Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 8 Up--There is something for everyone across these six novels in verse. Songs for the Offseason is about a young man coping with a summer of unbearable loss. Take a Sad Song (yes, that's a Beatles reference) is an inspired-by-a-true-story tale of a young girl sentenced to boarding school. The other books feature young people atoning for the mistakes of their ancestors, fighting demons, surviving a home break-in, and navigating a hostile space colony. The structure lends itself well to the rapid pace of the stories, although, some of the books feel more like prose novels with creative line breaks than stories told in verse. The titles that grapple with complex emotions like loss, identity, and shame are the strongest. The fantasy, sci-fi, and suspense are weaker, but welcome additions to the stories in this format. VERDICT Songs for the Offseason and Take a Sad Song are highlights in this series, but all are worth a try.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
On the cusp of his senior year, one high school boy spends a summer both mourning and honoring life and, in the process, discovering new facets of himself. One day, Dustin is planning to spend an epic summer in Japan with his baseball team, playing the sport he loves more than anything. The next, he's at the funeral of his 20-year-old cousin, a college baseball player with an undetected heart condition. There, Dustin meets Andrea, and despite his negative first impressions, they grow close. In the coming months, Dustin and Andrea attend several more funerals together, leaning on one another as they navigate the deceased people's different ends. A constant undercurrent in this story of loss is how Dustin's life as a baseball player and the culture of the sport influence the way he engages with the world. This verse novel for reluctant readers doubles as a love letter to baseball--a game that, like life and death, connects people. The beauty in Wolf's word choices and in his poems' line breaks creates an emotional tone that beckons to readers, inviting them to reflect on their own mortality and place in the world. Song titles make up the titles of the poems, inviting readers on a musical journey. Major characters present white. A lyrical and sweet coming-of-age story.(Verse fiction. 12-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.