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
All the voices ever cast out into the air are still floating around, award-winning poet Nye (The Turtle of Oman, 2014) suggests. In this contemplative collection of more than 100 free verse poems, Nye summons them, channeling writers, educators, music icons, and more, from Lucille Clifton and Bruce Springsteen to Hawaiian hairdresser Mary Endo. Over the course of three sections, Nye delivers graceful dedications and intimate recollections, playful musings and sharp rebukes. In the John O'Donohue-inspired Bowing Candles, Nye celebrates the late Irish poet: all poems belong to anyone who loves them. In Oh, Say Can You See, Nye envisions Donald Trump in Palestine: I'd wrap a keffiyeh around his head, / tuck some warm falafels into his pockets, she writes. And in A Lonely Cup of Coffee, Nye admires the redolent / rich / ripe / round of a beverage enjoyed in solitude. These are poems for listeners, as the subtitle asserts, and there's no doubt that Nye's nimble, clear-eyed, and quietly political poems supplemented by meticulous biographical notes may make an avid listener out of anyone.--Shemroske, Briana Copyright 2018 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
"People do not pass away./ They die/ and then they stay," declares Nye's brief poem "Voices in the Air," the titular work in her collection of 95 poems. The meaning of the collection's subtitle is twofold: the poems are moving when read aloud, but Nye is also asking readers to take part in a more profound and subtle type of listening, a kind that cuts through the noise and hears what matters. Each poem is inspired by an individual's life or words, including poet Henry David Thoreau; political activist, writer, and teacher Grace Paley; and Caroline Mueller, an organic farmer from Ferguson, Mo. Valuable short biographies of each figure are included in the collection's back matter, which allows for a better understanding of Nye's references. Some poems directly address individuals. In "Train Across Texas" (dedicated to Langston Hughes), she writes: "Langston, what did Texas look like back then." Other allusions are far less clear, left like trails of clues for readers to follow. Despite being divided into three loosely themed sections, Nye's collection invites readers to freely meander through the pages in order to experience each poem on its own terms. Ages 13-up. (Feb.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 5 Up-Nye invokes the voices and spirits of countless inspirational figures past and present in her latest poetry collection. From Bruce Springsteen and Langston Hughes to Yehuda Amichai and Vera B. Williams to her own grandfather and a barber in Honolulu, Nye has utilized poetry as an equalizer and shows, without saying, that raised, wise, creative voices are powerful and vital. Nye frames the collection ever so clearly, first with the title, second with the subtitle, and third with her masterly written introduction. Her intentionality is palpable but never contrived. In a time when many young people feel the need to never slow down, Nye reminds readers that the pause and quiet attention required to read a poem can serve as a kind of meditation in itself. At the end, she provides brief biographical information for each person referenced; each serving not only as an explanatory note, but a teaser for those looking to dive deeper into their lives and work. Nye has given poetry readers a brilliantly constructed, thoughtful, and inspiring collection that can be entered and utilized from countless different angles. Or, one can simply savor each poem (for they stand on their own) and practice the habit of slowing down and contemplating the poem's voice. VERDICT A vital addition to poetry collections.-Jill Heritage Maza, Montclair Kimberley Academy, NJ © 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
In this paean to listening, many of Nye's ninety-five original poems speak to historical and contemporary figures, from storied poets to a trusted hairstylist and a nine-year-old victim of gun violence. The poems themselves are plainspoken, direct, and saturated in meaning, building connections between the world and the ways it's interpreted. Taken in sequence, the poems lead the reader through a natural and profound emotional progression. Ind. (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
A rich collection of poems celebrating diverse lives.Poet and National Book Award finalist Nye (19 Varieties of Gazelle: Poems of the Middle East, 2005, etc.) here showcases a variety of largely contemporary vantage points. In the prose introduction to this collection of over 90 free-verse poems, Nye invites teen readers to take a break from the lure of digital devices, asking, "With so much vying for our attention, how do we listen better?" and gently reminding all that "quiet inspiration may be as necessary as food, water, and shelter." Inspiration for Nye here often comes from the crossing of cultures and results from the consummate attention she pays to the slightest of natural phenomena ("never say no to peonies") alongside such grave societal ills as the displacement or disenfranchisement of whole peoples, whether happening in Gaza, Baghdad, or Ferguson. Using thoughts from a number of famous literary and historical figures as springboards, Nye presents political issues with ease, seeking always to "translate us / all into a better world," as when she movingly describes the plight of the refugee in "Arabs in Finland": "What they left to be here, / in the cold country, / where winter lasts forever, / haunts them in the dark."Asking tough questions and demonstrating the beauty of the voices on the fringe, Nye once again deftly charts the world through verse: not to be missed. (biographical notes) (Poetry. 13-17) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
