Title: Piecing Me Together
Author: Renée Watson
Genre: Fiction
# of pages: 272
Reading Level: 680L, 11-13 years
Summary: Piecing Me Together is the story of Jade Butler, a young Black girl who is grappling with her identity in the world that surrounds her. Jade is a talented artist who specializes in collage art and finds that form of art to be the truest form of expression. Paired together with a local mentor, Maxine, Jade works hard to prove herself as a member of society who has more to give than receive. Faced with racism and insecurities, Jade is learning to find her place and her voice in the world. Students will develop a deep sense of empathy for Jade as she navigates her private school and comes to accept and love the person she is rather than set herself apart from what she deems “normal.” Jade shows the reader that every piece of their lives is, “...all mismatched yet perfectly puzzled together to make them whole beings.” (Watson, 2018).
Genre: This novel falls into the fiction category as it tells the story of a fictional Jade Butler. Although this could be the life story of someone, it is not based on anyone in particular. I have also grouped this into the diverse characters as it discusses issues that are specific to Jade and her family. This book could also be considered contemporary realistic as it deals with issues of racism and police brutality through the eyes of a teenager.
Reading the Novel: I would love to have this novel in my classroom library as well as a group read if I can work it into the curriculum
Teaching the Novel: This novel touches on themes of racism and self-acceptance which are important concepts for our students to understand. A cool activity for this book would be to have students create a collage that they feel represents them. If they want to write something to go along with it, they are welcome to, but not required. This invokes creativity and deeper thinking as well as a reflection on the life they have lived.
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