PIECING ME TOGETHER, by Renee Watson

The story: Jade--a black girl from the poor northeast side of Portland--is a scholarship student at the expensive, nearly all-white St. Francis school. She's smart, and talented...and black. Jade has worked hard to get a chance to go on a study abroad--but instead, she's picked for "Woman to Woman", a mentoring program with a successful black graduate from St. Francis. Can Jade figure out how to speak for herself and get the things she wants?

June Cleaver's ratings: Language PG; Violence PG; Sexual content G; Nudity G; Substance abuse G; Magic & the occult G: GLBT content G: adult themes (racial tension and violence, body image issues; marginalization of minorities) PG-13; overall rating PG.

Liz's comments: I liked this one a lot--Jade is a believable narrator who occasionally feels sorry for herself but doesn't let herself get derailed with whining. Rather than moaning about the way the world is, she figures out ways to move forward with her own agenda...which may very well end up helping change the world.