Jacqueline Woodson renders her story's rhythms skillfully, emphasizing refrains that allow listeners to luxuriate in her words and linger in powerful details. Sage's father, a firefighter, died in a fire back in the "once was," but she thinks of him often. At the same time, her neighborhood has been experiencing so many mysterious fires that it's been renamed "The Matchbox." At 12, Sage is surrounded by friends, community, a loving mother, and continuous basketball games. But her world is changing. The fires are unsettling, and she falters when an older boy asks her, "What kind of girl are you?" Dialogue like this rings with authenticity and poignancy, deepening the characters' relationships. Woodson paints a picture of her beloved Brooklyn, creates memorable characters, and gives voice to a young person who is finding her true self. S.W. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine

★ 08/14/2023

Black 11-year-old Sage, a Bushwick native, questions the meaning of memory and struggles with self-image as houses begin mysteriously burning down throughout her neighborhood, newly dubbed “The Matchbox.” After Sage’s firefighter father dies in the line of duty, her mother saves money in the hope of one day moving them out of town. Despite the growing worry that permeates her community, Sage is reluctant to leave, and spends her time playing basketball with local boys. But some of the boys make fun of her for participating in the sport (“You shoot that ball like you think you a dude or something,” one taunts), prompting Sage to wrestle with gender norms and feelings of self-doubt. When another fire results in further tragedy, Sage is forced to reckon with her community, her future, and the power of legacy. Woodson (Before the Ever After) draws on her experiences growing up in Bushwick in the 1970s and ’80s to craft a nostalgic-feeling ode to the unexpected. Short chapters offer swift glimpses into momentous happenings in Sage’s life, while organic dialogue and mesmerizing prose lay bare a narrative that encourages learning to move with the ebbs and flows of life. Ages 10–up. (Oct.)

Exceptional. . . . Written in lyrical prose, Remember Us is a poetic time capsule from the 12-year-old Sage, an African American girl living in the Bushwick section of Brooklyn during the 1970s. . . . What struck me about this novel was not only its commemoration of those horrific Bushwick fires . . . but also how Woodson conjures such a captivating, elegiac story from their ashes. . . . Will help tweens process their grief after trauma.” —The New York Times Book Review

* “An African American tween’s world is turned upside down by mysterious fires in her neighborhood and by self-doubt as she comes of age. . . . Drawing on her own experiences growing up in Brooklyn’s Bushwick neighborhood during the ’70s and ’80s, Woodson has crafted a beautifully lyrical narrative of change, healing, and growth. Her ability to evoke time and place is masterful; every word feels perfectly chosen. Sage is an irresistible character with a rich interior life, and her relationships with her mother and her friend Freddy are exceptionally well drawn. An exquisitely wrought story of self and community.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

* “Another remarkable ode to Brooklyn and memory from the incomparable National Book Award winner. . . . Set during the 1970s, this nostalgia-tinged novel takes place when Bushwick was known as ‘The Matchbox’ because of the fires that plagued its streets. . . . The often wistful text is lyrical, but the nostalgia never overwhelms the narrative. Woodson’s economy of language expertly presents the microcosm of Sage’s community of friends and neighborhood kids and the macrocosm of the external world that threatens to destroy it. Sage’s journey to finding herself while trying to navigate these two worlds will resonate with readers young and old. The power of community and friendship permeates every word in this middle grade novel for all readers. A truly masterly work.”—School Library Journal, starred review

* “This lyrical first-person upper middle-grade novel taps into a wide array of emotional truths and preteen sensibilities. Passages on loss and memory feature palpable sadness, but there is also a tender exploration of the enduring power of friendship and love, the discovery of inner strength and resilience, and the need to balance an appreciation for what ‘once was’ and what may be. Woodson again delivers an appealing protagonist whose voice will resonate with readers in a nuanced coming-of-age story worth remembering.” —Horn Book, starred review

* “Woodson draws on her experiences growing up in Bushwick in the 1970s and ’80s to craft a nostalgic-feeling ode to the unexpected. Short chapters offer swift glimpses into momentous happenings in Sage’s life, while organic dialogue and mesmerizing prose lay bare a narrative that encourages learning to move with the ebbs and flows of life.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review
 
* “The deeply moving novel from National Book Award winner Woodson is both elegant and accessible, and the novel-in-verse approach works wonderfully here, with occasional chapters consisting of only a few dramatic lines. Bushwick and its inhabitants are fully fleshed out with incredible detail and immense tenderness, and Sage immediately feels like a dear friend. A poignant portrayal of a historic neighborhood and an outstanding ode to the grief and gift of growing older. Woodson is one of the most esteemed figures in children's publishing, and her historical fiction especially can't be missed.” —Booklist, starred review

“The emotions and challenges feel ever current. . . . The slice-of-life narrative steers readers through weighty emotions and contemplations on friendship, grounding the connections between notions of identity, family, and home with tactile imagery. The vividness of Sage’s world gives an urgency to the story, calling up the immediacy of youth, while the reflective tone softens some of the more painful memories, assuring to children that these things will pass, and that fires will not burn forever.” —The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

* “Packs an understated but powerful punch. . . . Sage’s deep sense of nostalgia intertwines with a palpable fear of those fires, which act as a metaphor for Sage’s recognition that her body and her world are changing: The present is constantly turning into the ‘once was.’ . . . Remember Us has the feel of a new classic, ageless in its universal themes while wonder­fully rendering a spe­cific time and place. The pure magic of this novel is that Woodson somehow makes read­ers feel as though they are experiencing these moments of growing up along with Sage. Woodson flawlessly intersperses explosive moments—and games of basketball—among quiet, reflective scenes while responding to Sage’s weighty fears with reassurance about the permanence of loving memories.” —BookPage, starred review

* “National Book Award-winner Jacqueline Woodson uses personal experience to honor her childhood in Remember Us, a poignant work of middle-grade historical fiction about how a little-known event shapes one girl's transition to young woman. . . . Woodson expertly frames Sage's feelings about this awkward life transition through text that is gentle yet lands with force and aching accuracy. . . . Sage's lyrical, accessible first-person narration features a history lesson hidden within the dynamic experience of Woodson's rounded characters. Fans of Woodson should appreciate this novel, which builds and expands upon some of the autobiographical aspects of Brown Girl Dreaming.”—Shelf Awareness, starred review

★ 08/01/2023

Gr 5 Up—Another remarkable ode to Brooklyn and memory from the incomparable National Book Award winner. Twelve-year-old Sage no longer feels comfortable with the girls from her Bushwick neighborhood because she'd rather be playing basketball than worrying about her appearance. The sport is what she loves most in the world and is what unites her and the new boy Freddy. The two exchange player stats and discuss the Knicks, finding a kindred spirit in the other as families are left displaced because of the fires that are mysteriously razing their buildings. Sage's mom warns that they'll be moving out soon, to where "sirens didn't scream deep into the night." That year Sage also grapples with her grief over her father's death and a scary and sexist encounter in the park that has her questioning her identity and giving up basketball altogether. Set during the 1970s, this nostalgia-tinged novel takes place when Bushwick was known as "The Matchbox" because of the fires that plagued its streets. The chapters are vignette-like, sometimes featuring only a few sentences. The often wistful text is lyrical, but the nostalgia never overwhelms the narrative. Woodson's economy of language expertly presents the microcosm of Sage's community of friends and neighborhood kids and the macrocosm of the external world that threatens to destroy it. Sage's journey to finding herself while trying to navigate these two worlds will resonate with readers young and old. VERDICT The power of community and friendship permeates every word in this middle grade novel for all readers. A truly masterly work.—Shelley M. Diaz

★ 2023-07-25
An African American tween’s world is turned upside down by mysterious fires in her neighborhood and by self-doubt as she comes of age.

Sage’s mother wants them to move to a safer area, but Sage is reluctant to leave their community, where her father, a fireman killed in the line of duty, grew up. Her mother was always one of the first to help families when fires struck, and Sage finds herself drawn to the little kids who play in the residue left behind. Rough-and-tumble, basketball-loving Sage grapples with feeling different from the makeup-wearing girls who used to be her friends. The words of a menacing teen who harasses her on the basketball court haunt her (“What kind of girl are you?” “I should punch you in the face just to show you you ain’t a dude…”), and her hurt turns to an anger that nearly has a catastrophic outcome. After one of the neighborhood children is killed in yet another fire, Sage finds herself reflecting on her own loss. Drawing on her own experiences growing up in Brooklyn’s Bushwick neighborhood during the ’70s and ’80s, Woodson has crafted a beautifully lyrical narrative of change, healing, and growth. Her ability to evoke time and place is masterful; every word feels perfectly chosen. Sage is an irresistible character with a rich interior life, and her relationships with her mother and her friend Freddy are exceptionally well drawn.

An exquisitely wrought story of self and community. (author’s note) (Fiction. 10-13)