Piecing Me Together

By: Renée Watson

Narrated by: Zenzi Williams

Bloomsbury presents Piecing Me Together by Renée Watson, read by Zenzi Williams.

Newbery Honor and Coretta Scott King Author Award Winner
New York Times bestseller
"Timely and timeless." —Jacqueline Woodson
"Important and deeply moving." —John Green

Bestselling and Newbery Medal winning author Renée Watson offers a powerful story about a girl striving for success in a world that too often seems like it's trying to break her.

Jade believes she must get out of her poor neighbourhood if she's ever going to succeed. Her mother tells her to take advantage of every opportunity that comes her way. And Jade has: every day she rides the bus to the private school where she feels like an outsider, but where she has plenty of opportunities. But some opportunities she doesn't really welcome, like an invitation to join a mentorship program for "at-risk" girls. Just because her mentor is Black and graduated from the same high school doesn't mean she understands where Jade is coming from. She's tired of being singled out as someone who needs help, someone people want to fix. Jade wants to speak, to create, to express her joys and sorrows, her pain and her hope. Maybe there are some things she could show other women about understanding the world and finding ways to be real, to make a difference.

©2026 Renée Watson (P)2026 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

Critic reviews

Watson’s elegantly crafted novel speaks to the myriad of people who find themselves searching for themselves in the world. Timely and timeless, Piecing Me Together is a book about the ways young people deal with the hardships and heartbreak of everyday living while remaining whole and true to themselves. There is a little bit of Jade in all of us. As she and the rest of Watson’s characters jumped off the page and into my heart, I found myself again and again, remembering this. (Jacqueline Woodson, National Book Award-winning author of BROWN GIRL DREAMING)

Watson, with rhythm and style, somehow gets at the toxicity of sympathy, the unquenchable thirst of fear, and the life-changing power of voice and opportunity, all wrapped up in Jade--the coolest young lady in the world. Or at least, in Portland, Oregon. Simply, Piecing Me Together is a book you'll want to hug! (Jason Reynolds, New York Times bestselling and award-winning coauthor of ALL AMERICAN BOYS)

A nuanced story about girls navigating the landmines of others’ good intentions, Piecing Me Together will make readers wrestle with every assumption they have about race, economic class, and so-called at-risk kids. An honest look at how girls stitch together their talents to find their voice and power. Renee Watson is a top-rate storyteller about what impacts young women today. (Meg Medina, award-winning author of BURN BABY BURN)