Tag Archives: Poetry

Review: A Work in Progress by Jarrett Lerner

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Work in Progress by Jarrett Lerner cover shows a boy walking to the right with a large black scribble cloud behind him.

A Work in Progress
Jarrett Lerner
Aladdin
Published May 2, 2023

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About A Work in Progress

A young boy struggles with body image in this poignant middle grade journey to self-acceptance told through prose, verse, and illustration.

Will is the only round kid in a school full of string beans. So he hides…in baggy jeans and oversized hoodies, in the back row during class, and anywhere but the cafeteria during lunch. But shame isn’t the only feeling that dominates Will’s life. He’s also got a crush on a girl … Continue reading →

Review: Ain’t Burned All the Bright by Jason Reynolds and Jason Griffin

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Ain't Burned All the Bright by Jason Reynolds and Jason Griffin

Ain’t Burned All the Bright
Jason Reynolds
Illustrated by Jason Griffin
Atheneum
Published January 11, 2022

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About Ain’t Burned All the Bright

Prepare yourself for something unlike anything: A smash-up of art and text for teens that viscerally captures what it is to be Black. In America. Right Now. Written by #1 New York Times bestselling and award-winning author Jason Reynolds.

Jason Reynolds and his best bud, Jason Griffin had a mind-meld. And they decided to tackle it, in one fell swoop. In about ten sentences, and 300 pages of art, this piece, this contemplation-manifesto-fierce-vulnerable-gorgeous-terrifying-WhatIsWrongWithHumans-hope-filled-hopeful-searing-Eye-Poppingly-Illustrated-tender-heartbreaking-how-The-HECK-did-They-Come-UP-with-This project about oxygen. … Continue reading →

Review: Dark Testament: Blackout Poems by Crystal Simone Smith

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Dark Testament by Crystal Simone Smith

Dark Testament: Blackout Poems
Crystal Simone Smith
Henry Holt & Co/MacMillan
Published January 3, 2023

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About Dark Testament: Blackout Poems

In this extraordinary collection, the award-winning poet Crystal Simone Smith gives voice to the mournful dead, their lives unjustly lost to violence, and to the grieving chorus of protestors in today’s Black Lives Matter movement, in search of resilience and hope.

With poems found within the text of George Saunders’s LINCOLN IN THE BARDO, Crystal Simone Smith embarks on an uncompromising exploration of collective mourning and crafts a masterwork that resonates far beyond the page. These poems are visually stark, a gathering of gripping verses that … Continue reading →

23 Amazing Young Adult Books Coming Winter 2023

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23 Most-Anticipated YA Books Coming Winter 2023

23 Amazing Young Adult Books Coming Winter 2023

Seems like every month I have a harder time figuring out my review calendar. There are just too many amazing books coming out these days. I want to read them all! This winter is no exception. Lots of these titles are by authors of books I read last year (or earlier) and loved, so I’m really excited about their newest titles. There are a fair amount of romance titles on here, but some fantasy, historical and murder mysteries, too.

These are the 23 most-anticipated young adult books coming winter 2023 that I’m most looking forward to. I’ll post a list of my most-anticipated … Continue reading →

Review: Limerick Comics by Robert Hoyman and Steve Feldman

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Limerick Comics by Robert Hoyman

Limerick Comics
Robert Hoyman
Illustrated by Steve Feldman
Published March 2, 2019

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About Limerick Comics

Limerick Comics offers original limericks on a wide range of history and science topics, each with an informational panel of surprising facts, presented in entertaining comics.

Young readers age 8 and up are invited to linger on each page to enjoy the humor, ponder inferences, and view the evocative details of each illustrated panel.

Topics include bats, an Egyptian king, a famous trapeze artist, and more.

“For young readers and parents alike, … Continue reading →

Review: Being Toffee by Sarah Crossan

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Being Toffee by Sarah Crossan

Being Toffee
Sarah Crossan
Bloomsbury YA
Published July 14, 2020

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About Being Toffee

One is trying to forget. The other is trying to remember.

After running away from an abusive home, Allison finds herself taking shelter in a shed behind an abandoned house. But the house isn’t empty after all; an elderly woman named Marla, who suffers from dementia, lives there. And rather than turn her away, Marla welcomes her – she mistakes Allison for an old friend from her past named Toffee.

Allison is used to hiding who she really is, and trying to … Continue reading →