Feathers

Hope is the thing with feathers

that perches in the soul,
And sings the tune-- without the words,
And never stops at all

- Emily Dickinson 

Jacqueline Woodson is a three time award winning Newberry Honor Author and her book Feathers is no exception to this award winning spirit. Written in 2007,  Feathers tells the story of Frannie who is sixth grade student growing up during the 70's.  This story serves as a great resource for ELA integration into a social studies unit as the story centers around the many issues associated with discrimination during this time.  Readers are able to see the divide present between the African American students and the white students as their town is essentially divided by a railroad track where the African Americans live on one side and the white people live on the other.  This stereotype holds true in school as well as it was often the case that the children attending these schools were in turn divided by color depending on which side of the railroad tracks they lived on.  The novel truly begins to come to life after "Jesus Boy" arrives at Frannie's school and becomes the subject of much bullying within the classroom becuase he is a white boy attending school on the African American side of the tracks.  As the story unfolds,  Frannie begins to learn more about herself than she ever envisioned and she also begins to recognize the effect bullying can have on an individual. 

The title of the story Feathers, serves a metaphor for a larger concept that is illustrated throughout the book.  Frannie hears the Emily Dickinson poem comparing hope to feathers in class and spends the majority of the book searching for the meaning to this poem.  Through this exploration, Frannie begins to see many things in a new light as she begins to truly mature and understand life.  Through searching for the meaning of hope, Frannie is able to see her brother's deafness in a new manner and even appreciate and truly get to know the "Jesus Boy" who has begun attending her school.  This book is a great read for upper elementary school students as it shows readers how Frannie can look beneath the surface to understand larger issues in life while at the same time encouraging readers to do so as well.