32nd out of 91 books
—
548 voters
After Tupac and D Foster
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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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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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 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
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
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
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
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
“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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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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
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
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
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
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
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
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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| SPSV Mrs. Rodgers...: Julius Fernandez | 1 | 4 | Oct 06, 2011 09:33pm |
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
More about Jacqueline Woodson...
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
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“You're a part of me...You're in my heart. Forever and always, all right?
—D”
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17 people liked it
—D”
“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.”
—
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