Who would have thought that book turned out to be another favorite to add to my growing list? It was sweet! It wasn't sappy! It was honest! It was GREAT! And it was written in free verse. So instead of reading little unconnected love sonnets, a book or novel in free verse is actually one long narrative written as poetry. Sure, it is broken up into chapters, but it flows together seemlessly. These books tend to be quick reads with both energy and emotion. The author must be very deliberate with his or her words when writing in free verse...there isn't room for too many details. They must be subtly implied.
And I love it. You may too.
I don't know about titles for adults, but free verse is a big thing for the younger crowd. Here are four of my favorites to get you started on this poetic adventure:
This was the book that sold me on free verse. A sweet and simple story written from the point of a teenage girl whose boyfriend recently died in an accident, I Heart You, You Haunt Me follows Ava as she reels in the aftermath. Her loneliness is eased when Jackson, her boyfriend, starts visiting her...or at least his spirit does. But when does this haunting shift from comforting to controlling? With a Jackson only Ava can see, how will she ever get back to "normal"?
It's no secret how I feel about people of the prairie (Little House on the Prairie, Sarah Plain and Tall, maybe even A Year Down Yonder?) and couple that with the Dust Bowl and 1930's piano playing, and I'm in love. Out of the Dust won a well-deserved Newbery Medal in 1998 plus a whole slew of other awards including the Scott O'Dell Award (named for the author of Island of the Blue Dolphins) which honors children's historical fiction. But the important thing is the story and this is the story of Billie Jo growing up on a farm in Oklahoma with her parents during the devestating Dust Bowl. When tragedy strikes, Billie Jo must find a way to move on, to move "out of the dust." I recommend for middle graders.
I just read this story a few weeks ago and fell in love. First of all, let's take a moment to enjoy that cover....aaah. Lovely. Now moving on, Inside Out and Back Again is 10 year old Ha's story. Having grown up in Saigon, her world is turned upside down when Ha and her family flee Saigon at the end of the Vietnam War. Imagine the struggles when Ha's family winds up in Alabama and must adjust to a new life there. Sad yet hopeful, Inside Out and Back Again beautifully celebrates Ha's Vietnamese culture and new beginnings. On a personal note, it reminded me a bit of Dave's dad who immigrated to the US from Vietnam at the end of the war as a young adult.
Also note the Newbery Honor (2012) and National Book Award for Young People's Literature seals on the cover. Not bad!
Whew. This one is a doozy. Crank is the first in this wildly popular young adult story of a "good kid" who gets hooked on meth (hence the use of 'crank' and 'glass' in the titles). Fast paced and wild, Hopkins uses free verse wisely by conveying the energy of the story through the rhythm of the pages and a sort of word art in the design of the poems. Teens at my school love this book, and though the content may be too much for a middle schooler, it is entirely appropriate for high schoolers. On a bit of a tangent, you should watch this fascinating episode of Frontline about meth addiction. And by the way, Frontline is one of my all time favorite shows and ALL of its episodes are available to watch online. Amazing!
And this is next on my free verse reading list:
This is a popular new young adult book which keeps crossing my radar and is apparently about a teenage girl who lives in an abusive home where her siblings are targeted while she is ignored (like furniture).
That's all I know.
No comments:
Post a Comment