Review by New York Times Review
BY SHARING POETRY with young people, we are holding a seashell up to their ears. We are giving them an entire ocean of voices, of experiences and possibilities, in a tiny, but beautiful, package. Sometimes, those voices might seem far off and hard to decipher; other times they might sound like home. But they need to be heard. Here are four new books of verse for young readers that should not be ignored. KWAME ALEXANDER BRINGS hIS signature verse to REBOUND (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 4i4pp., $16.99; ages io to 12) It's the summer of 1988 and 12-year-old Charlie Bell struggles to find his footing after his father's death. ("Rebound" is the prequel to Alexander's Newbery Award-winning "The Crossover.") When "soaring above / the sorrow and grief / seemed impossible," Charlie retreats from his mother and friends into the world of comic books. As his relationship with his mother grows strained, and Charlie is caught stealing from a neighbor, he is shipped off to his grandparents for the summer. There, he spends his days doing chores for his "hustle and grind, peace of mind" Granddad, and tagging along while Granddad volunteers at the Boys and Girls Club. There, his basketball-loving cousin, Roxie, gets him back into the game. As Charlie allows himself to enjoy the things he once shared with his father, he begins to pick up the pieces of his shattered universe. I feel a little more normal like maybe he's still here, but not in a ghost kind of way, more like in a as long as I remember him he's still right here in my heart kind of way "Rebound" grapples with grief and loss, but never buckles under the weight of it. Alexander's verse, although slightly more subdued than in "The Crossover," maintains energy and momentum, and Charlie's sadness is skillfully counterbalanced by occasional pages of graphic novel panels (illustrated by Dawud Anyabwile), as well as by fast-paced basketball sequences and pop culture references. Readers familiar with "The Crossover" will find themselves smiling as details of Charlie's early life emerge that give us glimpses of the man and father he will later become; those who haven't read it will find it a strong and satisfying stand-alone book about grief, love and the power of family. THE POET X (HarperTeen, 357 pp., $17.99; ages 13 and up), the debut verse novel by the poet Elizabeth Acevedo, ventures farther into the topsy-turvy world of adolescence. It's almost as if it happens overnight: You wake up one morning and everything seems different - your body, your parents, your neighborhood, your biology lab partner. The things that were once a source of comfort and ease have become jagged with questions, doubt and new possibilities. Faced with all that, 15-year-old Xiomara ("see oh MAH ra") is lost. Although she still inhabits the same body, the same pious Dominican family and the same Harlem neighborhood, nothing is the same. Her body now "takes up more room" than her voice and has become a target for relentless catcalls from boys and insults from girls. Her once adored mother has become a constant source of rules and disapproval, and the church that was once a place of joy now feels like a house that is "no longer one I want to rent." Xiomara struggles to find a voice in this strange new world and resorts to using her fists instead of words. But, in the safety of her notebook, Xiomara finds refuge in poetry. To grab my notebook, and write, and write, and write all the things I wish I could have said. Make poems from the sharp feelings inside, that feel like they could carve me wide open Although reluctant to share her poetry at first, Xiomara finds a kind and open ear in her lab partner turned boyfriend, Aman, who shows her the joy and satisfaction of being truly heard. At the urging of her English teacher, Xiomara joins her school's slam poetry club, where she discovers the enormous power of her voice, both on and off the stage. Somehow, Acevedo's powerful free verse manages to stay contained within the book's covers. The force and intensity behind her words practically pushes them off the page, resulting in a verse novel that is felt as much as it is heard. This is a book from the heart, and for the heart. I wouldn't be surprised if I put my ear to its cover and found it had a heartbeat all its own. JABBERWALKING (Candlewick, 144 pp., $22.99; ages 10 and up) IS a bursting, bubbling, brain-bending adventure into poetry by the former poet laureate Juan Felipe Herrera. Inspired by Lewis Carroll's nonsense poem "Jabberwocky," Herrera grabs readers and would-be poets by both hands and races them into his wild, word-flinging world of Jabberwalking: "That is, write & walk & write & walk nonstop." The poem you are writing "does not want to know where it is going or even what it is saying," so you just "Scribble what you see / Scribble what you hear / Scribble out the electric Jabber worms crawling out of your head & eyes." In Herrera's world, poetry is not meant to be precious and tidy. There is no talk of syllables or rhymes. "A jabber poem is a fast poem ... a wild poem. An unkempt, messy, dirty poem," he explains. It's meant to "BE FREE (wherever it lands) so it can loosen up your Mind-Brains so you can see things / you have not seen before." Interspersed with fun but useful techniques to turn your "burbles" into "Jabber poems," "Jabberwalking" is a riotous explosion of a how-to book. Herrera flings open the door, inviting even the most reluctant poets to join him. IN THE 95 POEMS in VOICES IN THE AIR: Poems for Listeners (Greenwillow/HarperCollins, 208 pp., $17.99; ages 13 and up), Naomi Shihab Nye reminds our "obsessively tuned in" culture of the magic, power and necessity of "quiet inspiration." She reminds us that the more "connected" we've become, the more disconnected we actually are: "With so much vying for our attention," she asks, "how do we listen better?" Inspired and guided by the voices that surround her (voices from the past, the present and even the peonies), Nye's free verse tells of the wisdom, solace and beauty she has found and urges readers to join her, to listen with her, to create space to make sense of their experiences in an often difficult world. Lift those eyes. Take a look at the sea to your right, buildings full of mysteries, schools crackling with joy, open porches watch the world whirl by, all we are given without having to own ... Hope is the only drink you need to be drinking-jingle, jingle, step right up. While Nye's message is clear, it is never heavy-handed. The poems are loosely connected but just as powerful individually. Whether dealing with the mundane (a coffee cup) or the devastating (a girl shot by a stray bullet), Nye displays a palpable, unwavering empathy and hope for a better world. Although it's intended for teenagers, "Voices in the Air" speaks to adults, too - any, that is, who are willing to slow down and listen. JULIE fogliano is the author of the poetry collection "When Green Becomes Tomatoes." Her picture book "A House That Once Was," illustrated by Lane Smith, will be published in May.
Copyright (c) The New York Times Company [April 22, 2018]
Review by Booklist Review
This coming-of-age story from the streets of Harlem centers on Xiomara Barista, a teenage poet seeking to express herself. X has loved writing down her thoughts from an early age. Unfortunately, she doesn't get to share them with her family, due to her mother's strict dedication to making sure X is focused on being a good Catholic girl. When X starts questioning her faith and realizes her brother is hiding his own secrets from their mother, she starts figuring out how she can stand up for herself and her beliefs. The story, though centered around the family drama, explores other poignant themes facing girls today, diving into human sexuality, the psychological impacts of going through an early puberty, and how girls have to fend off advances from men as well as the slut-shaming stigma that simultaneously can come from women. Ultimately, though, this is a powerful, heartwarming tale of a girl not afraid to reach out and figure out her place in the world.--Bratt, Jessica Anne Copyright 2017 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Harlem sophomore Xiomara Batista isn't saintly like her virtuous twin brother. And her tough exterior-she's always ready to fend off unwelcome advances and unkind words-hides questions and insecurities. As her confirmation nears (after two failed attempts), Xiomara begins to voice her uncertainties about the Catholic faith and patriarchal piety pressed on her by her mother and the church. Both intrigued and disgusted by the advances of her peers and older men, she begins a secret relationship with her lab partner Aman, who seems interested in more than her curves ("who knew words,/ when said by the right person,/ by a boy who raises your temperature,/ moves heat like nothing else?"). Xiomara pours her innermost self into poems and dreams of competing in poetry slams, a passion she's certain her conservative Dominican parents will never accept. Debut novelist Acevedo's free verse gives Xiomara's coming-of-age story an undeniable pull, its emotionally charged bluntness reflecting her determination and strength. At its heart, this is a complex and sometimes painful exploration of love in its many forms, with Xiomara's growing love for herself reigning supreme. Ages 13-up. Agent: Ammi-Joan Paquette, Erin Murphy Literary. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 7 Up-That Acevedo narrates her debut novel in verse is a sublime gift. She's undoubtedly the ideal aural arbiter of her spectacular coming-of-age tale about a Harlem teen whose generational, cultural, religious, and emotional conflicts coalesce to teach her "to believe in the power of [her] own words." Not yet 16, Xiomara is unlike her brilliant, never-gets-in-trouble twin brother: "He is an award-winning bound book,/Where I am loose and blank pages." She fills those pages with everything she can't say, revealing doubts, aches, secrets: "It almost feels like/the more I bruise the page/the quicker something inside me heals." She's not devout like her immigrant mother or her best friend, and she's hidden her maturing body for years, until that first kiss: "He is not elegant enough for a sonnet /too well-thought-out for a free write,/taking too much space in my thoughts/to ever be a haiku." Encouraged by her English teacher to claim her voice, Xiomara's performance of her verses will be "the most freeing experience of [her] life." VERDICT Libraries should prepare for eager audiences requesting multiple formats. Patrons who opt for the audio format can access Acevedo's additional explanatory track about a final contrapuntal poem.-Terry Hong, Smithsonian BookDragon, Washington, DC © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Fifteen-year-old Xiomara, a self-described "brown and big and angry" Dominican girl from Harlem, finds peace in writing poetry. The slow-burning suspense of what will transpire when devout Catholic Mami discovers Xiomara's clandestine relationship with a classmate is eclipsed only by the devastation that occurs when Mami reads Xiomara's candid poetry journal. Acevedo's debut verse novel is an arresting portrait of a young poet coming into her own. (c) Copyright 2018. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Poetry helps first-generation Dominican-American teen Xiomara Batista come into her own.Fifteen-year old Xiomara ("See-oh-MAH-ruh," as she constantly instructs teachers on the first day of school) is used to standing out: she's tall with "a little too much body for a young girl." Street harassed by both boys and grown men and just plain harassed by girls, she copes with her fists. In this novel in verse, Acevedo examines the toxicity of the "strong black woman" trope, highlighting the ways Xiomara's seeming unbreakability doesn't allow space for her humanity. The only place Xiomara feels like herself and heard is in her poetryand later with her love interest, Aman (a Trinidadian immigrant who, refreshingly, is a couple inches shorter than her). At church and at home, she's stifled by her intensely Catholic mother's rules and fear of sexuality. Her present-but-absent father and even her brother, Twin (yes, her actual twin), are both emotionally unavailable. Though she finds support in a dedicated teacher, in Aman, and in a poetry club and spoken-word competition, it's Xiomara herself who finally gathers the resources she needs to solve her problems. The happy ending is not a neat one, making it both realistic and satisfying. Themes as diverse as growing up first-generation American, Latinx culture, sizeism, music, burgeoning sexuality, and the power of the written and spoken word are all explored with nuance. Poignant and real, beautiful and intense, this story of a girl struggling to define herself is as powerful as Xiomara's name: "one who is ready for war." (Verse fiction. 14-18) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
