What happens when you put six special kids in a room, once a week, without a teacher to monitor their conversation? That is the premise of this beautiful book, Harbor Me by Jaqueline Woodson. The six students call the room the ARTT (A Room to Talk) and it becomes their safe space to talk about all that is going on in their lives. This book covers alcoholic parents, incarceration, immigration, racism and many other important topics, as they affect the lives of these twelve year olds. While it is not a novel in verse, it reads like poetry in language so expressive you feel like it surrounds you. It is an important book for today and offers a realistic look at the trauma these kids face in their everyday life. It is book everyone should read to gain insight and empathy to these real world problems.