CCBC Booklists

CCBC Review:

Jack hates poetry. He hates reading it and he hates writing it. So when his teacher, Miss Stretchberry, forces him to write one poem every week, Jack pours out his displeasure in poetic form. Over the course of the year, we see him develop, both as a writer and as a human being. From his writing we can tell specific poets he's being forced to read in school -- William Carlos Williams, Robert Frost, William Blake – not only because Jack makes specific (nasty) comments about their work but because we can see their poetry shaping Jack's own work. (For the reader's convenience, these specific poems are reprinted in the back of the book.) A deeper story also emerges from Jack's writing: something has happened in his past that he doesn't like to talk about. Writing proves to be therapeutic for him, as well. The turning point for Jack comes with a school visit from his favorite author, Walter Dean Myers, whose poem "Love that Boy," from Brown Angels, provides the inspiration for Jack's own perfect poem, "Love That Dog," signaling the emergence of the poet Jack, who has learned to use words to express his innermost feelings. ©2001 Cooperative Children's Book Center

CCBC Age Recommendation: Ages 8-12
Age Range: Grades 3-5 (Ages 8-10) Grades 6-8 (Ages 11-13)
Formats: Novel Poetry
Subjects: Books and Reading Grief and Loss Novels in Verse Pets School Teachers/Mentors Writers and Writing

On CCBC Booklist: School Stories: Selected PreK-12 Literature about the School Experience 

Publishers: HarperCollins, Joanna Cotler Books
Publish Year: 2001
Pages: 84
ISBN: 006029289X
CCBC Location: Fiction, Creech

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