What Momma Left Me - by Renée Watson (Paperback)

About the Book

Rediscover the heart-wrenching debut novel by the Newbery Honoree and Coretta Scott King Author Award winner about one girl's journey to reconnect to joy after her father kills her mother and leaves her and her brother to live with their grandparents. Now with a beautiful new design.

Book Synopsis

Rediscover Newbery Honor- and Coretta Scott King Author Award-winner Renée Watson's heart-rending debut, about one girl's journey to reconnect to joy.

Serenity is good at keeping secrets, and she's got a whole lifetime's worth of them. Her mother is dead, her father is gone, and starting life over at her grandparents' house is strange. Luckily, certain things seem to hold promise: a new friend who makes her feel connected, and a boy who makes her feel seen. But when her brother starts making poor choices, her friend is keeping her own dangerous secret, and her grandparents put all of their trust in a faith that Serenity isn't sure she understands, it is the power of love that will repair her heart and keep her sure of just who she is.

Renée Watson's stunning writing shines in this powerful and ultimately uplifting novel.

Review Quotes

"A heartbreaking and intense young adult novel. . . . Deftly conveys raw and accessible emotions. Thoughtful character development turns stereotypes on their head." --Foreword Reviews, starred review

"Warm, rich, and satisfying." --Kirkus Reviews

"The author is a natural storyteller. . . . While the events, setting, and characters of this story are definitely contemporary, the tale is timeless." --VOYA

"Serenity Evans is a strong African-American character who will resonate with girls who are facing transitions of their own, large or small." --School Library Journal

"Timely and timeless." --Jacqueline Woodson, National Book Award-winning author of BROWN GIRL DREAMING on PIECING ME TOGETHER

"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." --Jason Reynolds, New York Times bestselling and award-winning coauthor of ALL AMERICAN BOYS on PIECING ME TOGETHER

"An important and deeply moving novel. Highly recommended." --John Green, New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of THE FAULT IN OUR STARS on PIECING ME TOGETHER

"Renee Watson is a top-rate storyteller about what impacts young women today." --Meg Medina, award-winning author of BURN BABY BURN on PIECING ME TOGETHER

About the Author

Renée Watson is a New York Times bestselling author. Her novel, Piecing Me Together, received a Newbery Honor and Coretta Scott King Award. Her books include Some Places More Than Others, This Side of Home, What Momma Left Me, Betty Before X, cowritten with Ilyasah Shabazz, and Watch Us Rise, cowritten with Ellen Hagan, as well as two acclaimed picture books: A Place Where Hurricanes Happen and Harlem's Little Blackbird, which was nominated for an NAACP Image Award. Renée lives in New York City.

www.reneewatson.net
@harlemportland (Instagram)