Book Talk Tuesday – 1/6/2015

Presenting a volley of verse novels…

What books were your hands wrapped around this holiday season?

Since this summer, when I stumbled upon National Book Award winner Brown Girl Dreaming via teacher Twitter chats, I’ve been on the lookout for more compelling, can’t-put-down verse novels. It wasn’t long after I polished off Brown Girl Dreaming that our librarian extraordinaire, Mrs. Becker-Sabik, put Locomotion and Peace, Locomotion into my open arms. Locomotion, another verse novel from prolific Woodson, delivered an achingly authentic story from the perspective of a teen boy forced into foster care after his parents die in a house fire. Then I read Peace, Locomotion, a collection of journal entries from the same parentless teen.  That trio of books cinched it. I am hooked. More verse novels, please!

I don’t always have the time to pour myself into million-page books, but poetry is refreshingly different. For this week’s Book Talk Tuesday, I present a rafter of richly crafted verse novels for the young adult crowd–for both male and female readers. Yes, that includes you, my book-hunting sixth graders! I’ve read all of these books except Sharon Creech’s twin tomes, Love That Dog and Hate That Cat. These two four-legged tales are next on deck.

Searching for something different? Give yourself the gift of poetry. Pick up one of these gripping verse novels today. You’ll find most in our classroom, but all can be pulled off the ERMS library shelves. What are you waiting for? Click on a book cover to watch the matching video trailer.

Enjoy!

Mrs. Rombach

P.S. – I’ve ordered a few more verse novels. Keep any eye on the shelves!

 

 

credit: www.penguingroup.com

credit: www.penguingroup.com

What I loved: The strikingly delicate, somewhat surprising manner in which Woodson weaves words together. This story tells a truth in a way few other mediums dare.

 

credit: www.goodreads.com

credit: www.goodreads.com

 What I loved: The subject matter stole my heart: A gifted, barefoot runner who refuses to conform faces the uncertainty of her grandfather’s Alzheimer’s and her best friend’s percolating anger. Beneath it all, she finds the apple of her eye–art!

credit: http://www.jacquelinewoodson.com/

credit: http://www.jacquelinewoodson.com/

What I loved: Dressed in dreads and a lifetime of pain, young Locomotion slowly faces his fears through poetry. A fire stole his parents and placed his picture-perfect, deeply adored sister in foster care. Locomotion lands in a group home, where he’s struggling desperately to find his place and stay connected to his baby sister. Locomotion stays with you long after you’ve finished the book.

credit: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/

credit: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/

What I loved: Author Helen Frost rivets your attention on page one of Hidden. There’s a carjacking and an eight-year-old ends up trapped inside a locked garage. Her salvation? A faceless girl her own age–the criminal’s daughter–who tries to help. Flash forward six years. The girls’ worlds collide at summer camp, where they’re forced to face the truth about what happened all those years ago. Hidden roils with heart-racing twists.

credit: http://www.sarahcrossan.com/books

credit: http://www.sarahcrossan.com/books

 What I loved: Kasienka gives up everything–including her Polish name–to join her mother as they follow the lukewarm trail of the man who abandoned them both. Poor and on unfamiliar terrain, Cassie faces the crushing weight of sounding and looking different. Bullied by her new school’s popular girl, Cassie finds her battle armor as the fastest girl on her school’s swim team. With encouragement from a caring neighbor and an older boy, 12-year-old Cassie finds her voice and resurfaces stronger than ever.

 

credit: amazon.com

credit: amazon.com

What I am loving: I am in the midst of reading this verse novel, and the tension is palpable. Vietnam is moments from collapsing into chaos. A family is about to be torn apart by war. I have a feeling tears are in the forecast. What I am NOT loving: The cover! It fails miserably at conveying the combustible content smoldering behind this whimsical watercolor.         Dear Publisher, your cover choice stinks. Please reprint with a cover worthy of this author’s work.

 

credit: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/

credit: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/

What I love: The first page of Love That Dog, which reads:

JACK

Room 105 – Miss Stretchberry

September 13

I don’t want to

because boys

don’t write poetry.

Girls do.