I Hadn't Meant to Tell You This

$15.00 US
Audio | Listening Library
On sale May 12, 2026 | 4 Hours and 0 Minutes | 9798217175703
Age 12 and up
Sales rights: US, Canada, Open Mkt

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Jacqueline Woodson is the 2018-2019 National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature

Twelve-year-old Marie is a leader among the popular black girls in Chauncey, Ohio, a prosperous black suburb. She isn't looking for a friend when Lena Bright, a white girl, appears in school. Yet they are drawn to each other because both have lost their mothers. And they know how to keep a secret. For Lena has a secret that is terrifying, and she's desperate to protect herself and her younger sister from their father. Marie must decide whether she can help Lena by keeping her secret...or by telling it.

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Jacqueline Woodson is the 2018-2019 National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature

Twelve-year-old Marie is a leader among the popular black girls in Chauncey, Ohio, a prosperous black suburb. She isn't looking for a friend when Lena Bright, a white girl, appears in school. Yet they are drawn to each other because both have lost their mothers. And they know how to keep a secret. For Lena has a secret that is terrifying, and she's desperate to protect herself and her younger sister from their father. Marie must decide whether she can help Lena by keeping her secret...or by telling it.