Poetry Review #3: Young Adult Verse Novel

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Kearney, Meg. 2005. THE SECRET OF ME. Persea Books: New York.

Semi-autobiographical, Meg Kearney's book in verse chronicles the teenage angst and happenings of Lizzie and her two siblings. Lizzie, age fourteen, is adopted, as are her older brother and sister, Kate and Bob. While Kate and Bob are fairly comfortable with the fact they are adopted, Lizzie cannot stop thinking about her birthmother and wondering about her. In Lizzie's home, the children know they are adopted, but it is a taboo subject to discuss, and only close friends and relatives know of their adoptions.

Over the span of a year, Lizzie tells her story in verse. Some of her poems tell of everyday teenage happenings, such as her crush on a boy, Peter, and everyday occurrences such as school and basketball. Lizzie also talks of her close friends, all of whom are also adopted; they don't understand Lizzie's wish to know something about her birthmother. The "secret" in the McLane household is the fact the children are adopted, and Lizzie worries her mom will be hurt if she knows of Lizzie's desires. Some of the poems are called "What I remember", and for each season, Lizzie tells of the memories her family are making, such as sitting on Santa's lap in Macys, and having hot pretzels with salt at Christmas. Other poems are called "Broken Place"; these poems are Lizzie's dark thoughts when she is feeling down and depressed. As the year progresses, Lizzie agonizes about telling Peter that she is adopted, and talking to her parents about her adoption. Through personal growth, Lizzie is able to do both of these things and have positive outcomes with both Peter and her dad.

The book has a table of contents listing each poem by title. Kearney includes a lengthy afterw0rd, in which she talks openly about her adoption experience and those of her brother and sister. She compares her life to that of Lizzie's, telling of the similarities and differences in their lives. Following the afterword is a fascinating section called "Guide to This Book's Poetics". The poems in this book are a combination of free verse, and other verse forms including sonnets, sestinas, and villanelles. Each poem type is described and poems that follow each style are highlighted. This section is particularly helpful for teacher of poetry and for students wishing to expand their poetic repertoire. There is also a section devoted to the poems that Lizzie mentions in her poems; having these poems helps to further the flow of the poems and the story. By using different forms of verse, Lizzie's story and voice is fully developed as different types of poems are used for different purposes. Lizzie uses list poems to list "Things I Love So Much I Could Give Them Away"; the list is blank. and "When I Was Little", in which Lizzie worries about her birthmother coming back to get her if she misbehaves or gets bad grades. Free verse poems are used when the reader needs to follow the flow of the poetry, such as "The Wave". This is a poem in which Lizzie talks about when her dad has a heart attack and her worries about him.

This book should have wide appeal for all teenagers, whether adopted or not. Adopted teenagers in particular should relate to Lizzie's feelings, thoughts, and experiences. The book effectively molds Lizzie as a likeable and believable character, and as you read, you feel as if you are experiencing Lizzie's worries and trepidations.

Poetry Break: a poem written in an ususual form

Introduction:
Explain to students what concrete poetry is. Show some examples of concrete poems and point out how they take the shape of the subject they are about.

Skyscraper
by J. Patrick Lewis

I

am

a

nee

dle

of

steel

glass &

cement

1o2

stories

high on a clear

day you can see

200

miles out into the

Atlantic or watch

hundreds of ants

scurrying like

people on the sidewalks

below & the yellow

bugs racing recklessly

along the city streets &

ride the elevator all the

way down in 37 seconds

FLAT

Extension:
Introduce students to books and poems that showcase concrete poetry, including the book this poem is in:

• DOODLE DANDIES: POEMS THAT TAKE SHAPE by J. Patrick Lewis
• TECHNICALLY, IT'S NOT MY FAULT: CONCRETE POEMS by John Grandits
• MEOW RUFF: A STORY IN CONCRETE POETRY by Joyce Sidman and Michelle Berg
• OUTSIDE THE LINES by Brad Burg

Then have students make their own concrete poems using a theme such as animals, a particular holiday, or things they find at school.

Poetry Review #2: A book of poetry for children or teens by a poet (or poets) of color published since 1995

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Grimes, Nikki. 2004. WHAT IS GOODBYE? Illustrated by Raul Colon. New York: Hyperion Books for Children.

Jerilyn and Jesse’s older brother, Jaron, suddenly dies, and through their alternating voices in poems, their grief is explored. The poems are chronological, starting with Jaron’s sudden death; each sibling deals with the death differently, Jesse through anger and acting out, and Jerilyn through tears and heartache.

Nikki Grimes brings the voices of each sibling to life, and through them, their parents’ emotions are explored as well. Each pair of poems is titled the same; many of Jesse’s poems rhyme, while most of Jerilyn’s are free verse. The many stages of grief are explored poignantly, and we see the family change over the year the poems take place. The pain and loneliness of the family are successfully presented through poems such as, “Rush—Jesse”,”Forget your tears/ You’ve cried enough./ You’ve lost someone./ We know that’s tough,/ but now it’s time/ to move along.”/ They’re telling me/ my heart is wrong/ for hurting past/ the date they set?/ Well, I’m not ready/ to move on yet. The coupling poem, “Rush—Jerilyn”, I hold the question in,/ like a deep breath,/ till I turn blue. Mommy,/ When will you look up?/ When will you see/ you’ve still got Jesse and me?/ Please hurry./ We’re lonely here/ without you. The last poem in the book, “Photograph” is a poem for two voices, and alternates with Jesse and Jerilyn showing how they are now a new family, but one that has become strong even without their brother.

The book is illustrated by Raul Colon, who has used subdued colors to represent the family members, resonating with feelings and emotions. The paintings do not appear on every page, but instead are used just enough to carry the flow of the poems forward.
A deeply meaningful book for anyone who has experienced the grief of losing a loved one, WHAT IS GOODBYE? shows that poetry can be a powerful release of emotions.

Poetry Break #2: Poem written by NCTE poet

Introduction:
This poem makes us think about the worst itch you've ever had. Before reading, have students think about how they feel when they have an out of reach itch and possible ways to reach it.



Five
Ways To Be Alone With An Itch
In The Center Of My Back

1. Rub Myself On The Corner Of The Hallway Wall.
2. Roll On the Family Room Carpet.
3. Scratch Myself With The Kitchen Broom Handle.
4. Scratch Myself With The Kitchen Broom.


5. Drop The Cat Down My Shirt.

by Arnold Adoff


[From: TOUCH THE POEM, Blue Sky Press, 2000]

Extension:
Brainstorm other ways to reach terrible itches. Have students make another poem about trying to reach an unreachable itch. Imagine other animals such as a pet with a terrible itch and make a poem about how they would reach their itch. Expand the idea to other animals such as elephants or camels and have students make a poem about them.

Poetry Review #1: Anthology by Lee Bennett Hopkins

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Hopkins, Lee Bennett. 1990. GOOD BOOKS, GOOD TIMES! Illustrated by Harvey Stevenson. New York: Harperchildrens.

Lee Bennett Hopkins has compiled an engaging anthology of poems centered around the delightful world of books and reading in GOOD BOOKS, GOOD TIMES! The book contains a variety of poems from well-known and lesser-known poets including Jack Prelutsky, David McCord, Arnold Lobel, and Lee Bennett Hopkins himself. Each poem offers wide appeal to younger children, while encouraging them to get lost in reading, including Being Lost (p.5) by Karla Kuskin, "Being lost is the perfect way to pass the time on a sky blue day", and "Books fall open, you fall in, delighted where you've never been;" (p.6) by David McCord.

The anthology combines free verse and rhyming poems, with the majority containing rhyme. The length of poems also varies greatly, with one poem containing only twelve words (p.18), while several others are a full page long. Various other poetic elements are used by the poets including alliteration, "wise delve into wisdom, wit, and wherewithal" (David McCord, p. 6). Poet Isabel Joshlin Glaser (p.21) makes use of multiple poetic elements including onomatopoeia, assonance, and rhyming with, "Is bumbling and rumbling and groaning and moaning and snoring and roaring and dinosauring?" The flow and pace of the poems are well balanced and varied, with some poems that are light and whimsical, and others that are more deep and thought provoking.

The illustrations by Harvey Stevenson fit the poems nicely. They are a colorful blend of watercolors enveloping the poems within. One possible drawback to the illustrations is the fact that of the children represented in the poems are Caucasian; this anthology was published in 1990, which should be recent enough to have considered racial sensitivity.

The poems in this anthology were all written relatively recently, between 1965 and 1986, and all have a timeless feel. Children with a passion for reading will likely love the assortment. An index of authors and titles is also included.