Biblio Reviews

The story of Sharon Creech's Jack from  Love That Dog  (2001) continues. Early in his school year, Jack reveals to his teacher that 1) he hates cats and 2) his college professor Uncle Bill does not believe that the poems Jack had written in the previous school year are "real" poems because they are short, lack rhyme, a regular meter, symbols, metaphor, onomatopoeia, and alliteration. Thank goodness Jack has Miss Stretchberry as his teacher again because she tells him that all those elements his uncle mentioned are not requirements. A poet writes according to his own images, rhythms, and sometimes chooses elements like onomatopoeia and alliteration to  enrich  their poems. And with that, Creech, again, takes us on Jack's journey and growth as a writer and person during this fourth grade school year. This time around, readers learn a bit more about Jack's home life, why he hates  that  cat, and how he finally does move on from the loss of his beloved pet,...

Kwame Alexander's The Crossover (2014) is not a stereotypical basketball story: It isn't about impoverished black boys from a single parent female-headed household living in a crime-ridden neighborhood who play basketball to escape. Rather, it is a universal story of growing up, of family, and of love told in narrative verse (poetry). Related from the perspective of Josh "Filthy McNasty" Bell, The Crossover is about the experiences of almost thirteen year-old twins Josh and Jordan (JB) in a year when everything changes: JB's interests and time are no longer exclusive to basketball, which challenges Josh's sense of identity, and their father is facing a health crisis for which he refuses to seek medical help. In the end, after facing some adversity and developing some maturity, the boys move forward, united in their bond and responsibilities. Other than his vibrant use of language, a strong narrative voice, and his realistic portrayal of the speed, hea...

With no presence on social media, I have been missing out on the avalanche that is Rupi Kaur, a Toronto-based poet and photographer whose collection of poetry Milk and Honey (2015) was published in October. Apparently, social media had been her primary mode of building and promoting herself. I only became aware of her this past Friday, when, after sharing a few of my favorite poems with my students in recognition of National Poetry Month, one of my seventh grade girls came up to me at the end of class, put the book in my hands with a smile on her face, and said, "Read this." I opened the book and quickly closed it because I had landed on a page of a line drawing that was sexual in nature. My quick thought? "Um, is this book appropriate for a 13 year old? Where did she get this book?" I waited until all students had cleared the room, sat at my desk, and began to read. Two words quickly came to my mind: provocative. feminist. Rupi Kaur "shares her writing w...