The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo HarperTeen, 2018 The Poet X is the beautifully written debut novel from slam poet Elizabeth Acevedo. Written in verse, the story follows Xiomara, the daughter of Dominican immigrants growing up in Harlem. Her father is in her life, but emotionally absent, her twin brother is a genius, and her extremely religious mother expects Xiomara to be pious, faithful, and fully devoted to God. Xiomara just wants to be heard and be who she is, but she struggles to express herself to those around her. Xiomara records her thoughts in a leather bound journal, writing poems to describe how she feels, who she desires to be, and what’s really in her heart. She is fierce and sharp with her words, which comes from the necessity of protecting herself from the advances of men of all ages. Xiomara describes herself as curvy, with a bubble butt, and as an “Amazon.” Her features attract the unwanted advances of many men throughout the story, which is a timely and relevant topic to discuss. She wants desperately to find a boy, falling for the sensitive, soulful Aman, her lab partner in biology class. As she struggles to speak for herself, her English teacher invites her to join the school’s slam poetry club. Reluctant at first, through the encouragement of her brother and friends, she eventually realizes the power of her own words. This book is incredibly timely. The topics and themes are ones that most readers will easily relate to. I appreciate that the author didn’t shy away from discussing what the unwanted sexual advances of men felt like for Xiomara. The issues her family faced are relatable, as well, and the story ultimately ends on a positive note with all characters finding their way forward together. My favorite part of this book is Xiomara herself, especially as The Poet X, her stage name. I loved her fierceness, how protective she was of her friends and brother, and I especially loved how much her character grew. X became even stronger through slam poetry and realized how powerful her thoughts and words could be to herself and others. I was so impressed by this novel and the beauty of the poems, characters, and themes within. There is some mild language and sexual themes, so I would recommend this book for high school and up. I cannot wait to see what else Acevedo has in store for us in the future!
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Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books, 2017 A Newbery Honor Book A Coretta Scott King Honor Book A Printz Honor Book Longlisted for the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature Winner of the Walter Dean Myers Award Wow, all I can say is, wow. This book had me from the first second I opened it. It is just so extremely timely, relevant, and well-written. It is engaging, thought-provoking, and emotional. I absolutely cannot say enough good things about this book! Long Way Down is the story of fifteen year old Will, who is determined to revenge his brother Shawn’s murder. Will is only following the “Rules” passed down through generations before him about what to do when someone is killed through violence in their neighborhood. He finds his brother’s gun, puts it in the waist of his pants, and heads out seeking the person he knows killed his brother the night before. As he begins his journey down to the lobby from the eighth floor of his apartment building, the elevator stops at each floor bringing in a ghost from Will and Shawn’s past. These ghosts include family members and friends who each add a piece to the story of Shawn’s death and some hesitation to Will’s plan. Does he really know who killed his brother? Why is there one bullet missing from the chamber? What will happen if he misses his shot? Can he really do it? These questions hang in the air as Will approaches the bottom floor. This book is so incredibly vivid and it always astounds me how an author can write so much in so many fewer words using verse. One of my favorite things about this book is that it is a verse novel, which makes it so much more accessible for reluctant readers. The themes of this book are so relevant and really shed light on the impact of gun violence in the lives of our youth. It does have some curse words scattered throughout, but they are used within the context of the story (one of my pet peeves is an author throwing in curse words just to use curse words...that does not happen here). This book, in my honest opinion, should have been the Newbery winner. It is so impactful; I immediately came to school and began sharing it with teachers. I can’t wait to booktalk it with my students, as well. I highly recommend Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds. Unbound: A Novel in Verse by Ann E. Burg Scholastic Press, 2016 Unbound was a book I just happened to stumble upon as we were weeding the Fiction section of our library. It immediately intrigued me because it was a verse novel, one of my favorite genres. As I read the summary inside the book’s jacket, I was struck by the fact that I had no idea what the Great Dismal Swamp was or the fact that it had been used as a hiding place by runaway slaves. Seeing as how this book combines two of my favorite genres, historical fiction and verse novels, I immediately had to read it. What I found was one of the best books I’ve read in a long time that had a lasting emotional impact. The story follows Grace, a young slave girl who is called to work in “The Big House,” leaving her family behind to work in the fields. Grace is blue-eyed and light-skinned, which is an implied reason she is called to work for the Master and the Missus. Grace, of course, struggles with leaving her family. She is a young girl, living in a new house, with extremely high expectations and many more rules than she is accustomed to. What Grace sees living in “The Big House” and her interactions with the Master and Missus, begin to motivate her to run away. She begins to question the fairness of the way she and other slaves are treated, and sees the cruelty that lies in the hearts of her owners. Then, one evening, Grace overhears the Missus make plans to sell her family on the auction block. In order to save them all, Grace runs away from “The Big House” to her family’s cabin. They make their escape that night, heading toward the Great Dismal Swamp. The characters and events in this story are so engaging and unforgettable. The history behind their escape is just as interesting as the story itself, and the author provides historical information as well as acknowledgements for her sources at the end of the book. This is by far one of my favorite books to booktalk with students. I can’t keep it on the shelves when I do! It is a fantastic story, full of wonderful free verse, engaging characters, and a plot that moves quickly and holds interest. I cannot recommend this book enough! Bibliography Sones, Sonya. 2004. One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. ISBN 9780689858208 Plot Summary When Ruby’s mother dies, she is forced to leave behind everything, and everyone, she loves and move three thousand miles away to Los Angeles to live with the father she has never met. Ruby’s father, the famous actor Whip Logan, tries his best to form a relationship with Ruby, give her everything she needs, and make up for lost time. Ruby resents his attempts pushes him away. However, as the pages turn, Ruby learns about friendship, forgiveness, and what family really means. Critical Analysis This novel in verse is made up of one to two page poetic entries. The majority of the verses are free verse, with a few rhyming couplets mixed in. Even though there is not much rhyme, each poem flows with a rhythm that brings Ruby’s voice to life. You can hear and feel her teenage angst, sadness, joy, resentment, etc. through the words and rhythm. The language of each poetic entry is fresh and very much the voice of a teenager. Mixed in with the poems, Ruby writes and receives e-mails from her best friend, Lizzie, and boyfriend, Ray, who she has left behind in Boston. They talk, banter, and flirt in a realistic, genuine way. One of the most striking features of this novel in verse is the way Ruby communicates with her dead mother. Even though she knows she can’t receive them, she sends her mother e-mails. The way Sones writes from Ruby’s perspective about the loss of her mother is heart-wrenching, yet at times, humorous. Ruby tells the reader she will not talk about how her mother died, then gives details that lead the reader to infer what her illness was and how it affected Ruby. Some of Ruby’s e-mails are funny, others are heart breaking, and still others are full of anger at her mother’s death and the upheaval it has caused in her life. Throughout the novel, Ruby’s absentee-father strives to make up for lost time. Ruby sees him as the famous actor, Whip Logan, who abandoned her before she was even born. She does not trust him, even though throughout the story she sees pieces of herself reflected through him. Ruby forms a strong bond with Whip’s assistant/personal trainer/all-around lifesaver, Max, who tries to encourage Ruby to see Whip for the good guy he really is. As the story develops, Ruby experiences betrayal and heartbreak from the friends and loved ones she left behind in Boston. At her new school she feels invisible, and the way Sones writes about these events is touching and easy to connect with on a personal level. After a classmate dies and a sudden earthquake hits, Ruby finally sees the truth that was hiding right in front of her all along. The book ends on a happy note with a family reunited in an unconventional, yet totally satisfying way. It feels like the ending to one of Whip’s famous Hollywood movies! What surprised me the most about this novel in verse is the way that Sones is able to immerse you completely in the world and emotions of Ruby through language and poetry. The book moves quickly, keeps readers interested, and has enough humor, angst, joy, forgiveness, etc. to convince you that Ruby must be real! I would recommend this book for students in 9th-12th grade, as the themes are mature. However, adults will enjoy this book as well, reminiscing in the feelings they had as angsty teenagers themselves, and in the overarching theme of family. Response This book had me from the first poem. I sat down to begin reading, thinking, “Oh, I’ll just read about twenty pages and call it a night.” Yeah, right! I ended up staying up until it was finished. That’s one of the great things about this novel in verse; it moves quickly and you don’t want to miss what happens next! I totally connected with the feelings and emotions of Ruby, as well as those of her father. The themes of heartbreak, friendship, forgiveness, and family resound, and make it a book that tugs at your heartstrings while making you laugh out loud. I am planning to do my next book talk over this novel in verse, and just know it will be a hit with my high school students. This is a phenomenal example of young adult novel in verse! Honors ALA Best Books For Young Adults ALA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers NYPL Best Books for Teens PSLA Fiction List Texas Tayshas High School Reading List YASIG Best of the Best (MO) And many more! Reviews “After the death of her mother, high-schooler Ruby is sent from Boston to L.A. to live with the father she has never met: "He's such a scumbag / that he divorced my mother / before I was even born." The "scumbag" is Whip Logan, a famous movie actor, but Ruby is too angry to be impressed; at the airport she wonders whether to "ask him for his autograph, / or kick him in the balls." Sones' latest free-verse novel follows Ruby through her first few months in her new home, a mansion where her every desire is granted--except what she longs for most: her best friend, her boyfriend, and of course, her mother. Sones' novel is an unusual combination of over-the-top Hollywood fairy tale and sharp, honest story about overcoming grief. Teens may predict the novel's surprises long before Ruby discovers them... and, as in every fairy tale, many things are too good to be true--especially Whip's eager devotion and celebrity. It's Ruby's first-person voice--acrimonious, raw, and very funny--that pulls everything together, whether she is writing e-mails to her deceased mother, attending Dream Analysis class at a private L.A. high school, or finally learning to accept her father and embrace a new life. A satisfying, moving novel that will be a winner for both eager and reluctant readers.” -- Booklist (starred review) “In one- to two-page breezy poetic prose-style entries, 15-year-old Ruby Milliken describes her flight from Boston to California and her gradual adjustment to life with her estranged movie-star father following her mother's death. E-mails to her best friend, her boyfriend, and her mother ("in heaven") and outpourings of her innermost thoughts display her overwhelming unhappiness and feelings of isolation, loss, and grief ("…most days,/I wander around Lakewood feeling invisible./Like I'm just a speck of dust/floating in the air/that can only be seen/when a shaft of light hits it"). Ruby's affable personality is evident in her humorous quips and clever wordplays. Her depth of character is revealed through her honest admissions, poignant revelations, and sensitive insights. This is not just another one of those gimmicky novels written in poetry. It's solid and well written, and Sones has a lot to say about the importance of carefully assessing people and situations and about opening the door to one's own happiness. Despite several predictable particulars of plot, Ruby's story is gripping, enjoyable, and memorable.” -- School Library Journal “This winning portrayal of a teenage girl's loves and losses, written in Sones's (What My Mother Doesn't Know ) signature free-verse style, opens as 15-year-old Ruby is en route from Boston to L.A. ("HellA" as she calls it). Following her mother's untimely death (in a poem called "Maybe You're Wondering About It," Ruby furiously says, "But that's just tough./ Because I'm not even going to go in / to how she died"), Ruby leaves behind her best friend Lizzie and her boyfriend Ray, to live with a father she's never met. Whip Logan, a famous actor, seems anxious to kindle a relationship; however, when Ruby meets him, she thinks: "I don't know whether/ to ask him for his autograph,/ kick him in the balls,/ or run." The scene in California proves "deeply surreal": neighbor Cameron Diaz pops over, Brad Pitt grins at her in the local bookstore, and at the high school she enrolls in "Dream Interpretation Through the Ages." The only person Ruby feels comfortable with is her father's live-in "assistant/slash personal trainer," Max, whom Ruby believes is gay. Sones gives the audience clear signals of what Ruby can't allow herself to take in. Readers will accept some melodrama because, even with a few contrivances, Ruby's voice conveys genuine emotions.” -- Publisher’s Weekly Connections Use this book in connection with other novels in verse by Sonya Sones to compare and contrast the characteristics of the book and voice of the characters.
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AuthorMy name is Mrs. Scott and I'm a secondary Media Resource Specialist (librarian) in Texas. This blog was created as part of my graduate coursework at Texas Woman's University. All reviews and opinions are my own.
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