Harbor Me

Six sixth graders who learn together in a small classroom of their own are given an unusual gift: every Friday afternoon, their teacher sends them to a room by themselves to talk about whatever is on their minds. At first the conversations are awkward, but the room they call the ARTT room, A Room To Talk, slowly becomes a place where they can say what they cannot say anywhere else. One classmate's father has been taken by immigration authorities, others are dealing with bullying or with worries about family and home, and Haley, whose best friend Holly is in the group, carries a painful story of her own that she has never shared. Jacqueline Woodson's short novel is about listening, trust and finding safety with one another. It was a Texas Bluebonnet Award nominee.