Pathfinder by Lani Blechman

Book Clip
I know it sounds whack, she said, so softly it sounded like she was talking to
herself almost. But when I see him on TV, I be thinking about the way his life was
all crazy. And my life is all crazy. And we both all sad about it and stuff. But we
aint trying to let the sad feelings get us down. We aint trying to give up.
We all got real quiet. I wanted D to just keep on going but she didnt. She just sat
there a few minutes, looking up at the streetlight. Then, without saying anything,
she got up, waved without even looking at us and started heading down the block.
After a minute passed, Jayjones jumped up and ran up to her. He put his arm
around her shouldernot like a boyfriend but like a big brotherthe way he did
sometimes with me and Neeka. D walked with her head down, her hands inside
her coat pockets.
May as well sleep over at your house again tonight, Neeka said, wiping the snow
from her face and getting up. So we can keep up with this craziness.
Neeka, I said as we headed into my house. You think we the lucky ones?

Plot Summary

Genre

Neeka and the narrator spend their whole

lives on the block. Their two families are
more like one. D Foster roams. One day,
she roams onto the block and the three
quickly become Three the Hard Way,
bonded by a love for the music of Tupac
Shakur, jump-roping, and searching for their
Big Purpose.

Realistic Fiction
Coming-of-Age Stories

Over two years, the three go from 11 years

old to 13, and Tupac survives being shot by
five bullets and an unjust trial and jail time.
Tupacs lyrics help the girls understand their
very different family experiences. D is in
foster care. Neeka has two parents and
more siblings than shed like to admit to.
The narrator is the only-child of a single
mom. Together, the three witness racism
and colorism, policing of their community,
gay bashing, and together they become
teenagers.
All too suddenly, Tupac is gonea fatal
shooting. And Ds mom comes to reclaim
her. The three are made two again, but all
are changed.

Themes
Hip Hop
Foster Care
The Nineties
Racism
Prisons & Jails
African American Community
Trust
Self-Acceptance
Friendship

Awards
2009 Newbery Honor Book
2009 Josette Frank Award

Author Information
Award-winning author Jacqueline Woodson fearlessly writes about about
racism, class, friendship and family as they affect black youth. She sensitively
and accurately portrays the struggles and joys of youth of color and white
youth, and her protagonists are strongoften girls. Her writing style is simple,
graceful and real, and her characters bring integrity and purpose to the
challenges that they face, regardless of age. She grew up in Greenville, South
Carolina and Brooklyn, New York (where she has stuck around). Her published
works include childrens books, middle readers, and young adult titles. Shes a
fulltime writer with two kids.
Find out more on her website: http://www.jacquelinewoodson.com/

More Books by
Woodson
Middle Readers:

Beneath a Meth Moon (Feb 2012)

Peace, Locomotion (Jan 2009)
Feather (Mar 2007)
Show Way (Sep 2005)
Coming on Home Soon (Oct 2004)
Behind You (May 2004)
Locomotion (Jan 2003)
Last Summer with Maizon (May 2002)
Hush (Jan 2002)

Childrens Books

Each kindness (Oct 2012)

Pecan pie baby (Oct 2010)

Visitng Day (Oct 2002)

Our Gracie Aunt (Apr 2002)

Awards
Caldecott Honor
Coretta Scott King Award
Newberry Honor Medal
Margaret A. Edwards Award for Lifetime Achievement
National Book Award
ALA Notable
Parents Choice Award

Interviews
School Library Journal
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/
article/CA6338688.
html?industryid=47052

Penguin
http://www.us.penguingroup.com/static/
rguides/us/jacqueline_woodson.html

Reading Rockets (video)

http://www.readingrockets.org/books/
interviews/woodson/

Teaching Tips
The short chapters and engaging dialogue
provide for a reading experience that
moves. Jacqueline Woodson explores
contemporary social issues by bringing
readers into the very real and recent past of
the nineties.
Woodson leaves us with many important
questions to further explore.
Continue to use these social issues
including racism, foster care, and prisons
through research projects that build understandings around culture and government
and engage students in relevant research.
Lift up the cultural connections that
resonate with young people today by
engaging in serious inquiry around hip hop
music and culture. Continue to develop
critical literary skills by engaging in the rich,
metaphor driven text and by conducting
writing projects that allow students to explore personal experiences through prose
and creative writing.

Discussion
Questions
Pengion books close with 16 Questions for
Discussion, including:

The rope the girls use for double Dutch is a

powerful metaphor for connectedness. Can
you identify other forces for connection and
wholeness in this block in Queens where
Neeka and the narrator live?
The Novels title is After Tupac and D Foster;
hat do you feel will happen next for Neeka
nd the narrator?

Curriculum
Guides
Book Guides, Lesson Plans, audio excepts,
and further author information are available
from TeachingBooks.net (subscription
website).

Curriculum Connections - Music & Culture

Hip Hop

Hip Hop music and culture play a prominent role in the lives of Neeka, the narrator, D
Foster and their families. Students can connect to the current pop culture movement by
understanding the history of Hip Hop music and culture which draws roots from previous
music movements of the 20th century, led by people of color. By exploring both the
history and current controversies, students build media literacy and critical thinking skills
in a context that is relevant to their lives.

Non-Fiction
Should music lyrics be censored? ed. by Beth Rosenthal (2011)
Hip hop world by Dalton Higgins (2009)
Hip-hop: a short history by Rosa Waters (2006)
Rap music and culture ed. by Kate Burns (2008)

Biographies on Tupac
Tupac Shakur: multi-platinum rapper by Ashley Rae Harris (2010)
Tupac Shakur by Nathan Olson (2004)

Poetry by Tupac
The rose that grew from concrete by Tupac Shakur (1999)

Curriculum Connections - Writing

Slam Poetry

The lyrics of Tupac resonate with the characters in After Tupac and D Foster. Slam Poetry,
a movement related to Hip Hop, is a genre that allows young people to perform their
experiences through spoken word and beat. Empower your youth to inspire others
through written and performed poetry. Host a poetry slam for your class, group, grade,
school or community. Connect young people with national and global spoken word
communities.

Non-Fiction
The spoken word revolution: slam, hip-hop & the poetry of a new generation ed. by Mark
Eleveld (2003)

Published Student Writing

Paint me like I am: teen poems from WritersCorps (2003)

Childrens Book & Audio Recording

Hip hop speaks to children: a celebration of poetry with a beat ed. by Nikki Giovanni (2008)

GlobalWrites.org
is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote literacy, communication and
collaboration among young people through the integration of performing arts and
technology resources. The organization leads or assists in the development and support
of projects and programs with local school districts, independent schools, government
agencies and other nonprofit groups.

Curriculum Connections - Social Issues

Racism

Race and racism are experienced in different and similar ways by people of different racial
and ethnic identities. After Tupac and D Foster illustrates the experiences of black and
mixed-race people in New York. Many fiction titles examine race and racism as experienced by people of various identities. While noone can truly understand the experiences
of people who are different, students and educators can explore differences and similarities in order to better understand how racism affects people in the U.S. and in the world.
Use fiction to broaden student experiences and non-fiction accounts to examine how racism has changed throughout U.S. history and how if affects everyone today.

Fiction
Same sun here by Silas House (2012)
Afrika by Colleen Craig (2008)
Such a pretty face: short stories (2007) ed. by Ann Angel
Feathers by Jacqueline Woodson (2007)
Rosa by Nikki Giovanni (2005)
Project Mulberry by Sue Linda Park (2005)
The jacket by Andrew Clements (2002)
The other side by Jacqueline Woodson (2001)
Two hands together by Diana Kidd (2000)
The heart of a chief by Joseph Bruchac (1998)
The skin Im in by Sharon Flake (1998)
Whitewash by Ntozake Shange (1997)

Curriculum Connections - Social Issues

Racism

Fiction - continued
A way out of no way: writing about growing up Black in America ed. by Jacqueline
Woodson (1996)
I hadnt meant to tell you this by Jacqueline Woodson (1994)
Baseball saved us by Ken Mochizuki (1993)
Maizon at Blue Hill by Jacqueline Woodson (1992)

Non-Fiction
Racial profiling by David Hudson (2010)

Series: Point-counterpoint
Racial profiling (2009)

Series: Opposing viewpoints series

Curriculum Connections - Social Issues

Foster Care

Childrens relationships with their parents change as they approach adolescence, and
children in the foster care system have even more complex relationships with their birth
parents and various foster families. These themes are explored by Neeka, the narrator,
and D, and they help each other better understand their own situations. By exploring
fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and web resources on foster care, students and educators can
gain a broader understanding and work against the isolation that children in foster care
may feel in a broader school and community context. The relationships and discussions
between the three main characters about their family situations can serve as an example
for students to conduct research and creative writing projects that explore personal
family experiences.

Fiction
Skatefate by Juan Felipe Herrera (2011)
Mudville by Kurtis Scaletta (2009)
Peace, Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson (2009)
Run, Jeremiah run by Mabel Elizabeth Singletary (2008)
Home, and other big, fat lies by Jill Wolfson (2006)
Where Id like to be by Frances ORoark Dowell (2003)
The ocean within by V.M. Caldwell (1999)

Non-Fiction
Foster parents by Rebecca Rissman (2011)
A house between homes: kids in the foster care system by Sheila Stewart (2010)
Foster families by Julianna Fields (2009)
Caught in the middle: a teen guide to custody by Claudia Isler (2000)

Poetry
Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson (2003)

Web Resources
Bibliography: Lifebooks for Children and Youth in Foster Care / A Casey Family Services
Compilation http://www.caseyfamilyservices.org/userfiles/pdf/bib-2011-lifebooks.pdf
Treehouse Foundation http://www.treehousecommunities.org/

Curriculum Connections - Social Issues

Prisons

Jacqueline Woodson describes many of the realities that young black people and people
of color face in the U.S. criminal justice system - both inside prisons and around policing
of communities of color. Many students have similar experiences and may be interested
in further materials to gain a broader understanding. All students are encouraged to
learn about the various branches of the government. These resources allow students to
understand various realities of the criminal justice system in real-life contexts.

Fiction
The year the swallows came early by Kathryn Fitzmaurice (2009)
Mama loves me from away by Pat Brisson (2004)
Behind you byJacqueline Woodson (2004)
Visiting day byJacqueline Woodson (2002)
Hush byJacqueline Woodson (2002)
Holes by Louis Sachar (1998)

Non-Fiction
When my brother went to prison by Sheila Stewart (2010)
The night dad went to jail: what to expect when someone you love goes to jail by Melissa
Higgins (2011)

Web Resources: http://realcostofprisons.org/comics.html

Prison Town: Paying the Price by Kevin Pyle and Craig Gilmore
Prisoners of the War on Drugs by Sabrina Jones, Ellen Miller-Mack and Lois Ahrens
Prisoners of a Hard Life: Women and Their Children by Susan Willmarth, Ellen MillerMack, and Lois Ahrens

Formats
2008 Paperback: 151 pages
Publisher: Penguin
Language: English
ISBN: 0142413992
Price: $7.99

Reading Level
Ages 10 and up
Lexile Measure: 750

Interest Level
Grades 6-12

2008 Hardcover: 160 pages

Publisher: Penguin
Language: English
ISBN: 0399246548
Price: $15.99
Audio CD: 3 hrs. 13 min.
Reader: Susan Spain
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Language: English
ISBN: 1423398041
Price: $39.97
Unabridged

Review
Citations
Engberg, Gillian. Rev. of After Tupac and D Foster, by Jacqueline Woodson. Booklist: 01 Feb
2008: 51. Print.
Heppermann, Christine. Rev. of After Tupac and
D Foster, by Jacqueline Woodson. The Horn
Book Guide: Fall 2008: 359. Print.
Smith, Danyel. Something Wild. New York
Times: 11 May 2008. Web.
Vikstrom, Kelly. Rev. of After Tupac and D Foster, by Jacqueline Woodson. School Library
Journal: 1 Apr 2008: 154. Print.