If You Come Softly

ONE OF TIME’S 100 BEST YOUNG ADULT BOOKS OF ALL TIME • From the National Book Award-winning author of Brown Girl Dreaming comes a beautiful, timeless tale where first love encounters the daunting barriers of racism.

“Ever so gently open[s] up issues of racism, self-awareness, and moral consciousness.”—BCCB

From the moment they bump into each other in the crowded hallway of their Manhattan prep school, Ellie and Jeremiah know they fit together, even though she’s Jewish and he’s Black. They come from such different places, but to them that’s not what matters. They have something private and apart from the rest of the world. But the rest of the world might not see it like that . . .

Jacqueline Woodson’s moving story of star-crossed lovers is as relevant today as when it was first published twenty years ago, and this anniversary edition contains a new preface by the author.