When a teacher takes her small class of children who don't quite fit in at school and tells them that once a week, they will have an unsupervised, unstructured lesson, they are initially unsure of the point. Gradually though, they start to trust each other and to share their stories, which are recorded by one of the children in the group and it becomes the most important part of their week.

I loved this story. It reminded me of so many different stories, from the Mr Terupt series by Rob Buyea and Wonder by R.J. Palacio to 12 Angry Men by Reginald Rose, all of which highlight the importance of learning to listen to and value each other, however different we may seem at first.

A short compact read, filled with emotion and heart. Jacqueline Woodson brings together six children - they've been pulled aside at school, given a teacher of their own - the individual reasons for this are hinted at v lightly. What the author wants you to do is to get to know each of this children as individuals - know that there's a history, a background and a story behind everyone.
Every Friday afternoon the teacher leaves them to just... talk. This is the result of their talk, of their bonding and of their growing awareness of each other and the lives that surround them all. Highly engaging.

Beautifully written, this middle grade story about a group of 6 11 - 12 year olds who are struggling with their learning for a variety of reasons, clearly shows how none of us can know what’s happening in anyone’s home life so it is so important to be kind. This unlikely group of diverse youngsters become each others safe harbour slowly, learning to trust and understand each other. It’s a story about families, friends and support and it’s a great book which will encourage children to empathise with other people’s experiences and motives.

Emotionally charged, poignant, full of food for thought, featuring a great cast of characters.
Loved it
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I love Jaqueline Woodsons books. Even in a middle grade that was fairly short. I was completely immersed into the characters and their emotions.

This bowled me over right from the first page. The sentences and words are not difficult at all, making it accessible to its target readers. The emotional depth in those seemingly simple sentences and words is just mind-blowing even for me -- someone in her 50s.

This is a book about 6 children sharing their stories with each other weekly in a special room. They all have different problems.

The problems described in the book might be a bit difficult for my students to grasp but I think it is essential for them to broaden their perspective. Will definitely try to incorporate this in my course one day.