What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know that there is nothing to be concerned
about here, and lots of ideas to think about.
Families who read this book could discuss Dickenson's poem. What is it about? Why did the author use it so pervasively? How does it apply to the lives of these characters? Also, why do you think this book won the Newbery Honor?
Common Sense Media Review
There are kids' books written to appeal to kids, and there
are kids' books written to appeal to the adults who buy the
books for kids. There's almost always at least one of the
latter type among the Newbery winners. They tend be cerebral
rather than emotional, to involve Big Ideas, such as racism,
poverty, and religion, but they are often rather skimpy on
actual, you know, story. FEATHERS is one of those.
That's not to say that it isn't good -- it is. It's beautifully written, lyrical, thoughtful, at times even wise. There are undoubtedly some kids, patient and experienced readers who don't need a story to keep them turning the pages, who will enjoy this, maybe even love it. But not many. Mostly it will be loved by the adults who make the purchasing decisions. But for those who assume that a Newbery Honor means it's a good book to recommend to kids, here is, yet again, proof of the falseness of that assumption.
Common Sense Media is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing information to help parents make media and entertainment choices for their families.
