In the 1970s, the Bushwick neighborhood where Sage lives is known as the Matchbox. “Smoke always seem[s] to be billowing” as countless homes burn to the ground, leaving blackened ruins for kids to pick through in search of “treasures.” Sage’s father, a firefighter, died in the line of duty, and her mom is saving money so that they can move to a safer place. Meanwhile, Black preteen Sage is beginning to leave childhood behind, her sense of self developing yet still fragile. Obsessed with basketball, Sage feels most comfortable in loose athletic clothes and dreams of becoming the first woman to play for the NBA. When an older boy threatens her as she’s shooting hoops at the park (“What kind of girl are you? … I should punch you in the face just to show you you ain’t a dude”) it rattles her so deeply that, for a while, she abandons the sport she adores. This tender, lyrically written novel is imbued with the neighborly love of a community that weathers not only endless fires but the tragic death of a child. When Sage and her mom finally move out of Bushwick, Sage is most heartbroken over saying good-bye to her best friend, Freddy, who sees and loves her for exactly the girl she is. “‘You’re the Sage kind,’ Freddy said. ‘The Sage kind loves ball.’” (Ages 9-13)

National Book Award winner Jacqueline Woodson brings readers a powerful story that delves deeply into life’s burning questions about time and memory and what we take with us into the future.

It seems like Sage’s whole world is on fire the summer before she starts seventh grade. As house after house burns down, her Bushwick neighborhood gets referred to as “The Matchbox” in the local newspaper. And while Sage prefers to spend her time shooting hoops with the guys, she’s also still trying to figure out her place inside the circle of girls she’s known since childhood. A group that each day, feels further and further away from her. But it’s also the summer of Freddy, a new kid who truly gets Sage. Together, they reckon with the pain of missing the things that get left behind as time moves on, savor what’s good in the present, and buoy each other up in the face of destruction. And when the future comes, it is Sage’s memories of the past that show her the way forward. Remember Us speaks to the power of both letting go . . . and holding on.