When you give kids the power to just talk with one another hope is born.

National Book Award winner Jacqueline Woodson has done it again! I predict that her latest book "Harbor Me" will receive the same award winning buzz as her other amazing titles have. In "Harbor Me", Ms. Woodson weaves together a moving story of six young people facing challenges of today. The six are put in a classroom specializing in different learning styles. When their compassionate teacher assigns them to a weekly ARTT ( a room to talk} session, they discover they share more similarities than differences. The result is a close knit group that will win your heart. Congratulations on another winner, Ms. Woodson!

Six Kids in One Room, Once a Week. They are allowed to speak freely without adult intervention. With the addition of Haley's voice recorder, they each tell their stories, share their fears and preserve meaningful moments from their sixth grade year. In 20 years they hope to reunite and enjoy the recordings together and reminisce. Would recommend reading this in a classroom or with your child as there are some blanket statements made that overly simplify (and sometimes distort) current cultural issues. Great springboard for discussion regarding issues like socio-economic differences, bullying, incarceration, racism and the path to citizenship.

Haley knows she's different. She shares a classroom with six others, and when the six are given a classroom to talk alone for one hour a week, no one is thrilled. However, in the ARTT room ("A Room To Talk), the kids begin to open, sharing their stories, and strengthening their bond. A beautiful, poetic book- it made me feel things! Simply put, this is a book about kids and their lives. Specifically, it's a book about freedom, and what it means, within context, for real people today. It's a book about survival and friendship, of honesty and love within brokenness. The kids in Harbor Me are forced to redefine home, and themselves, within a country that repeatedly challenges them. Together, they think and live through deportation and immigration, accents and skin color, incarceration and grief. Important, heartbreakingly honest, and hopeful.

An honest, heartfelt and timely story about six middle schoolers dealing with a variety of issues (poverty, immigration and deportation, racism and bullying).