Product Description

Nobody knows what to make of the new boy in Frannie’s class. Not only does he look different, but he’s kind to everyone, he refuses to fight, and he doesn’t even seem to mind when the other kids nickname him Jesus Boy. But as winter progresses, Frannie realizes that she’s starting to see a whole lot of things in a new light: her brother’s deafness, her mother’s fear, her friend Samantha’s faith, their classmate Trevor’s anger, and her own desire for hope—“the thing with feathers.” And it’s all because of Jesus Boy’s differences . . . and his friendship.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #143267 in Books
• Published on: 2007-03-01
• Format: Bargain Price
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 208 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. Looking forward" is the message that runs through Woodson's (The House You Pass on the Way) novel. Narrator Frannie is fascinated with Emily Dickinson's poem, "Hope is the thing with feathers/ that perches in the soul," and grapples with its meaning, especially after a white student joins Frannie's all-black sixth-grade classroom. Trevor, the classroom bully, promptly nicknames him "Jesus Boy," because he is "pale and his hair [is] long." Frannie's best friend, Samantha, a preacher's daughter, starts to believe that the new boy truly could be Jesus ("If there was a world for Jesus to need to walk back into, wouldn't this one be it?"). The Jesus Boy's sense of calm and its effect on her classmates make Frannie wonder if there is some truth to Samantha'a musings, but a climactic faceoff between him and Trevor bring the newcomer's human flaws to light. Frannie's keen perceptions allow readers to observe a ripple of changes. Because she has experienced so much sadness in her life (her brother's deafness, her mother's miscarriages) the heroine is able to see beyond it all—to look forward to a time when the pain subsides and life continues. Set in 1971, Woodson's novel skillfully weaves in the music and events surrounding the rising opposition to the Vietnam War, giving this gentle, timeless story depth. She raises important questions about God, racial segregation and issues surrounding the hearing-impaired with a light and thoughtful touch. Ages 8-up.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From School Library Journal
Starred Review. Grade 4–7—"Stepped through that door white and softly as the snow," notes sixth-grader Frannie, on the arrival of a pale, long-haired boy to her predominantly black middle school on a winter day in 1971. He is dubbed the Jesus Boy by the class rowdy, and the name seems to suit the newcomer's appearance and calm demeanor. Frannie is confused, not only by declarations that he's NOT white, but that her friend Samantha, daughter of a conservative Baptist minister, also seems to believe that he is Jesus. In light of this and other surprises in her life, Frannie questions her own faith and, most of all, the meaning of the Emily Dickinson poem that she is studying in class, "Hope is a thing with feathers/that perches in the soul/…." How does she maintain hope when her newly pregnant mother has lost three babies already? She also worries about her deaf older brother, Sean, who longs to be accepted in the hearing world. She sees the anger in the bully intensify as he targets Jesus Boy. With her usual talent for creating characters who confront, reflect, and grow into their own persons, Woodson creates in Frannie a strong protagonist who thinks for herself and recognizes the value and meaning of family. The story ends with hope and thoughtfulness while speaking to those adolescents who struggle with race, faith, and prejudice. They will appreciate its wisdom and positive connections.—D. Maria LaRocco, Cuyahoga Public Library, Strongsville, OH
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
There's a lot going on in this small, fast-moving novel that introduces big issues--faith, class, color, prejudice, family, disability, and friendship. Woodson tells her story with immediacy and realism through the stirring first-person narrative of a young girl, Frannie, growing up in 1971. The new boy in school is the only white kid in Frannie's sixth-grade class, and she wonders why he doesn't go to the white school across the highway. He's pleased when some of the kids call him Jesus Boy, and Frannie's devout friend, Samantha, thinks he may be the savior. A few of the boys harass him, especially bullying Trevor--who looks white himself. When the new kid turns out to be far from perfect, Frannie wonders: Was he God's child? Aren't we all? In her loving home, filled with light, hope, and laughter, a deaf older brother has always enriched her life, but Frannie realizes that she still has bridges of prejudice to cross. A good choice for discussion. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Customer Reviews

Great Novel
I bought this for my son and I decided to read it first...I loved it. It was a great story and very well written. My son hasn't read it yet, but I would still recommend it.

Heartfelt story
Woodson, from a child's point of view, paints a poignant picture of an adolescent's personal search for hope, intermingling relationships and experiences of the characters' lives. Frannie's thoughts betray a maturity beyond her age. This novel is a realistic view into the heart of its characters. This beautiful, heartfelt story of hope addresses the needs of the new kid in school, those living on the "wrong side" of town, prejudices of racism, fear and sadness of loss in a family who has experienced death, pain and poverty, and the silent world of a deaf person. Feathers touches the soul of the reader who is seeking hope, looking for the goodness in others and contemplating that "maybe there's a little bit of Jesus inside of all of us."

Great Read-Aloud
This is a great book to read to students in grades 5 & 6. It is all about how we should treat each other, regardless of color, and everyone needs to hear that. Many worthwhile discussions will follow.