November Read - Harbor Me

[Kristen]

Jacqueline Woodson has a couple of Newbery Honors under her belt, could Harbor Me be her first Newbery Award?

What do you think?

[Meg]

I liked it very much and it will be a Battle if the Books book at my school, but I don’t think it is her best, so I don’t think this is a contender.

[Kate]

Even when Woodson is writing prose, it reads like poetry. The lyrical writing of HARBOR ME is really the strength of this book.
The stories are sad and show the impact on children of adult failure to navigate the complicated rules of our society. Hopefully the message about the value of peer support will be empowering.
I found it interesting that the father who ended up in jail was white. A storyline that goes against stereotype.

[Ana]

I love this author... but this book was just okay. The writing is superb. Woodson’s strength is her poetry, and this book read like a poem. The idea of peer support embodied by these two words- harbor me- is beautiful. The stories were touching and she went against the Susan stereotypes. And, she tried to pack way too much in this small book. It reminded me of the movie Precious, but in a different level. Not my favorite to win the Newbery.

[Phil]

I am a big fan of Woodson and a huge fan of this book. Here's my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I saw Woodson on her book tour to support this book. She said that the seeds of it started years ago when she had her son and started to think about "what it means for a boy to have a black body at this moment in time," which echoes some of the language in Between the World and Me.

She said that it was originally titled "The Dream of America" because it was going to be about the dreams that the characters have of life in America, but she changed it because she decided the scope was wider than that. She also said that the publisher kept trying to put a flag on the cover illustration, which she did not want.

Several of my students have read and loved this book so far this year. However, they were typical Jacqueline Woodson fans (socially conscious, interested in YA problems on an MG reading level). I'm not sure if it will appeal to, say, the Tui T. Sutherland fans.

[Czechgirl]

Actually, I believe this book will appeal to students. I live in a predominantly white rural/small town community and we are having more and more students stressed due to their parent(s) being jailed and/or simply not making wise adult decisions. Our school has been doing circles for about three years. The kids love it. Some have even chosen this book to read when I mentioned the circle being formed at school. I think it will be a mirror for many. However, I personally did not enjoy the book as much as some of Woodson’s others. So far, I love Louisiana’s Way Home and Amal Unbound for the win.

[Laura]

Phil wrote: "I am a big fan of Woodson and a huge fan of this book. Here's my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I saw Woodson on her book tour t..."
Thanks for sharing. It is all very interesting and fascinating.

[Charlene]

I loved this book. I loved the friendship between these six kids and their ability to support each other, have tough conversations all while going through so much trauma and hardship. I loved the writing style. It all felt so poetic. I am not sure if it will be a winner, maybe an honor. I would highly recommend it as a class read aloud. I don't think a kid would gravitate towards the book independently and I think a lot of the subject content should be teacher led.

[Reving]

I loved this book and it would be a well deserved win for her. Excellent. https://revingsblog.blogspot.com/2018...

[Shella]

I liked the concept of the title and how the friendships were developed. I agree with some of the other reviewers that this is not her best work. Lines did not jump off the page and resonate with me as with her other books. There were too many topics crammed in and felt it barely scratched the surface of very complex topics. As a result it seemed agenda driven. To me, that does not make for a distinguished book. I'm disappointed- we would all love to see the author win, I don't think this is the book that deserves it.

[Louie]

While I feel like Harbor Me should be read and shared by kids and teachers because of it's important content and messages, I personally didn't really care for it overall and I would be surprised if it won the Newbery.

[Maggi]

I listened to the audiobook, which is absolutely fantastic. It’s voiced by several young adults, including Woodson’s own daughter Toshi, who give the book a real voice of authenticity. Woodson having a reader’s conference with her 10-year-old son at the end is a wonderful touch. It made me want to re-read all of her books!

[Shella]

I'm glad to hear the audiobook had all those great qualities- to be distinguished, however, it should be able to do that through what is written. I really hope the committee judges each book on merit and not coat tails of popular authors that have written great books in the past. Some debut or less well known authors and publishers have really put out some fantastic books this year. I don't feel Woodson or DiCamillo have done that for 2019.

[Susie]

On the contrary, I feel like Louisiana's Way Home is outstanding on its own merit. It swept me in in a way few books have done. I have not been a fan of all of DiCamillo's books (still don't get Flora & Ulyssess), but this one was special.