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From Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)

In the 1970s, the Bushwick neighborhood where Sage lives is known as the Matchbox. “Smoke always seem[s] to be billowing” as countless homes burn to the ground, leaving blackened ruins for kids to pick through in search of “treasures.” Sage’s father, a firefighter, died in the line of duty, and her mom is saving money so that they can move to a safer place. Meanwhile, Black preteen Sage is beginning to leave childhood behind, her sense of self developing yet still fragile. Obsessed with basketball, Sage feels most comfortable in loose athletic clothes and dreams of becoming the first woman to play for the NBA. When an older boy threatens her as she’s shooting hoops at the park (“What kind of girl are you? … I should punch you in the face just to show you you ain’t a dude”) it rattles her so deeply that, for a while, she abandons the sport she adores. This tender, lyrically written novel is imbued with the neighborly love of a community that weathers not only endless fires but the tragic death of a child. When Sage and her mom finally move out of Bushwick, Sage is most heartbroken over saying good-bye to her best friend, Freddy, who sees and loves her for exactly the girl she is. “‘You’re the Sage kind,’ Freddy said. ‘The Sage kind loves ball.’” (Ages 9-13)

CCBC Choices 2024 © Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, 2024. Used with permission.

From Horn Book

January 1, 2024
Sage Durham, a basketball-obsessed Black twelve-year-old, is looking forward to a summer of pick-up games with the boys (she's always the only girl on the court) in her close-knit 1970s Brooklyn neighborhood. Instead, it proves to be a season of screaming sirens and burned-out buildings. The newspapers dub Bushwick "The Matchbox," and a number of the Durhams' neighbors become victims of fire. Sage's mom, the widow of a firefighter, is saving every possible penny to put toward a brick house and a safer future for herself and her daughter. But the idea of leaving the home where her dad grew up and all the people she has ever known is hard for Sage. A recent cruel comment ("What kind of girl are you?") has her questioning where she fits in. This lyrical first-person upper-middle-grade novel taps into a wide array of emotional truths and preteen sensibilities. Passages on loss and memory feature palpable sadness, but there is also a tender exploration of the enduring power of friendship and love, the discovery of inner strength and resilience, and the need to balance an appreciation for what "once was" and what may be. Woodson again delivers an appealing protagonist whose voice will resonate with readers in a nuanced coming-of-age story worth remembering.

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

From Horn Book

Starred review from September 1, 2023
Sage Durham, a basketball-obsessed Black twelve-year-old, is looking forward to a summer of pick-up games with the boys (she's always the only girl on the court) in her close-knit 1970s Brooklyn neighborhood. Instead, it proves to be a season of screaming sirens and burned-out buildings. The newspapers dub Bushwick "The Matchbox," and a number of the Durhams' neighbors become victims of fire. Sage's mom, the widow of a firefighter, is saving every possible penny to put toward a brick house and a safer future for herself and her daughter. But the idea of leaving the home where her dad grew up and all the people she has ever known is hard for Sage. A recent cruel comment ("What kind of girl are you?") has her questioning where she fits in. This lyrical first-person upper-middle-grade novel taps into a wide array of emotional truths and preteen sensibilities. Passages on loss and memory feature palpable sadness, but there is also a tender exploration of the enduring power of friendship and love, the discovery of inner strength and resilience, and the need to balance an appreciation for what "once was" and what may be. Woodson again delivers an appealing protagonist whose voice will resonate with readers in a nuanced coming-of-age story worth remembering. Luann Toth

(Copyright 2023 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

From Booklist

Starred review from September 1, 2023
Grades 4-8 *Starred Review* Sage is spending the summer before seventh grade doing her favorite thing in the world: playing basketball at the park in her beloved Bushwick neighborhood. She's the only girl on the court, but she knows she's as good as any guy in the close-knit bunch and dreams of playing professionally. A new kid, Freddy, quickly falls in with the sports set and becomes inseparable from Sage in particular. Though it may all sound idyllic, it's a supremely strange time in their corner of 1970s Brooklyn--homes are regularly burning to the ground in "The Matchbox,"" and Sage's mother is keen to relocate them to a safer part of town. A tragic death combined with a threatening confrontation on the basketball court sees the previously confident Sage question her place in every aspect of her world, and it takes all of her courage and the community strength to find her way again. The deeply moving novel from National Book Award winner Woodson is both elegant and accessible, and the pithy, lyrical approach works wonderfully here, with occasional chapters consisting of only a few dramatic lines. Bushwick and its inhabitants are fully fleshed out with incredible detail and immense tenderness, and Sage immediately feels like a dear friend. A poignant portrayal of a historic neighborhood and an outstanding ode to the grief and gift of growing older.HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Woodson is one of the most esteemed figures in children's publishing, and her historical fiction especially can't be missed.

COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

From Kirkus

August 15, 2023
An African American tween's world is turned upside down by mysterious fires in her neighborhood and by self-doubt as she comes of age. Sage's mother wants them to move to a safer area, but Sage is reluctant to leave their community, where her father, a fireman killed in the line of duty, grew up. Her mother was always one of the first to help families when fires struck, and Sage finds herself drawn to the little kids who play in the residue left behind. Rough-and-tumble, basketball-loving Sage grapples with feeling different from the makeup-wearing girls who used to be her friends. The words of a menacing teen who harasses her on the basketball court haunt her ("What kind of girl are you?" "I should punch you in the face just to show you you ain't a dude..."), and her hurt turns to an anger that nearly has a catastrophic outcome. After one of the neighborhood children is killed in yet another fire, Sage finds herself reflecting on her own loss. Drawing on her own experiences growing up in Brooklyn's Bushwick neighborhood during the '70s and '80s, Woodson has crafted a beautifully lyrical narrative of change, healing, and growth. Her ability to evoke time and place is masterful; every word feels perfectly chosen. Sage is an irresistible character with a rich interior life, and her relationships with her mother and her friend Freddy are exceptionally well drawn. An exquisitely wrought story of self and community. (author's note) (Fiction. 10-13)

COPYRIGHT(2023) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. (Online Review)

From Publisher's Weekly

Starred review from August 14, 2023
Black 11-year-old Sage, a Bushwick native, questions the meaning of memory and struggles with self-image as houses begin mysteriously burning down throughout her neighborhood, newly dubbed "The Matchbox." After Sage's firefighter father dies in the line of duty, her mother saves money in the hope of one day moving them out of town. Despite the growing worry that permeates her community, Sage is reluctant to leave, and spends her time playing basketball with local boys. But some of the boys make fun of her for participating in the sport ("You shoot that ball like you think you a dude or something," one taunts), prompting Sage to wrestle with gender norms and feelings of self-doubt. When another fire results in further tragedy, Sage is forced to reckon with her community, her future, and the power of legacy. Woodson (Before the Ever After) draws on her experiences growing up in Bushwick in the 1970s and '80s to craft a nostalgic-feeling ode to the unexpected. Short chapters offer swift glimpses into momentous happenings in Sage's life, while organic dialogue and mesmerizing prose lay bare a narrative that encourages learning to move with the ebbs and flows of life. Ages 10â€"up.

From School Library Journal

Starred review from August 1, 2023

Gr 5 Up-Another remarkable ode to Brooklyn and memory from the incomparable National Book Award winner. Twelve-year-old Sage no longer feels comfortable with the girls from her Bushwick neighborhood because she'd rather be playing basketball than worrying about her appearance. The sport is what she loves most in the world and is what unites her and the new boy Freddy. The two exchange player stats and discuss the Knicks, finding a kindred spirit in the other as families are left displaced because of the fires that are mysteriously razing their buildings. Sage's mom warns that they'll be moving out soon, to where "sirens didn't scream deep into the night." That year Sage also grapples with her grief over her father's death and a scary and sexist encounter in the park that has her questioning her identity and giving up basketball altogether. Set during the 1970s, this nostalgia-tinged novel takes place when Bushwick was known as "The Matchbox" because of the fires that plagued its streets. The chapters are vignette-like, sometimes featuring only a few sentences. The often wistful text is lyrical, but the nostalgia never overwhelms the narrative. Woodson's economy of language expertly presents the microcosm of Sage's community of friends and neighborhood kids and the macrocosm of the external world that threatens to destroy it. Sage's journey to finding herself while trying to navigate these two worlds will resonate with readers young and old. VERDICT The power of community and friendship permeates every word in this middle grade novel for all readers. A truly masterly work.-Shelley M. Diaz

Copyright 2023 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

From AudioFile Magazine

Jacqueline Woodson renders her story's rhythms skillfully, emphasizing refrains that allow listeners to luxuriate in her words and linger in powerful details. Sage's father, a firefighter, died in a fire back in the "once was," but she thinks of him often. At the same time, her neighborhood has been experiencing so many mysterious fires that it's been renamed "The Matchbox." At 12, Sage is surrounded by friends, community, a loving mother, and continuous basketball games. But her world is changing. The fires are unsettling, and she falters when an older boy asks her, "What kind of girl are you?" Dialogue like this rings with authenticity and poignancy, deepening the characters' relationships. Woodson paints a picture of her beloved Brooklyn, creates memorable characters, and gives voice to a young person who is finding her true self. S.W. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine