If You Come Softly (20th Anniversary Edition)
A lyrical story of star-crossed love perfect for readers of The Hate U Give, by National Ambassador for Children's Literature Jacqueline Woodson--now celebrating its twentieth anniversary, and including a new preface by the author

Jeremiah feels good inside his own skin. That is, when he's in his own Brooklyn neighborhood. But now he's going to be attending a fancy prep school in Manhattan, and black teenage boys don't exactly fit in there. So it's a surprise when he meets Ellie the first week of school. In one frozen moment their eyes lock, and after that they know they fit together--even though she's Jewish and he's black. Their worlds are so different, but to them that's not what matters. Too bad the rest of the world has to get in their way.
*
Jacqueline Woodson's work has been called “moving and resonant” (Wall Street Journal) and “gorgeous” (Vanity Fair). If You Come Softly is a powerful story of interracial love that leaves readers wondering "why" and "if only . . ."
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If You Come Softly (20th Anniversary Edition)
A lyrical story of star-crossed love perfect for readers of The Hate U Give, by National Ambassador for Children's Literature Jacqueline Woodson--now celebrating its twentieth anniversary, and including a new preface by the author

Jeremiah feels good inside his own skin. That is, when he's in his own Brooklyn neighborhood. But now he's going to be attending a fancy prep school in Manhattan, and black teenage boys don't exactly fit in there. So it's a surprise when he meets Ellie the first week of school. In one frozen moment their eyes lock, and after that they know they fit together--even though she's Jewish and he's black. Their worlds are so different, but to them that's not what matters. Too bad the rest of the world has to get in their way.
*
Jacqueline Woodson's work has been called “moving and resonant” (Wall Street Journal) and “gorgeous” (Vanity Fair). If You Come Softly is a powerful story of interracial love that leaves readers wondering "why" and "if only . . ."
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If You Come Softly (20th Anniversary Edition)

If You Come Softly (20th Anniversary Edition)

by Jacqueline Woodson

Narrated by Jorjeana Marie, Guy Lockard, Jacqueline Woodson

Unabridged — 3 hours, 42 minutes

If You Come Softly (20th Anniversary Edition)

If You Come Softly (20th Anniversary Edition)

by Jacqueline Woodson

Narrated by Jorjeana Marie, Guy Lockard, Jacqueline Woodson

Unabridged — 3 hours, 42 minutes

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Overview

A lyrical story of star-crossed love perfect for readers of The Hate U Give, by National Ambassador for Children's Literature Jacqueline Woodson--now celebrating its twentieth anniversary, and including a new preface by the author

Jeremiah feels good inside his own skin. That is, when he's in his own Brooklyn neighborhood. But now he's going to be attending a fancy prep school in Manhattan, and black teenage boys don't exactly fit in there. So it's a surprise when he meets Ellie the first week of school. In one frozen moment their eyes lock, and after that they know they fit together--even though she's Jewish and he's black. Their worlds are so different, but to them that's not what matters. Too bad the rest of the world has to get in their way.
*
Jacqueline Woodson's work has been called “moving and resonant” (Wall Street Journal) and “gorgeous” (Vanity Fair). If You Come Softly is a powerful story of interracial love that leaves readers wondering "why" and "if only . . ."

Editorial Reviews

APRIL 2018 - AudioFile

Miah, a black teen, is seeking to stand on his own, out of the shadow of his celebrity parents. He falls in love with Ellie, a white teen who is struggling to forgive her mother for leaving in the past. Together, they realize it may be difficult to find support from others, including those closest to them. Narrator Jorjeana Marie beautifully portrays Ellie’s range of emotions as she falls in love for the first time and as she faces disappointment and uncertainty when her family disapproves of her new relationship. Narrator Guy Lockard creates a sensitive and determined voice as Miah describes his deep feelings for Ellie. Listeners will be captivated by this timeless love story full of obstacles and heartbreak. M.D. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine

From the Publisher

One of TIME MAGAZINE’s 100 Best YA Books of All Time

"Woodson infuses their romance with the emotional urgency that defines her work and a prescient sense of social justice."—TIME MAGAZINE

* "Once again, Woodson handles delicate, even explosive subject matter with exceptional clarity, surety and depth. In this contemporary story about an interracial romance, she seems to slip effortlessly into the skins of both her main characters. . . . Both voices convincingly describe the couple's love-at-first-sight meeting and the gradual building of their trust. The intensity of their emotions will make hearts flutter, then ache as evidence mounts that Ellie's and Jeremiah's 'perfect' love exists in a deeply flawed society. Even as Woodson's lyrical prose draws the audience into the tenderness of young love, her perceptive comments about race and racism will strike a chord with black readers and open the eyes of white readers."Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Woodson offers readers a poetically conceived novel of young love, permeated with complications of family dynamics, racism, and violence. . . . Woodson unerringly limns the delicate intensity and passionate innocence of first love. . . . The two points of view effectively communicate the loneliness of the two sensitive teenagers and their breathless delight in discovering one another. Characterization is solid and well-developed as both parents and frirends focus into reality through the eyes of Miah and Ellie. Their conversations ever so gently open up issues of racism, self-awareness, and moral consciousness."The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"Woodson perceptively explores varieties of love, trust, and friendship, as she develops well-articulated histories for both families. . . . A tale as rich in social and personal insight as any of Woodson's previous books."Kirkus Reviews

"Lyrical narrative. . . . This fine author once again shows her gift for penning a novel that will ring true with young adults as it makes subtle comments on social situations."School Library Journal

"As in all her fiction, Woodson confronts prejudice head-on."Booklist

"Gracefully told."KLIATT

APRIL 2018 - AudioFile

Miah, a black teen, is seeking to stand on his own, out of the shadow of his celebrity parents. He falls in love with Ellie, a white teen who is struggling to forgive her mother for leaving in the past. Together, they realize it may be difficult to find support from others, including those closest to them. Narrator Jorjeana Marie beautifully portrays Ellie’s range of emotions as she falls in love for the first time and as she faces disappointment and uncertainty when her family disapproves of her new relationship. Narrator Guy Lockard creates a sensitive and determined voice as Miah describes his deep feelings for Ellie. Listeners will be captivated by this timeless love story full of obstacles and heartbreak. M.D. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID: 2940169238860
Publisher: Penguin Random House
Publication date: 03/06/2018
Edition description: Unabridged
Age Range: 10 - 13 Years

Read an Excerpt

I couldn’t stop looking at him, at his smile and his hair. I had never seen locks up close. His were thick and black and spiraling down over his shoulders. I wanted to touch them, to touch his face. I wanted to hear him say his name again. For a moment we stared at each other, neither of us saying anything. There was something familiar about him, something I had seen before. I blinked, embarrassed suddenly, and turned away from him.

Then Jeremiah rose and I rose.

“Well. . .good-bye. I guess. . .I guess I’ll see you around,” he said softly, looking at me a moment longer before turning away and heading down the hall, his locks bouncing gently against his shoulders.

“Jeremiah,” I whispered to myself as I walked away from him. I could feel his name, settling around me, as though I was walking in a mist of it, of him, of Jeremiah.

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