cover image The Dear One

The Dear One

Jacqueline Woodson. Putnam Publishing Group, $17.99 (128pp) ISBN 978-0-399-23968-7

Jacqueline Woodson's The Dear One tells of 12-year-old Feni, who is stunned when her mother brings a pregnant teenage friend to stay with them. On the book's publication in 1991, PW wrote, ""Woodson's deep understanding of and concern for the role of black women in society is evident as she eloquently introduces the reader to teenage pregnancy, alternate lifestyles and adoption in her moving, powerful story.""