A biography in verse pays homage to the life and art of Langston Hughes. “Little Boy Blues,” “First Grade,” and “Jim Crow Row” tell of Hughes’s childhood experiences with racism. “Grandma’s Stories” are about his ancestors’ courage in the days of slavery. His painful relationship with his father is told in “I Do Not Like My Father Much.” As the poems progress, they delve deeper into Hughes’s love of “endless, beautiful words,” his determination to discover “other voices and places,” and his joy in being part of the creative life that he finds among his people in Harlem, “the capital of my world.” All of the poems are in the first person, using Langston’s voice. Several of Medina’s poems directly and deliberately echo Hughes’s own work. “Grandma’s Stories” here corresponds with Hughes’s “Aunt Sue’s Stories,” while Medina’s “Sometimes Life Ain’t Always a Hoot” is the offspring of the famous “Mother to Son.” The poems are presented in chronological order, representing the stages of the poet’s life. They cannot and are not meant to be a complete biography. However, Medina’s introduction and detailed, biographical endnotes help to fill in some of the gaps. The whole work is brought to life by Christie’s remarkable, compelling illustrations, which perfectly complement each poem in content and mood. Christie also pays subtle homage to the African-American artists who have gone before him by incorporating hints of the styles of Horace Pippin and Jacob Lawrence in his illustrations. This is a treasure to be read and reread—a splendid work. (Poetry. 8-12)
Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2002
ISBN: 1-58430-041-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Lee & Low Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2002
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Poet Alexander deftly reveals the power of the format to pack an emotional punch.
Basketball-playing twins find challenges to their relationship on and off the court as they cope with changes in their lives.
Josh Bell and his twin, Jordan, aka JB, are stars of their school basketball team. They are also successful students, since their educator mother will stand for nothing else. As the two middle schoolers move to a successful season, readers can see their differences despite the sibling connection. After all, Josh has dreadlocks and is quiet on court, and JB is bald and a trash talker. Their love of the sport comes from their father, who had also excelled in the game, though his championship was achieved overseas. Now, however, he does not have a job and seems to have health problems the parents do not fully divulge to the boys. The twins experience their first major rift when JB is attracted to a new girl in their school, and Josh finds himself without his brother. This novel in verse is rich in character and relationships. Most interesting is the family dynamic that informs so much of the narrative, which always reveals, never tells. While Josh relates the story, readers get a full picture of major and minor players. The basketball action provides energy and rhythm for a moving story.
Poet Alexander deftly reveals the power of the format to pack an emotional punch. (Verse fiction. 9-12)Pub Date: March 18, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-544-10771-7
Page Count: 240
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: Dec. 17, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2014
SEEN & HEARD
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
Though a bit loose around the edges, a charmer nevertheless.
Tales of a fourth grade ne’er-do-well.
It seems that young Jordan is stuck in a never-ending string of bad luck. Sure, no one’s perfect (except maybe goody-two-shoes William Feranek), but Jordan can’t seem to keep his attention focused on the task at hand. Try as he may, things always go a bit sideways, much to his educators’ chagrin. But Jordan promises himself that fourth grade will be different. As the year unfolds, it does prove to be different, but in a way Jordan couldn’t possibly have predicted. This humorous memoir perfectly captures the square-peg-in-a-round-hole feeling many kids feel and effectively heightens that feeling with comic situations and a splendid villain. Jordan’s teacher, Mrs. Fisher, makes an excellent foil, and the book’s 1970s setting allows for her cruelty to go beyond anything most contemporary readers could expect. Unfortunately, the story begins to run out of steam once Mrs. Fisher exits. Recollections spiral, losing their focus and leading to a more “then this happened” and less cause-and-effect structure. The anecdotes are all amusing and Jordan is an endearing protagonist, but the book comes dangerously close to wearing out its welcome with sheer repetitiveness. Thankfully, it ends on a high note, one pleasant and hopeful enough that readers will overlook some of the shabbier qualities. Jordan is White and Jewish while there is some diversity among his classmates; Mrs. Fisher is White.
Though a bit loose around the edges, a charmer nevertheless. (Memoir. 8-12)Pub Date: Feb. 2, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-338-64723-5
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Nov. 17, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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