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Piecing Me Together
Piecing Me Together | Renée Watson
150 posts | 113 read | 150 to read
A timely and powerful story about a teen girl striving for success in a world that too often feels like it wants to break her. Jade believes she must get out of her poor neighborhood if she's ever going to succeed. Her mother tells her to take advantage of every opportunity that comes her way. And she has. She accepted a scholarship to a mostly-white private school and even Saturday morning test prep opportunities. But some opportunities feel more demeaning than helpful. Like an invitation to join Women to Women, a mentorship program for "at-risk" girls. Except really, it's for black girls. From "bad" neighborhoods. And just because Maxine, her college-graduate mentor, is black doesn't mean she understands Jade. And maybe there are some things Jade could show these successful women about the real world and finding ways to make a real difference.
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EmilieGR
Piecing Me Together | Renée Watson
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Pickpick

I really didn‘t expect to like this book as much as I did! True, it was serious and pretty heavy- handed, but the characters leapt off the page. They were vivid and sympathetic- this really is essential reading for teens.

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Rachel.Rencher
Piecing Me Together | Renée Watson
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Last book for this week's homework! I really should've done some of this over spring break, yeesh. 😮â€ðŸ’¨

TheBookHippie I love this book. 12mo
Rachel.Rencher @TheBookHippie Yay! I had like four options and this one sounded the best. 12mo
TheBookHippie @Rachel.Rencher I‘ve read it with students over ten times now. I hope you like it. 12mo
66 likes1 stack add3 comments
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Addison_Reads
Piecing Me Together | Renée Watson
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#CuriousCovers @AlwaysBeenaLoverofBooks @Eggs

This book was such a great read. I love this cocer too 😠The main character is an artist who makes collages, so this cover is very fitting. #LittenListen @aperfectmjk

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Beautiful 📚🙌🻠3y
Eggs I love Renee WatsonðŸ‘ðŸ¼ðŸ’™ðŸ‘🻠3y
39 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Addison_Reads
Piecing Me Together | Renée Watson
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Pickpick

Fans of Jacqueline Woodson should try this one. It reminded me of her books with the empowering, lyrical writing.

I was drawn to this one because of the cover. 💚 and I fell in love with it because of the writing. This story explores growing up poor, dealing with racism, and just trying to do the right thing in a world that judges you on the color of your skin.

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks #LittenListen @aperfectmjk

TheAromaofBooks Great progress!!! 3y
Kenyazero Sounds like a good read. I do enjoy Woodson's work, so I'll have to give this a read! 3y
36 likes1 stack add2 comments
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LoopyNZ
Piecing Me Together | Renée Watson
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suzie.reads
Piecing Me Together | Renée Watson
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Pickpick

Loved this so much ⤠Can't believe I only came across this book because I needed a book set in Oregon. Jade was just fab!
#ReadingUSA2020 #Oregon (49th state)

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Jebpix
Piecing Me Together | Renée Watson
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Pickpick

â­ï¸â­ï¸â­ï¸â­ï¸â­ï¸

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TheBookHippie
Piecing Me Together | Renée Watson
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So excitedðŸ¤ðŸ¤ðŸ¤ðŸ¤

Butterfinger It will make an awesome movie. 4y
TheBookHippie @Butterfinger I‘m so so excited!!! 4y
39 likes2 comments
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TheBookHippie
Piecing Me Together | Renée Watson
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Age 12 and up
I first read this 178 weeks ago according to IG 🤣
I have since read and purchased it over and over for kids I mentor. It‘s a huge favorite .
I see it rising on the charts again which makes me so happy.
Passing it along as books for this age are hard to find that are good. That price is fantastic.
#integrateyourshelf

ChasingOm Well, with that price I‘m definitely going to buy a copy, read it, and then put it in my local LFL! Thanks for the tag!! 4y
ChasingOm (It‘s been on my TBR for a while.) 4y
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AmyG What ages would you say this is good for? Thinking of my nieces....ages 6 & 9 4y
TheBookHippie @AmyG it says 12 and up I was naughty and read it with a group of 9/10 year olds. 🤣 4y
AmyG That‘s perfect. I never know what books to get them as they are amazing readers. Thanks!!! 4y
51 likes2 stack adds6 comments
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AvidReader25
Piecing Me Together | Renée Watson
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“I think about this as a ride to school. How I am someone‘s answered prayer but also someone‘s deferred dream.â€

“Traveling changes you. It open to up in ways you never imagined and makes you appreciate home.â€

“I don‘t know what‘s worse. Being mistreated because of the color of your skin, your size, or having to prove that it really happened.â€

jmtrivera I love this book. 4y
AvidReader25 I did too! So beautifully written. 4y
20 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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kitteh_reads
Piecing Me Together | Renée Watson
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Pickpick

These are the type of books that make me love reading, that can make me examine myself and try to learn from someone else‘s perspective. I found myself siding with Jade‘s friend, Sam as she (like myself) will never know what it feels like to be in Jade‘s shoes. But then, I realized this is part of the problem. This is where I can learn and do better. I loved this book, it was absolutely engrossing!

9 likes1 stack add
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Katies_always_booked
Piecing Me Together | Renée Watson
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Pickpick

Piecing Me Together by Renee Watson 4/5â­ï¸
This is the story of Jade, a high school student striving to make the best of her situations. I‘d never heard about this book until I saw a list of Newberry awards at my local library - it‘s not overall dark or dramatic but it‘s a great read about race, rights, friendship, and real struggles of teens in our time.

#ya #contemporaryfiction #family #comingofage #corettascottkingaward #newberryaward

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MissPurpleSpecs
Piecing Me Together | Renée Watson
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Pickpick

This is a wonderful story about a young black girl who faces in fights against stereotypes, micro-aggressions, & negative perceptions of poverty. It beautifully interweaves her journey of finding her voice to not only stand up for herself and what is right but to ask for the opportunities that she wants, as she finds her place in the world. This was beautifully written and expertly told. I have not been so hooked on a book for a long time.

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megnews
Piecing Me Together | Renée Watson
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Pickpick

I love this book.

#YAApril book 10

Butterfinger I did too. I'd love to be a mentor when I retire and take underprivileged high schoolers to plays, museums, etc. 4y
erzascarletbookgasm Great cover too 4y
megnews @erzascarletbookgasm I love the cover too! 4y
megnews @Butterfinger that‘s something I‘ve wanted to do for awhile as well. Sounds like just as much fun for me as them! 4y
48 likes4 comments
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megnews
Piecing Me Together | Renée Watson
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There‘s so many amazing young adult covers! Here‘s one of my favorites which I‘m #currentlyreading for #YAApril.

#CoverCrush

LibrarianRyan I do like this cover. 4y
SaturnDoo I have this on my TBR. Can't wait to see what you think 🙂 4y
43 likes2 comments
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BookNightOwl
Piecing Me Together | Renée Watson
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Pickpick

Jade comes from a low income neighborhood but goes to an elite school from being granted a scholarship. In this book you deal with life, family, friends and just trying to figure out herself and what she really wants out of this world. Sometimes just to be seen as a person and not by the color of her skin. A super fun quick read.

59 likes1 stack add
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DebinHawaii
Piecing Me Together | Renée Watson
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#QuotsyJan20 #quilt

“Our bodies a quilt that tells stories of the middle passage, of roots yanked and replanted.
Our bodies a mosaic of languages forgotten, of freedom songs and moaned prayers.â€
—From Black Girls Rising by Lee Lee Simmons

From a poem written by a character in the tagged YA book which I recently bought as a Kindle Deal. I hope to get to it soon.💜

Butterfinger It was a very good book. 4y
DebinHawaii @Butterfinger It looks really good.🤗 4y
56 likes2 comments
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crazyspine
Piecing Me Together | Renée Watson
Pickpick

This book is as close to perfect in terms of adding to one's classroom library. A negative with a lot of BLM books is that my white colleagues will say that it makes them feel guilty, angry, etc, so they shut off and don't really get anything out of it. Watson does an excellent job at giving a window into what many of our students may be experiencing in language that is clear and detailed and embraces the reader.

jmtrivera I LOVE this book. 4y
38 likes2 comments
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TheShaggyShepherd
Piecing Me Together | Renée Watson
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#day5 of #7days7covers - @TrishB - have you played yet? 7 covers for 7 days without explanations.

TrishB Thanks for tagging! I‘m half way through and keep forgetting to finish! 5y
51 likes1 stack add1 comment
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Tamra
Piecing Me Together | Renée Watson
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US Kindle Deal: I really enjoyed this short YA novel. The characters have fresh and unique voices. I don‘t recall it being whiny or unduly teen angsty, which is a turnoff for me.

jmtrivera I LOVED THIS! 5y
LauraBeth Loved this book and can‘t wait to read her new one that came out today! 5y
Tamra @LauraBeth I saw that, yay! ðŸ‘🾠5y
63 likes4 comments
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Butterfinger
Piecing Me Together | Renée Watson
Pickpick

Please read this beautiful book. Renee Watson did such a great job showing how a young girl of color changes from a quiet person, who lets events happen, to a powerful woman who MAKES her own opportunities. Just powerful!!

TheShaggyShepherd I loved this book so much when I found it. 5y
29 likes1 comment
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Butterfinger
Piecing Me Together | Renée Watson

I wonder how a people's culture, a people's history, becomes a mascot.

I have always wondered too.

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Samara_Kipnis
Piecing Me Together | Renée Watson
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Here‘s the collage...lots of quotes in it. Not sure if it‘ll make sense to anyone else, but was fun for me.

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Samara_Kipnis
Piecing Me Together | Renée Watson
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Pickpick

THE best. I so needed this book. You know when G-d gives you the right thing to read at the right time? It‘s the best. Felt like He was talking to me through certain “Golden Lines†in this book. Love love loved it. Very strongly considering teaching it to my seventh graders this year. Also, definitely inspired me to make a collage. Will post it when I‘m finished, if I‘m brave enough...Thank you, Ms. Watson, thank you.

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Ellen_C
Piecing Me Together | Renée Watson
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Pickpick

Outstanding YA novel about a young woman straddling two worlds and trying to prove that she is capable of giving help to others, not just receiving help. Deals with racism, friendship and learning to self-advocate. https://cannonballread.com/2019/06/piecing-me-together-elcicco/

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makingitupdaily
Piecing Me Together | Renée Watson
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Pickpick

This was a beautiful and insightful book full of feeling. I was sucked into the story immediately. The world Jade lives in is compelling and real and made me rage against the injustice she experienced so casually every day. Just an overall worthwhile read.

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LogiKitty
Piecing Me Together | Renée Watson
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Pickpick

[Pic: Oak leaves at the nature preserve near my house!]
I thought this book was perfect. I appreciated the threads throughout the book about persistence, self-advocacy, listening, and meeting the needs of the people you love in the way they ask you to meet those needs. I loved the way that Jade challenged the world around her and the perceptions and actions of her friends, family, and mentor.
â­â­â­â­â­

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LogiKitty
Piecing Me Together | Renée Watson
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Geez, this book is such a heavy hitter... Beautiful. #corettascottkingaward #beanstackchallenge

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Simona
Piecing Me Together | Renée Watson
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Pickpick

The story is reflection on stereotypes and prejudices of today‘s society, and Jade, black, young, growing girl, is confronted with all of them.
I have to say that the reading of YA literature is very unsatisfying experience for me, I‘m always left with the craving for more, deeper digging into themes ... so, because of that just three â­ï¸ from me.

#booked2019 #DiverseMiddleGrade
#ReadingWomenChallenge #YAbookByAwoc

Cinfhen Yeah, I agree!! I feel like something is missing when I read YA. I‘m obviously the WRONG audience for middle grade so I‘m not even going to try and pretend 😂😂 5y
Simona @Cinfhen This is the reason why I very much dislike challenges with YA/middle grade literature... 5y
59 likes2 comments
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brandybear22
Piecing Me Together | Renée Watson
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A good story, easy to read. Enjoyed. I also liked the integration of Spanish, since it was a main interest of the character and how the cover was chapter 15 and also her art.

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brandybear22
Piecing Me Together | Renée Watson
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On the enjoyment of learning Spanish

kgriffith I sent my last text before seeing this. â¤ï¸ 5y
15 likes2 comments
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brandybear22
Piecing Me Together | Renée Watson
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Chapter one complete, and I‘m hooked in...

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leinaala
Piecing Me Together | Renée Watson
Pickpick

Everytime I read this book it hits me right in the feels. It is the kind of book you start and don't put down until you are finished. The audiobook narration is also wonderful.

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Schroyel1
Piecing Me Together | Renée Watson
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Pickpick

Pretty good. Quick easy read. Liked the first 2/3 more than the last 1/3. I give the book a B-

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pocketmermaid
Piecing Me Together | Renée Watson
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This book is so amazing. White people need to read this. Jade, a black teen girl, has a lot to tell you about her life and we all need to hear it.

kspenmoll A student of mine is reading this & excited about it. Told him I would read it too. 5y
pocketmermaid @kspenmoll I just finished it a little while ago. It‘s so good. I don‘t have the words. 5y
kspenmoll @pocketmermaid Thanks for your encouragement! 5y
27 likes1 stack add3 comments
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TheBookHippie
Piecing Me Together | Renée Watson
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1. 👆ðŸ¼
2. Family dinnerâ¤ï¸
3. Pink ..all pastels 🤣🤷ðŸ½â€â™€ï¸
4. Moon
â¤ï¸â¤ï¸â¤ï¸â¤ï¸â¤ï¸

#FRIYAYINTRO

TheBookHippie @suzisteffen such a beautiful read!!! 5y
57 likes2 comments
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jmtrivera
Piecing Me Together | Renée Watson
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Pickpick

This book. I found Jade so empathetic, & this whole book hit me so deep. I occasionally just marked whole pages in my Kindle.
Watson makes a point that girls & women like Jade who are just normal hard workers playing by the rules often don't speak up for themselves - whether for lack of knowledge or opportunity. Jade experiences both, and needs to learn how to manage those situations.
I read the whole thing in a single day. Loved it.

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KS1805
Piecing Me Together | Renée Watson
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Pickpick

Similar to The Hate U Give but, in my opinion better. I cared so much about Jade and loved watching her grow and develop throughout the book. Watson was able to pull the reader into Jade‘s world and not let go. When you get to the end of the book and you think, “that‘s it?†It‘s a good book. Read it.

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Lindy
Piecing Me Together | Renée Watson
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Pickpick

Gentle, yet penetrating, because of the nuanced layers touching on timely social & political issues. I was made aware of a Portland, Oregon that I hadn‘t known before, seen through the eyes of 16-year-old Jade. She is a collage artist with “coal skin & hula-hoop hips.†Refreshingly, her size is never an issue in the YA sense, & also there‘s no romance to clutter the story. Two adults in her life are also fleshed out & authentic women. Excellent!

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Lindy
Piecing Me Together | Renée Watson
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Things That Are Black and Beautiful:

A Starless Night Sky
Storm Clouds
Onyx
Clarinets
Ink
Panthers
Black Swans
Afro Puffs
Michelle Obama

Me

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Lindy
Piecing Me Together | Renée Watson
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“They look like if you walk up to the paintings and say hello, they will say hi back to you. They look like regal queens but also like my next-door neighbours.â€

—Main character, on seeing a Kehinde Wiley exhibition. (Above image is detail from one of Wiley‘s paintings.)

TrishB I enjoyed this book ðŸ‘🻠5y
Lindy @TrishB Me too. I was the one who suggested it for my YA book club and the discussion is tonight. We always have two books, but I haven‘t been able to get hold of the other one: 5y
TrishB That‘s weird - less than Qd on Amazon UK! 5y
Lindy @TrishB True, I could have ordered it, but I hate ordering anything besides airline & show tickets online. I‘m lucky to have great library services where I live, because I couldn‘t afford my book-a-day habit otherwise. (I do buy a couple of books from a bookstore each month, usually to support local authors.) Anyway, McCaughrean‘s is not yet in our library collection. 5y
42 likes4 comments
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Lindy
Piecing Me Together | Renée Watson
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This novel about a teenaged collage artist had me googling references to real-life African American collage artists like Mickalene Thomas (see image above) and Romare Bearden.

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Eggs
Piecing Me Together | Renée Watson
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Honestly and artfully done ♥ï¸

HippieChickHomeschool My all time favorite love quote 5y
riversong153 This is a good book 5y
71 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Lindy
Piecing Me Together | Renée Watson
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Serendipity: concurrent books with charitable organizations in them called Woman to Woman.

saresmoore “Well, Lindy, are you listening?†-The Universe 5y
Lindy @saresmoore I‘m listening but not understanding. 😠5y
saresmoore Well, yes, I resonate with that! 5y
Lindy @saresmoore The Universe needs to improve their communication skills. 😉 5y
37 likes1 stack add4 comments
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Abby2
Piecing Me Together | Renée Watson
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Pickpick

Loved it!

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TrishB
Piecing Me Together | Renée Watson
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#goodtogether #septemberdanes
A good Y/A read ðŸ‘ðŸ»

Kalalalatja Sounds interesting! 6y
smilingshelves I just read this one a couple weeks ago. It was really good! 6y
Cinfhen Probably NOT for me 🤨🤪 6y
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TrishB @Cinfhen nope, not for you 😘 6y
TrishB @smilingshelves I enjoyed it ðŸ‘🻠6y
KB253 Sounds interesting & will probably help me not make a fool of myself when I engage young "at risk" women. Checking my local library for it before National Mentoring Month--January?? 6y
121 likes3 stack adds6 comments
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smilingshelves
Piecing Me Together | Renée Watson
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I'm on a long-term quest to read all of the Newbery books. Every year, I read a decade of winners (this year it was the 1970s), one year's Honor books (2014, this year) and the current year's winner and Honor books. This is my last book to accomplish all of those goals this year!

BucklingBookshelves And months ahead of schedule — with a new baby no less! Woo hoo! I tend to not do so well with reading schedules like this, but it does seem like such an organized way to work on this goal 📚📚📚 6y
Tamra Good one to end on! 6y
smilingshelves @Bucklingbkshelf I tried really hard to get most of the books read before baby arrived, so I wouldn't have to worry about it. My problem with goals like this is that I let them stress me out. It'll feel good to check this one off with months to spare! 6y
smilingshelves @Tamra I'm looking forward to this one! 6y
25 likes4 comments
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jmtrivera
Piecing Me Together | Renée Watson
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I held out to see if I could finish my reread of To Kill a Mockingbird before July ended, but I'm still at least a half hour away. Still! July has been my best reading month so far this year! Big winners: Ghost, The Hate U Give, Patina, Piecing Me Together, and Archie, Volume 5. Hope August can be even half this good! #JulyWrapUp #Julyinbooks18