Feathers (novel) facts for kids
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| Author | Jacqueline Woodson |
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| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Young adult fiction |
| Publisher | Putnam Juvenile |
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Publication date
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March 1, 2007 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover) |
| Pages | 118 |
| ISBN | 978-0-399-23989-2 |
Feathers is a children's book written by Jacqueline Woodson. It was first published in 2007. The story is about a sixth-grade girl named Frannie. She is growing up in the 1970s. One day, a new student arrives. He is the only white boy in the whole school. This causes a lot of talk and confusion in the class.
Feathers explores important ideas. These include religion, race, hope, and understanding others. The book looks at what life was like right after segregation ended. It shows that all people are equal. It also teaches that hope can be found everywhere. The book won a Newbery Honor award in 2008.
Contents
Story Summary
This book takes place in the 1970s. It is set in a city school where all the students are African American. The story talks about tough topics. These include racism, faith, hope, and disabilities. A white boy joins the school. Soon, some students call him "Jesus Boy." His arrival creates tension and misunderstandings. Some students think he might really be Jesus. Others just hope he is.
The new boy is very quiet. He does not let Trevor, the class bully, bother him. He speaks calmly to Trevor. He never fights back. Jesus Boy knows sign language. This makes Frannie curious. She has known sign language her whole life. Frannie grew up with her older brother, Sean, who is deaf. She cares deeply about how people treat him.
Frannie is unsure about being friends with Jesus Boy. She does not understand him. She wonders why he would come to their side of "the bridge." She feels conflicted. She knows how hard it is to be the new kid. But she also does not want to stand out. Frannie's best friend, Samantha, truly believes Jesus Boy is Jesus Christ. Samantha thinks he has come because of the war and the chaos. During all this, Frannie often thinks of a poem. It says, "Hope is the thing with feathers."
Jesus Boy faces a lot of bullying from Trevor. Trevor picks on Jesus Boy because he is lighter-skinned. Trevor's white father left his mother before Trevor was born. One day, Trevor tries to jump off a swing onto a fence. He wants to feel like he is flying. He falls short and breaks his arm. When he returns to school, he is even angrier. He starts a fight with Jesus Boy using one arm. Trevor swings and misses, causing him to fall. The class then realizes Trevor is just a boy. They no longer feel afraid of him. Jesus Boy and Frannie immediately help Trevor up from the snow.
Later, Samantha asks Frannie why she helped Trevor. Frannie does not know the answer. Samantha then admits she was wrong about Jesus Boy. She says she does not know what to believe anymore. Frannie tries to comfort Samantha. She says, "Maybe there's a little bit of Jesus inside of all of us. Maybe Jesus is just that something good or something sad or something ... something that makes us do stuff like help Trevor up even when he is cursing us out. Or maybe ... maybe Jesus is just that thing you had when the Jesus Boy got here, Samantha. Maybe Jesus is the hope that you were feeling."
At the end of the book, Frannie thinks about her life. She thinks about her mother's baby. She thinks about her brother. She thinks about Samantha losing her faith. And she thinks about Jesus Boy. She remembers the poem she read in class. She decides, "Each moment, I am thinking, is a thing with feathers."
Main Characters
- Frannie: She is the main character. Frannie is an African American sixth-grade student. She is very protective of her older brother, Sean, who is deaf.
- Jesus Boy: He is the new white boy in the all African American sixth-grade class. He was adopted by African American parents. They moved to the other side of the bridge. At first, he did not fit in because of his skin color. But things changed later.
- Ms. Johnson: She is the sixth-grade teacher. Ms. Johnson encourages Frannie to work on her writing. She supports her students. She lets them be themselves. She is strict but helps them learn a lot.
- Sean: He is Frannie's older brother. Sean is deaf. He is very smart, good-looking, and athletic. Girls like him until they learn he cannot hear. He also wants to visit the "other side of the bridge."
- Mama: She is Frannie's and Sean's mom. She has lost many babies before. She becomes pregnant again and worries about the new baby.
- Daddy: He is Frannie's and Sean's father. He is a truck driver and is often away for long times. He always worries about his wife's health.
- Trevor: He is the bully of the sixth grade. He especially dislikes Jesus Boy. This is because Jesus Boy is lighter-skinned than Trevor. Trevor's father was white.
- Rayray (Raymond Raysen): He is Trevor's friend. At first, he picks on Jesus Boy because he is afraid of Trevor. Later, he realizes he should not be afraid. He then stands up for Jesus Boy.
- Maribel Bagel Tanks: Her parents own the grocery store in town. They charge very high prices. Maribel thinks she is better than other students. She once went to a private school that is now closed. She does not get along with Frannie. Frannie does not let Maribel always get her way. Maribel especially dislikes Jesus Boy. He once paid for groceries at her store using only coins.
- Samantha: She is Frannie's best friend. Samantha hopes that Jesus Boy is truly Jesus returning. Her father is a pastor. Later, when she realizes Jesus Boy is just a boy, she questions her beliefs.
- Grandma: She is Frannie's and Sean's grandmother. She is very religious. She is known for being strict if someone says something she dislikes.
Major Themes in Feathers
Hope
The book's title, Feathers, is a symbol. It is a main idea that the story is built around. Woodson introduces this idea through a poem Frannie reads in class.
Hope is the thing with feathers
that perches in the soul,
And sings the tune-- without the words,
And never stops at all
After reading this poem, Frannie spends the rest of the book trying to understand hope. She wonders how hope can have feathers.
Understanding Others
The sixth-grade class focused on understanding each other. This started as soon as Jesus Boy joined their classroom. Through Jesus Boy, they learn that even the bully, Trevor, is a normal kid. After the fight, Frannie realizes something important. She thinks, "Even though he was mean all the time, the sun still stopped and colored him and warmed him—like it did to everybody else." Jesus Boy helped the class stop fighting so much. Trevor also became less scary to them.
Living with Disabilities
Frannie's older brother, Sean, is deaf. This causes some challenges throughout the story. Frannie feels she must protect her brother. She lives in a world where many people do not understand him. One problem Sean faces is that girls are attracted to him. But then they find out he cannot hear. Jacqueline Woodson said she made Sean deaf to help people see deaf individuals as real people.
One scene in the book shows this well. Frannie asks Sean what a guitar sounds like. This is a game they play. Sean signs back, "Like rain. Coming down real soft when it's warm out and you only get a little wet but not cold. That kind of rain." This helps readers understand Sean's experience.
Other Books by Jacqueline Woodson
Jacqueline Woodson has written many books. She has written picture books and novels for young adults. Her books have won many awards. These include the Caldecott Honor, Newbery Honor, and the Coretta Scott King Award. Feathers is similar to her novel Locomotion. In Locomotion, she wrote about grief, trauma, and hope. Both Feathers and Locomotion are short books. They are around 115 pages long. Both books handle their difficult topics well.
