I have to admit, I was biased against this book from the start. I wanted to read Hush, about the witness protection program, and couldn't because someone had it checked out from the library long after its due date. However, I think even without the bias I would have given this book just a three. It doesn't really have a strong plot: it is about a girl whose brother is deaf, whose mom is pregnant, and whose new classmate is a white kid who looks like Jesus (it's a predominantly black school). The bully is mean to the Jesus boy, and her friend thinks he's actually Jesus. My biggest problem with the book isn't the lack of plot, however; Woodson's beautiful language and deep themes keep you from being bored (most of the time). The biggest problem I have with this book is that this little kid is spouting off these profound themes that can be learned from her experiences. She sometimes acted like a little kid, but most of the time she spoke and thought like a seventy-year old wise woman. I would still recommend this book to almost all students, though, black or white, because I think it deals with some important things, especially focusing on hope, "a thing with feathers."