[1] Taking place in the 1970s, in an urban all African American school, this book highlights the hard topics of racism, faith, hope, and disabilities.

Frannie has grown up with a deaf older brother, and is very sensitive to how people treat and perceive him.

During all that is going on Frannie constantly thinks of the poem she read in class that said "Hope is the thing with feathers".

One day Trevor is swinging and decides to try to jump off and land on a fence because he wants to feel like he is flying.

The effort to understand one another was the focus of the sixth grade class as soon as Jesus Boy entered their classroom.

[2] One scene in the book that does this well is when Frannie asks Sean what a guitar sounds like, a game they play with one another.

"[3] Norah Piehl, of Kids Reads, reviewed the book saying, "Set against the music, politics and conflicts of the early 1970s, Jacqueline Woodson's exceptional new novel grounds universal ideas in a particular time and place.

"[4] Matt Berman, of Common Sense Media stated the book is beautifully written, lyrical, thoughtful, at times even wise and that it will also be loved by adults.

[5] One reviewer raved about the book but said "While the subject matter isn't as controversial as some of Woodson's others it might lead a child living in today's society to have questions about race, segregation and religion".

[6] Overall, the book gets mostly high praise, and Jacqueline Woodson is hailed for her beautiful style of writing.

Feathers most resembles her novel Locomotion in which she "tackled grief, trauma, death survival, and hope".

Feathers is also short but addresses big concepts of "hope, healing, faith, and understanding".