"The summer before D Foster's real mama came and took her away, Tupac wasn't dead yet."The CIP summary is hidden to prevent possible spoilers. If you'd like to read this brief summary, just highlight it using your cursor and it will magically appear in the following lines.
LC CIP Summary: In the New York City borough of Queens in 1996, three girls bond over their shared love of Tupac Shakur's music, as together they try to make sense of the unpredictable world in which they live.Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons; 153 pages
(Alternate spellings of this award include: Newberry, Newbury, & Newbary)
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4 comments:
I'm a fan of two important pieces of this book: Jacqueline Woodson and Tupac Shakur. But the book sort of left me flat. I never really felt connected to the characters or the place..maybe even not to their place in time. Which just felt strange to me, because I really wanted to feel that connection.
This book worked for me. Maybe more because I found the title off-putting. I knew nothing about Tupac, just a vague sense of him, and not a flattering one, at that. I will make a point to listen to his music now.
I identified with the narrator sharing those two pieces of herself with the reader and seeing Tupac and D and Tash and Neeka and the unfairness/unkindness from the world which refuses to see/accept us as we each try to find our own Big Purpose.
Thumbs down. I spent all 151 pages waiting for something to happen. I think the story is forgettable.
This book rang really true for me and I thought it was very strong. I know lots of kids just like these three girls and lots of families like the ones described in the book. I don't know anything about Tupac, but remember my own feelings about performers I admired. Woodson conveys much, in the fewest words possible. Economy of writing is one of my highest standards when I read.
I do wonder how the gay queen theme will fly with the Newbery Committee. It feels too young for the Printz. Sometimes I think there is an unspoken expectation that all Newbery winners and honor books are automatically appropriate for elementary libraries. The content here is definitely one ratchet up from scrotum.
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