I Hadn't Meant to Tell You This [Paperback]

Jacqueline Woodson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 8, 2006

Twelve-year-old Marie is one of the popular girls in the prosperous black suburb. She’s not looking for a friend when Lena Bright, a white girl, appears in school. But the two girls are drawn to each other. You see, both Lena and Marie have lost their mothers. On top of that, Marie soon learns that Lena has a terrifying secret. Marie wants to help, but is it better to keep Lena’s secret, or to tell it? Their friendship—and Lena’s survival— may depend on her decision.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Two girls: one white, one black; one abused, one protected, both missing their mothers. An unlikely friendship ignites between the two, and, in sharing their differences, both of their lives are transformed. Jacqueline Woodson won a Coretta Scott King Honor for this moving, tightly written tale of friendship, racism, and loss. In a starred review, The Horn Book calls it a "haunting and beautifully poetic novel." --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

This sensitive yet gritty novel about incest may be Woodson's ( Between Madison and Palmetto ) strongest work to date. Marie, the eighth-grade narrator, lives in an all-black suburb of Athens, Ohio, with her father; her mother, who has inherited money from her own parents, sends arty messages from the far-flung locales she has toured since leaving the family two years ago. Ignoring the sneers of her friends--and her father's warnings--Marie befriends "whitetrash" Lena, the new girl at school. Woodson confronts sticky questions about race head-on, with the result that her observations and her characterizations are all the more trustworthy. Her approach to the incest theme is less immediate but equally convincing--Marie receives Lena's restrained confidences about being molested, at first disbelieving Lena, then torn between her desire to help her friend and her promise not to tell anyone. Lena has tried all the textbook solutions--including reporting her father to the authorities--and has learned that outside interference only brings more trouble. Marie, struggling to cope with her mother's desertion, must accept Lena's disappearance, too, when Lena and her younger sister first decide to run away and then do flee. Told in adroitly sequenced flashbacks, Woodson's novel is wrenchingly honest and, despite its sad themes, full of hope and inspiration. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Speak (June 8, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0142405558
• ISBN-13: 978-0142405550
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 6.7 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #850,975 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jacqueline Woodson's awards include 3 Newbery Honors, a Coretta Scott King Award and 3 Coretta Scott King Honors, 2 National Book Awards, a Margaret A. Edwards Award and an ALAN Award -- both for Lifetime Achievement in YA Literature. She is the author of more than 2 dozen books for children and young adults and lives with her family in Brooklyn, New York

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars subject matter is controversial but necessary in this day, June 21, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: I Hadn't Meant to Tell You This (Mass Market Paperback)

I read this book for a college lit. class and was disturbed by the emotional affect I felt. This is a great book about race relations and children who loose a parent but the subject of sexual abuse does not provide an answer for children who might be experiencing the same abuse as Lena. The book is rated at a fourth grade level however I am not sure that an average fourth grader would understand the problem of sexual abuse. A good understanding of the whole social issue of sexual abuse must be explained to a child before reading this book. I would hate to see a child who is experiencing sexual abuse read this and come up with the solution of running away from their problems. This could be a good starting point for discussion on possible solutions for Lena's problem.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Poignant and Eye Opening, April 19, 2000

By 

Amy (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: I Hadn't Meant to Tell You This (Mass Market Paperback)

Daringly confronting the issues of sexual abuse, death, divorce, pain, racism, and relashionships, this eloquent novel was deeply affecting. It reads easily, holds your attention, and leaves you crying with a new look on the world. I recommend it to all.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I Hadn't meant to tell you this, July 8, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: I Hadn't Meant to Tell You This (Hardcover)

Jacqueline Woodson has used good taste in confronting the issue of child abuse. She presents two girls from very different backgrounds and bring them together to form a beautiful friendship.

Maria and Lena share a common bond of the lost of their mothers. The book is a must read for young adult audiences.