks for pieces of herself in literature. This book describes the connection between these girls, their environment, real-world issues, and Tupac. These three best friends are dissimilar, and yet they fit together. As...more After Tupac and D Foster is the story of three unlikely friends. Neeka, a confined girl with the desire for freedom from her large family; D Foster, a foster child who is free to roam but does not have a family; and the narrator and main character, who is an intelligent girl who looks for pieces of herself in literature. This book describes the connection between these girls, their environment, real-world issues, and Tupac. These three best friends are dissimilar, and yet they fit together. As they grow from children to teens, they face issues that many young readers go through. After Tupac and D Foster also explains the culture and environment where each girl lives, whether it be the block or the foster system. Real-world issues such as discrimination based on homosexuality, confrontation with legal authorities, unjust incarceration, violence, and so on, are also themes within the novel. The music of Tupac and his life also connect deeply with the girls, especially the main character.
The author of this novel has a unique voice that is almost disjointed. When the text is a personal narrative or thought process, the words are written in a mostly formal and proper way. Grammar rules and standards are upheld outside of dialogue. However, when characters speak to one another, a stereotypical African-American linguistic style is expressed. The use of double negatives, “ain’t”, and other traits of that dialect are present throughout all verbal exchanges between characters. While I’m not sure I like the stereotypical jargon, it does set this story apart from others of its kind. The narrator is described as intelligent throughout the tale, and this is reflected not only in her actions but also through her personal expression.
Aside from having an interesting voice, After Tupac and D Foster did not appeal to me as a reader. In fact, I was disappointed with the ending. The novel seemed to be building for some climactic ending. However, nothing monumental happened. As an adult reader, I was disappointed. I cannot imagine this book holding the attention of a young reader.
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Dec 20, 2011 Jessie Bear rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: absent-parent, african-american-protagonist, ages-10-13, broken-family, chapter-book, coming-of-age, early-young-adult, friendship, newbery-honor, race, relocation, secrets, si-624, new-york-city

“Three the hard way” are three best friends, two of which are neighbors who grew up together, and the third is the mysterious D. The timeframe of this novel is told through the lens of Tupac’s last two years alive, placing what happens in the story within the frame of events like the release of a new single or Tupac being sent to jail. Readers know immediately that both Tupac is killed and D leaves, events tied together in the protagonist’s mind. This powerful story celebrates the music of Tupac...more

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Dec 14, 2011 Linda Lipko rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: newbery-winner

This 2009 Newbery winner is deserving of accolades and praise. No stranger to awards, Woodson is a recipient of a Caldecott Honor, the ALA Best Book Award, a National Award Finalist, and the Coretta Scott King Award.

While this isn't one of my favorite books by Woodson, it is a gem and I recommend it.

Few can take so many difficult situations and seamlessly pull them together, weaving an incredible tapestry.

When two 11 year old childhood friends meet a stranger who happens to wander into their nei...more

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Dec 04, 2011 Nichole Hurst rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ci-546-wide-reading-project, adolescents, african-american, award-winning, classroom-library, independent-reading, lit-circles, non-fiction, realistic-fiction, theme-family, theme-friendship, theme-identity, urban, ya-9-12, narrative, celebrity, racism, homosexuality

Through the eyes of the narrator, who is left unnamed, we see the perspective of a young girl who is reflecting on a time of her life. The narrator and her best friend Neeka are tweleve years old and looking to get their feet wet and expand their wings per say. However, thier strict mothers keep tight reigns on the two, so they must find a way to make the word come to them. The two girls befriend D. Foster, who is in the foster care system and adopts Foster as her last name. The girls bond over...more

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Nov 28, 2011 Davina Cuffee rated it 4 of 5 stars

1. Junior Book-Other

2. After getting off a bus in Queen, 12 year old foster child D Foster found two new friends. With their love for Tupac and each other they were inseparable, until the sudden death of Tupac and the sudden departure of D Foster when her mother came to take her back home.

3a. strong mature content

3b. Many parents will not allow their young child to read this book due to the content that’s in it. Some parents may think that it’s to “street” or the lingo isn’t appropriate, but I t...more

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Nov 23, 2011 Ofa Fotu rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: engl-420

This book follows the story of a young girl in the ghettos of Queens, New York. Talks about her friends/family. about the oppression of poverty and profiling. It is a very emotionally driven novel. It addresses lots of situations of heartache. The main character is only 12 but she experiences a lot of harder issues because of her environment. addresses a lot of feelings of under-appreciation. addresses people who are treated like the "step children of America" - not having the same rights, and t...more

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Nov 19, 2011 Shannon rated it 3 of 5 stars

While the book was a good story about friendship I would be hard pressed to say it deals with anything other than friendship. And rightly so, as it never professes to being a book about anything other than friendship.

Both girls come from wonderful homes with caring and loving people around them. Even D's mom cares about her. I've read some of the reviews for this book that toss out words like "deep" and "issue driven" and I just didn't see that...it was about three girls and the friendship they...more

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Nov 15, 2011 Chris Murray rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ethnic, realistic-fiction

Summary:

AFTER TUPAC & D FOSTER is a tension-filled story of how two twelve-year-old girls meet an outsider and become friends with her. "D" is a foster child, and has adopted "Foster" as her last name. Abandoned by her mother, D Foster is searching for something that is missing in her life...perhaps a sense of belonging and permanence. The other two girls begin to explore the city with her, all of them searching for their "Big Purpose" in life. All the girls have their own set of family issu...more

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Mar 07, 2011 Maricor rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary-realism-historical-f

After Tupac & D Foster by Jacqueline Woodson (2008)
Contemporary Realism, 160 pages
Jacqueline Woodson masterfully winds this fictional tale of friendship and loss around the last years of life for rap phenom Tupac. D Foster walks into the lives of two best friends at age eleven, before Tupac is shot for the first time. D is immediately one of the girls, and over the next two years, around the block they are referred to as Three the Hard Way. As a foster child, D has seen beyond her share of t...more After Tupac & D Foster by Jacqueline Woodson (2008)
Contemporary Realism, 160 pages
Jacqueline Woodson masterfully winds this fictional tale of friendship and loss around the last years of life for rap phenom Tupac. D Foster walks into the lives of two best friends at age eleven, before Tupac is shot for the first time. D is immediately one of the girls, and over the next two years, around the block they are referred to as Three the Hard Way. As a foster child, D has seen beyond her share of tragedy and stolen hope and yet clings to the possibility of her mother returning for her one day. As many others have, D relates to Tupac’s lyrics of hardship and injustice and finds him a beacon of light in a dark time. Somewhat sheltered from the world beyond their block, the other two girls begin to understand the world at a more developed level through D’s eyes. Without being overbearing, Woodson threads Tupac’s impact through the story, really capturing why he was so successful: when many listened to his music they saw themselves and their neighborhoods reflected in his social commentary. Woodson is also not afraid to address some weighty themes, such as homosexuality and its treatment in the hood, jail, dreams of pro-ball, throwaways, and single parents, but does so in an interwoven pattern that is never overwhelming or destructive to the girls’ story, but instead creates a backdrop for their maturity and greater understanding of the way the world works. While the narrator is never named, her first-person narration pulls the reader into the story, really connecting with her life, thoughts, and experiences with D. Mirroring the impact of Tupac’s death and everlasting influence, D’s companionship is lost as her mother returns for her and takes her away, leaving the girls a bit wiser and forever remembering what they learned from D Foster. After Tupac & D Foster would be a great read for a young adult admirer of Tupac or an urban fiction fan who can handle some of the more philosophical explorations of life. (less)

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Feb 27, 2011 Regina rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: african-american-interest, young-adult

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. The Summer of D Foster, and how it intertwined with the loss of Tupac Shakur, is the focus of this summer tale by Jaquelin Woodson.
While exploring the not so nearby neighborhood of her newest foster mother, D Foster claims Neeka and the unnamed narrator as her new friends. A strange, but effective friendship ensues as the three 11 year-old girls live through the ups and downs of life in Queens, NY.
D is that friend we all have had. The one who is unafraid and “cool”. The fearless one who brings...more The Summer of D Foster, and how it intertwined with the loss of Tupac Shakur, is the focus of this summer tale by Jaquelin Woodson.
While exploring the not so nearby neighborhood of her newest foster mother, D Foster claims Neeka and the unnamed narrator as her new friends. A strange, but effective friendship ensues as the three 11 year-old girls live through the ups and downs of life in Queens, NY.
D is that friend we all have had. The one who is unafraid and “cool”. The fearless one who brings adventure and wonder into our lives.

I have lived this story. What I found so great about it was the seamless way the author showed that sometimes that cool friend, is the one who needs that wonder the most. D Foster is hanging on very tightly to the idea that she will one day be reunited with her mother. While the girls tend to brush it under the rug as wishful thinking, the hope and tenacity of D helps the story soar.

Along with the story of D, we are also introduced to the relationship between Neeka and the narrator as they learn more about themselves and where they stand on life’s issues. One such issue being Neeka’s older brother Tashm who is in jail for making a bad choice. Feelings on his homosexuality are also explored through the narrator’s thoughts.

I have had friends who were very much like D Foster. This book was an amazing glimpse at what is going on in homes nearby. As most stories like this seem to become cliche and very similar, Jacqueline Woodson finds more than a few ways to slip in twists and surprises.

The story is interspersed with information and references to Tupac Shakur’s art, poetry and music, but most importantly the effect his death had on the young adults who idolized him and found him to be their spokesperson. This book is an excellent choice for an introduction to more of Jacqueline Woodson’s work, as like her other stories, she uses brief encounters to show how our lives can change in an instant.

Thoughtful, Engaging characters, Jumpy storyline at times.(less)

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Feb 03, 2011 Alo Evans rated it 3 of 5 stars

It was a pretty good story, overall. This definitely seemed like something that could have been the real of life of a teen. It was a super fast read, at just over 150 pages, especially since it was written very simply. That seemed to be the worst part, though. I felt like there was so much more that could have been said. The story is about three black teens, two from the same neighborhood and one who suddenly comes into the picture. The third, D, is a foster kid who is a bit of mystery through m...more

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May 25, 2010 Debbie rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is a small, simple, huge story that says so much in so few pages.
When it comes down to it, Jacqueline Woodson has packed a lot of tough topics into this airtight little story: throwaway kids, jail visits, homosexuality, Tupac's art, fatherlessness, and the hope some kids cling to that they might one day play professional sports. With so many big issues in the mix, it's amazing how smooth the story flows. Of course the strongest thread is friendship.
Favorite quote:
"D Foster showed up a few...more

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May 18, 2010 Cara rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-lit

In this multicultural novel, Woodson takes you to the Queens neighborhood of two African American girls. During the summer before they turn twelve, a third girl--D--enters their lives, leaving them forever changed. These girls have not had easy lives. D is a foster child, who roams around the city searching for her "Big Purpose." While Neeka is loved and well-cared for, her older brother is homosexual and is also in jail; Neeka is also one of seven children, which leaves her feeling over-crowded...more

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Dec 21, 2009 Amber rated it 3 of 5 stars

This would be a must read for any teen girl who enjoys stories about young girls' struggles and also just happens to like Tupac. The main character, a young black girl, tells the story of her and her best friend Neeka and how their lives are changed by D Foster, a girl who winds up on their Queens block one day talking about her "Big Purpose" and knowing every word to a Tupac jam. The story is broken up into the year or so from when Tupac is facing jail time and then is shot again and killed. Th...more

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Apr 14, 2009 April Helms rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, multicultural, young-adult

A very dense, moving story that will appeal to young teens, particularly young teen girls. Two best friends, Neeka and the narrator of the story (who is unnamed) meet a third girl, who calls herself D, when she is wandering around the neighborhood. The three become close friends during the summer, particularly after Tupac Shakur, their idol, is shot but survives. The three are quite different: D lives with a foster mother, and is free to roam the city, something Neeka and the narrator envy. They...more

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Apr 19, 2008 Lynn rated it 5 of 5 stars

Quiet, warm and moving, this is a thoughtful coming of age story about three "almost twelve-year-old girls in Queens, who are searching for their Big Purpose. The portrait of the fiercely supportive families of two of the girls and their neighborhood is framed by the events of Tupac's shooting, jailing and eventual death. Woodson's writing is beautiful, each carefully chosen word makes a purposeful piece of the whole and when I closed the book, I felt as if I left friends behind.

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About Jacqueline Woodson

I used to say I’d be a teacher or a lawyer or a hairdresser when I grew up but even as I said these things, I knew what made me happiest was writing.

I wrote on everything and everywhere. I remember my uncle catching me writing my name in graffiti on the side of a building. (It was not pretty for me when my mother found out.) I wrote on paper bags and my shoes and denim binders. I chalked stories a...more I used to say I’d be a teacher or a lawyer or a hairdresser when I grew up but even as I said these things, I knew what made me happiest was writing.

I wrote on everything and everywhere. I remember my uncle catching me writing my name in graffiti on the side of a building. (It was not pretty for me when my mother found out.) I wrote on paper bags and my shoes and denim binders. I chalked stories across sidewalks and penciled tiny tales in notebook margins. I loved and still love watching words flower into sentences and sentences blossom into stories.

I also told a lot of stories as a child. Not “Once upon a time” stories but basically, outright lies. I loved lying and getting away with it! There was something about telling the lie-story and seeing your friends’ eyes grow wide with wonder. Of course I got in trouble for lying but I didn’t stop until fifth grade.

That year, I wrote a story and my teacher said “This is really good.” Before that I had written a poem about Martin Luther King that was, I guess, so good no one believed I wrote it. After lots of brouhaha, it was believed finally that I had indeed penned the poem which went on to win me a Scrabble game and local acclaim. So by the time the story rolled around and the words “This is really good” came out of the otherwise down-turned lips of my fifth grade teacher, I was well on my way to understanding that a lie on the page was a whole different animal — one that won you prizes and got surly teachers to smile. A lie on the page meant lots of independent time to create your stories and the freedom to sit hunched over the pages of your notebook without people thinking you were strange.

Lots and lots of books later, I am still surprised when I walk into a bookstore and see my name on a book’s binder. Sometimes, when I’m sitting at my desk for long hours and nothing’s coming to me, I remember my fifth grade teacher, the way her eyes lit up when she said “This is really good.” The way, I — the skinny girl in the back of the classroom who was always getting into trouble for talking or missed homework assignments — sat up a little straighter, folded my hands on the desks, smiled and began to believe in me.(less)

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Trivia About After Tupac and D...

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Quotes from After Tupac and D Foster

“You're a part of me...You're in my heart. Forever and always, all right?

—D” — 17 people liked it

“Lately, I'd been feeling like I was standing outside watching everything and everybody. Wishing I could take the part of me that was over there and the part of me that was over here and push them together—make myself into one whole person like everybody else.” — 8 people liked it

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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1583449.After_Tupac_and_D_Foster?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348551538l/1583449.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1583449.After_Tupac_and_D_Foster?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]After Tupac and D Foster by Jacqueline Woodson[/url]

After Tupac and D Foster

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