BankStreetBooks An independent journal of children’s books and reading

Middle-grade novel · Nonfiction

Brown Girl Dreaming

Jacqueline Woodson

About the book

Jacqueline Woodson's memoir in verse about growing up in South Carolina and Brooklyn in the 1960s and 1970s and finding her voice as a writer.

Reading notes

Accessible poems and a powerful look at family, civil-rights-era history, and identity.

This description was drafted with AI assistance and checked by a separate AI review against catalog, publisher and award sources on 2026-11-11. It has not been reviewed by a human editor. Report an error.

Recognition

  • National Book Award for Young People's Literature (2014)
  • Newbery Honor (2015)
  • Coretta Scott King Author Award (2015)

Recognition is listed from the awarding bodies’ published records. How we verify awards.

Book details

Author
Jacqueline Woodson
First published
2014
Suggested ages
Ages 10–14 (editorial estimate — children vary)
Reading mode
Independent reader
Topics
memoir, verse novel, civil rights
Edition shown
ISBN 9780399252518 · Nancy Paulsen Books (Penguin Group), 2014 · Hardcover
Catalog record
Open Library work record · edition record

Metadata verified against Open Library on 2026-11-11. Other editions and formats exist; ISBNs differ by edition.

Not independently confirmed by our AI review: the suggested age range against a publisher range. Treat these details with caution.

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