Feathers

 Novel by Jacqueline Woodson.

This is a great discussion book, with the theme of really seeing someone on the inside evident in several story arcs. Told from the perspective of an eleven year old black girl, we encounter her deaf brother, who is misunderstood in the hearing community; the only white kid at her school, given the nickname Jesus Boy and initially ostracized because of his race; the class bully, who has hidden sorrows of his own; and her religious best friend, who struggles to understand her faith. It also touches on death, referencing the girl's sister who died as an infant and her mother's several miscarriages.