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    Feathers
    Feathers
    Feathers
    Audiobook2 hours

    Feathers

    Written by Jacqueline Woodson

    Narrated by Sisi Aisha Johnson

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Frannie doesn't know what to make of the poem she's reading in school. She hasn’t thought much about hope. There are so many other things to think about. Each day, her friend Samantha seems a bit more “holy.” There is a new boy in class everyone is calling the Jesus Boy. And although the new boy looks like a white kid, he says he’s not white. Who is he?

    During a winter full of surprises, good and bad, Frannie starts seeing a lot of things in a new light - her brother Sean’s deafness, her mother’s fear, the class bully’s anger, her best friend’s faith and her own desire for “the thing with feathers.”

    Newbery Honor-winning author Jacqueline Woodson once again takes listeners on a journey into a young girl’s heart and reveals the pain and the joy of learning to look beneath the surface.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBrilliance Audio
    Release dateMay 20, 2008
    ISBN9781423365686
    Feathers
    Author

    Jacqueline Woodson

    Jacqueline Woodson, winner of the Margaret A. Edwards Award for lifetime achievement in writing for young adults, is the author of Feathers, Newbery Honor winner Show Way, Miracle’s Boys (recipient of a Coretta Scott King Award and a Los Angeles Times Book Prize), Locomotion and Hush (both National Book Award finalists), among many others. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.

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    Reviews for Feathers

    4/5

    389 ratings60 reviews

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    • 3/5
      Frannie is a perceptive and introspective little girl. Having a deaf brother and watching her family maneuver life after the death of a baby, Frannie has become very thoughtful. When a new student enters her class, Frannie, as well as the other students, find themselves fascinated by him. They live in a place that is segregated and separated by a highway. That highway keeps blacks and whites opposite one another, however, the new students seems to be on the wrong side of the highway. His mysterious appearance, both physically and to the school, evoke a sense of mystery, especially when one student calls him Jesus.
    • 5/5
      Frannie is a sixth grader who grapples with the meaning of Emily Dickonson’s poem, “Hope” is a Thing With Feathers. Throughout the story, she learns more about hope and what it means to her, her deaf brother, her best friend, the school bully, her mother, and the new kid at school. The new kid, who is nicknamed “Jesus Boy” by the bully, shocks everyone with his pale skin and long brown hair. He is a white student living on the “wrong side of the highway;” the only white student in an all-black school. Yet, he has a calmness about him and a way of looking into the sky that confuses his classmates. Frannie’s best friend Samantha hopes that Jesus Boy really is Jesus come down to Earth. Trevor, the school bully, hides his insecurities through his anger and prejudice towards the new student, hoping to hide behind his antagonism. Frannie’s brother Sean hopes to bridge the gap between his non-hearing world with the hearing world that everyone else belongs to. And Frannie’s mom hopes that this new pregnancy will not result in a miscarriage like so many others before it. This story adds insights into issues that so many of us deal with and try to make sense of in the world: race, faith, fear, belonging, and prejudice.
    • 3/5
      Very poetic language, very introspective. A girl struggling with faith and doubt, her mother's miscarriages and impending pregnancy, her bullied deaf brother, and the new kid at school that the other kids call Jesus.
    • 4/5
      Jacqueline Woodson always has a quiet, poetic way with words that speaks volumes. Classic Woodson!

      There is a new boy in Frannie's class. No one understands why he's there; this is the black side of town and he's white. With his long hair, he looks like Jesus, and he is dubbed the Jesus Boy. No one's quite sure what to make of the Jesus Boy. He says he isn't white, that it's easier for his family to live on this side of town, and he has a confident calm about him despite the teasing he gets. Is he really Jesus? And if so, is that why Frannie is seeing things differently this winter: her mother's pregnancy, brother Sean's deafness, her friend Stephanie's religious attitudes, even the snowy weather?
    • 5/5
      Beautiful book ,beautifully narrated. I look forward to checking out more ofrom this author.
    • 5/5
      Gorgeous and moving and quiet and sad -- well, and hopeful, too. The language is extraordinary, painting pictures in the mind. The topics are real kid topics. It's good.
    • 5/5
      Feathers is brief and scans easily, but it's anything but slight or superficial. A deft interweaving of several plots, each building up a separate theme: racism and bullying, family and loss, growing up, religion and belief.The story and connections between characters are great, and reason enough to read. Woodson gives such an expressive voice to Frannie, showing what Frannie sees and what she makes of it, and what questions she has; that itself is reason enough to read. And, there's humour in the interactions between family, friends, classmates. That's enough on its own, too. I came to this unexpectedly, answering some questions W had for a school assignment. I read a few pages to better understand a few specific questions, and decided to read the entire thing. Thoroughly satisfying, a favourite for the year.
    • 4/5
      Fannie is a black girl going to an all black school in 1971. Her older brother is deaf, something he and the whole family, have always accepted. At school, a lone white boy arrives as a new student. He has long hair, and when the class mockingly says he looks like Jesus, he tells the teacher he likes that, so he becomes Jesus Boy. Fannie doesn't know what to make of him. He doesn't seem to fear Trevor, the class bully, who hates the white new kid from the start.Fannie also has several philosophical conversations with her friend, Samantha, about God, religion, church, and how those things relate to hope, love, and just doing the right thing.It's a largely quiet and introspective story, with the focus on the Fannie's thoughts more than the actual events in the plot.
    • 5/5
      When a new boy starts at Frannie's school, everyone takes notice, because he's the only white boy there. Some think he doesn't belong in this school or in this part of town at all. Frannie isn't sure what to think of him, but she knows what it's like to be the new kid, and since her brother is deaf, she also experience how kids treat Different every day. So, Frannie juggles life at school negotiating a new friendship with the Jesus Boy (the nickname by general consensus for the new kid), dealing with the angry bully, and sorting through her best friend's religious near-fanaticism. She's not without worries at home, either: although part of a loving and generally happy family, she's troubled that her mother is again pregnant when previous pregnancies have failed and left her (mother) depressed and weak. But Frannie's teacher has had them read some Dickinson, and Frannie uses everything going on around her to try to suss out the meaning of how hope can be a thing with feathers.Short but powerful, this story packs a ton into its just over 100 pages. Still, somehow it doesn't feel as if it's overdoing anything, and all the elements are blended well. A good story, with characters who are comfortably genuine. Definitely recommended for kiddos and adults alike.
    • 4/5
      This book is about a little girl who has a brother who is deaf and a mother who has suffered through multiple miscarriages and has fallen pregnant once again. It is set in the 1970s and the main character is a girl named Frannie who attends a primarily black school in a primarily black community. A new boy starts coming to her school who is white, and he faces a lot of bullying because of this. Throughout the book, Frannie deals with the way her good looking but deaf brother is treated along with how she and other kids at school treat the new kid. I think this book could be used to talk about race, disabilities, pregnancy, bullying, or religion in both a History and an English class and the effects they have on our perception of the world around us.
    • 4/5
      Set in 1971, just three years after the Civil Rights Act was passed, this book is a message of finding hope in the promise of everyday change. A beautiful book.

      Awarded a Newbery Honor Medal.

      Lexile: 760
    • 4/5
      This book is great in that discrimination in books is often tackled through a 1950-1960's lens, when school integration was still fresh. In many of these books, it is implied that discrimination became a thing of the past once segregation was legally ended. However, this book shows that integration of school did not solve issues of discrimination, which is a powerful lesson that continues to have relevance today. Having a unit in which books that have a slavery lens, an early post segregation lens, a 1970's lens and a modern lens in the context of discrimination and African Americans would be really powerful for comparing and contrasting and building critical thinking in a social justice context.
    • 5/5
      I liked this book because it was different than the other books that I have read. Something about this book made me feel hopeful of the world in the future, even though it was written for the 60's time frame in 2010. This book was huge on religion, and the way how the author connected the religious components in the story was beautifully masked by language of the era. I also liked how the author introduced Deaf culture, and how she explicitly stated some of the different words the characters could sign. The most powerful line of the whole book, which summed up the entire message was, "Each moment, I was thinking, is a thing with feathers." This statement reflected off of Emily Dickinson's saying of, "Hope is the thing with feathers." It was like every moment that passes by is a moment of hope for another individual, and how in a matter of seconds those thoughts or moments are gone forever. But, we will always continue to hope for more intense moments to stick with us, before they are gone like feathers too.
    • 5/5
      In a time of unrest and segregation, it follows a young African-American girl who wrestles with hope, racism, faith, and trust. Her values and beliefs are threatened when a white boy enters her school. Her brother is deaf, so this presents another thing for her to wrestle with.
    • 3/5
      I wanted to like this. It's a sweet tale of a 6th grade black girl living with her dad, mum and handsome and deaf brother. She goes to school. There is a new boy, a bully, a friend who is religious... but it never quite stuck for me. Like the feathers of the title, it is all very light touch and drifts away when you try to catch hold of it.
    • 5/5
      Jacqueline Woodson is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. Her writing style is clear, lyrical, and hopeful; she tackles difficult issues for middle school students - bullying, loss, death - with a strength and purpose that shows the reader how to keep faith in hard times and persevere. Curricular connections can be made with language arts in fifth and sixth grade. This novel uses the works of Emily Dickinson; create a unit showcasing the poetry of Dickinson, examine how it is used in Feathers, and finally, have students discuss how the poetry is relevant in their own lives.
    • 4/5
      “Feathers” by Jacqueline Woodson was a winner of a Newbery Honor, and understandably so; it is a very powerful and moving story, even though it is a short 118 pages. I was moved by this book for two reasons. First, it is told from a young girl’s point of view, and the themes are so grown-up. The themes include racism and poverty, and so to hear about those through her eyes was a very endearing quality. It helped me understand more about that time period, and how a child might have reacted to those circumstances. I also appreciated that the characters were very complex. Woodson did not make any characters flat; they all went through changes. For example, Samantha was set on identifying herself as a Christian, and yet she was confused by Fanny wanting to help Trevor. Another example includes “Jesus Boy,” who was always so calm in the beginning, but called out Trevor for not having a father, which seemed very against his nature. These character developments seem more realistic to how human beings are, and I enjoyed reading about their complex personalities.I think the theme overall was one of hope: hope for the new baby, for bridges to new worlds, and for how things could be. Especially in terms of race, this story focuses on how things might be different one day. It is a very touching piece.
    • 5/5
      Feathered is a story from the perspective of Frannie, a young African American girl. The story takes place in the 70s as a white boy, everyone calls Jesus, begins at an all black school. Everyone is confused and taken back; why isn't he on the other side of the highway with the rest of the white kids? The story is very touching and eye opening as Frannie gets to know the new kid, Jesus, she ultimately begins to understand the world in a whole new light.
    • 4/5
      Interesting perspective on white/black relations from a young child's perspective. Maybe get.
    • 4/5
      This is the story of how one white boy enters and all black school. A young girl takes interest in the new boy and this mixes everything up. The young girl starts seeing lots o things in a different light.I would use this book for 4th grade and up. It is a great story that teaches children how to look at things from different perspectives.
    • 5/5
      Another great book by Jacqueline Woodson. The main point I got from this book is Jesus lives in all of us. I am not sure if that is what you will get from it, but I think it is what made this book a great book for me. A new kid that everyone calls Jesus comes to town, and he is the only white guy in a black classroom. Everyone starts questioning if he is Jesus or not because he is unique in many ways. This book takes you on a journey from the eyes of a little girl who isn't sure about many things until the end of the book. Its a great read! I recommend it! I loved it!
    • 5/5
      The more of Jacqueline Woodson’s works I read, the more I love her. Her writing leaves me deep in thought, and “Feathers” did not disappoint. I fell in love with all the characters, even Trevor, the bully, and Maribel, the snob. Woodson creates characters that are well rounded and relatable. For instance, Frannie, the main character, is a very introspective little girl, but she has selfish thoughts as well. She’s not perfect. Trevor is not just a mean little boy but a boy who is deeply hurt by his father’s absence. Samantha is not just a goody-two-shoes but a girl trying to be the best person she can be. I love how Woodson uses poetic language to bring home powerful messages. Such as when Frannie says about Trevor, ““Even though he was mean all the time, the sun still stopped and colored him and warmed him- like it did to everybody else”. Trevor is just a boy, like everyone else in the sixth grade. “Feathers” carries a message of hope and that no one is just one person. We are many things rolled into one.
    • 3/5
      Through her daily living, sixth grade Frannie experiences and feels many new emotions. Her understanding of interactions grow throughout the book.I really enjoy Woodson's writing. She is able to capture what may be true feelings of a sixth grade girl. However, I felt the story dragged a bit and just wasn't enticing. (2.75/5)Originally posted on: Thoughts of Joy
    • 4/5
      Feathers is about a girl who goes to an all African American school when one day a white boy shows up and changes things. She becomes curious about him and learns about this boy who appears different. This would be a good story to read to students to teach them about accepting others who may appear different than themselves; it is about giving all people a chance.
    • 4/5
      Quietly beautiful and satisfying.
    • 4/5
      It's 1971, and a new boy comes into Frannie's sixth-grade class. There is one thing about this boy that stands out -- he is white, and all the other kids in the class are black. Everybody knows that white kids live and go to school on the other side of the highway, and they are uneasy about the stranger.

      Frannie has some understanding of what it's like to be different, because her older brother is deaf. When kids start calling the new boy Jesus and he accepts the name, Frannie's friend Samantha, daughter of a store-front preacher, wonders if maybe he really is the second coming.

      In just 118 pages, [author:Jacqueline Woodson] evokes a time and place, draws a portrait of a young girl learning about herself and others, and deals with a number of deep issues with a light hand. She has an excellent ear for dialogue as well. [book: Feathers] surprised me not only because it treats matters of faith with seriousness and an open mind, but because it speaks of them at all. I can't really recall any young people's book from the 1950s and '60s that did this. Highly recommended.
    • 3/5
      MSBA Nominated in 2008-2009. Newbery Honor 2007-2008. I had never read a book by Woodson before, and I picked this one up because it was a MSBA nominee and because it had an Emily Dickinson quote on the cover. I liked it. It's not going to be a favorite, but it was good.

      Frannie is trying to deal with a lot of things: a mom who has lost two babies and is acting funny, a new boy in her class who looks white but says he is not (and is called Jesus-boy), a best friend who is acting increasingly holy, and the usual trials of being 11 1/2. I really liked how the 1970s were incorporated into the book with the language and small bits of politics seeping in. It was a three hour long audiobook, so I think it would be a relatively quick read.
    • 5/5
      This is a really beautiful book. It deals with matters of race in a graceful way, through the eyes of a sixth grader, Frannie. She and her classmates learn about the innate things we all share when a white student moves to her all black school.
    • 4/5
      I thought this was a very deep book that examined what hope and religion really were to the main character. Starting with Emily Dickenson's poem, "Hope is the thing with feathers," 6th grader, Fannie, tries to find meaning in this phrase throughout this book.When a new white boy, that goes by Jesus, shows up in a black neighborhood, he is instantly excluded. Fannie's friend, Samantha, believes that this really could be Jesus returning to earth, but Fannie has her doubts. When Jesus boy almost gets in a fight with Trevor (the class trouble maker), the students instantly see he is not Jesus. For even though he did not fight, he almost did, and Jesus would not do that. This book examines how you can believe something one day and then it is gone the next, and how what you individually believe may not make sense to others, or even yourself. At the end of the book, Fannie finally comes to her interpretation of what hope is, and sees hope in every moment of every day.This book is a coming of age, self realization book. There is a focus on Christianity, but it does not at all tell the reader what to believe, only focuses on what the characters in the book believe. Additionally, this book deals with many types of issues such as segregation (not legal) that existed between schools, the challenges that come with being deaf and miscarriages/ losing a baby. These mature issues are presented in a way that a young reader would be able to understand and try to relate to.I would recommend this book, a fairly quick read for older kids, probably longer for 5th-8th grades. It kind of encouraged me to assess how I act towards others and what hope is to me.Teaching Extension:At one point in this book, the teacher has her students to a free write. The subject is to write as many details about any memory or event, good or bad, significant or trivial. When one kid questions how he is supposed to remember things that happened when he was little (like being adopted) the teacher encourages him to imagine how he would have felt and write based off of that. This would be a good exercise to do with 5th-8th graders.
    • 4/5
      Feathers is a chapter book based in the segregated seventies (not necessarily legal segregation). The setting takes place on a side of the highway that the races considered the minority live. Sixth grader Franny belongs to a family where dad frequently leaves for his job, where mom mourns the death of children never born, and an older brotherwho is completely deaf. This family is forced to deal with all of the obstacles life dishes out, but they remain strong as a family unit. While at school, Frannie's class gets a new student, a white student. Jesus Boy. This throws the class. Frannie and her friend Samantha being to wonder if this boy could be the real Jesus. Frannie starts to see Jesus Boy as more than the new white boy and begins to see him as just another kid like her. Frannie learns a life lesson. This is a great story of how a little girl is able to stop seeing color and start seeing others who are different as human beings. This could be a great teaching tool for children, not to mention fun for students to read how people talked in the seventies. Details: This book was written to interest children in grades 5-8 and is on a 4.1 reading level.