Jacqueline Woodson’s new middle-grade novel opens in the Bushwick area of Brooklyn in the 1970s, where a 12-year-old Black girl named Sage is watching her neighborhood burn. Though it’s a work of fiction, “Remember Us” was inspired by Woodson’s own experiences growing up in Bushwick, which was dubbed “the Matchbox” because it was wracked by a series of mysterious fires.
Sage’s father died fighting one of those fires, which is why her mother wants to move them to a safer neighborhood. But Sage is reluctant to leave the place that holds so many family memories.
Sage loves playing basketball with the guys, and she’s trying to figure out her place among a group of girls she used to hang out with. But now those girls care more about makeup than layups, so Sage feels more at home on the court. She wants to be the first female NBA player, and her new friend Freddy believes she will be.
While shooting hoops on her own one day, Sage is approached by a boy who grabs her ball and harasses her: “What kind of girl are you?” the bully says. “I should punch you in the face just to show you you ain’t a dude.” He takes off with the ball, but his words cut deeper. Sage is left doubting herself, and she abandons basketball for a while.
Woodson is the author of more than two dozen books for readers of all ages, and she served as the Young People’s Poet Laureate from 2015 to 2017. Her memoir, “Brown Girl Dreaming,” won the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature. Those writing chops are once again evident in “Remember Us,” which offers a realistic and poignant look at the struggles of adolescence. It’s a great story for middle-grade readers about finding community, letting go, and holding on to what really matters.
