What if Jesus joined your 6th grade classroom and knew sign
language? This is one of the puzzles Frannie, the 11 year old
narrator In Jacqueline Woodson's book, Feathers, is trying to
figure out. The mystery of the new boy in her class and what it
means for her family, her friends and how she views hope is
completely captivating. Hope is a central theme but also family,
community and love. Frannie is a 6th grader in the early 1970's
on the black side of a community separated by a highway. When a
boy, eventually named Jesus, joins her class, Frannie and her
friends question their prejudices, assumptions, their religious
convictions and what their "hope" looks like. The relationship
between Frannie and her family members, including her deaf older
brother, Sean, her father, mother and her grandmother, are
beautifully written and described using sign language, written
words and emotions which make it such a layered and poignant
story. This is a story about change, transition and loss but
also about new beginnings