Hooray it’s Poetry Friday. I’m a bit late today. But super excited to head over to to Linda at TeacherDance. Thanks, Linda.
On February 14, 2019, the CYBILS Awards announced Jason Reynolds’ LONG WAY DOWN as the poetry winner. I had the pleasure of sitting on the Poetry Round Two, something I haven’t done in a long time. The seven finalists were spectacular and it was difficult to select the winner.
If you have read the CYBILS Poetry winner and need a new read, please consider the two other verse novels which were finalists.
THE POET X
by Elizabeth Acevedo
HarperTeen; 1st Edition edition
March 6, 2018
978-0062662804
I had the pleasure to listen to the audio book. The narrator pulled me into Xiomara’s life from the very first track. Xiomara’s teenage life with strict parents and her coming of age made me reflect on my own teen years. Her poetry book, her brother, and her life in the Bronx is vivid and rich. You can’t help but to fall in love with this book. There were times when I sat in my car in the garage to hear how the chapter was going to end. Yay for poetry and the power it has on lives.
MARY’s MONSTER: Love, Madness, and How Mary Shelley Created Frankenstein
by Lita Judge
Roaring Brook Press
January 30, 2018
978-1626725003
I have a confession. I think the only Frankenstein book I’ve read was one adapted for early readers. I think this is the year to correct that after reading Mary’s Monster. Lita
Judge created an amazing Gothic story about the creator/writer of this British classic. I was drawn into the story of Mary’s life and so unaware of her hard life. The art in the book was incredible. The darkness of the content is sure to give teens a book that they can’t put down. I read it in one sitting, or rather staying up way beyond my bedtime to finish.
I also really enjoyed the back matter that Judge put in the end of the book.
Announcement Time
March is an exciting month with a fantastic blog tour featuring Laura Purdie Salas’ new book, IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT.
Return on Thursday, March 14 for an early Poetry Friday and an interview with Laura.
3/11 Mile High Reading
3/13 A Year of Reading
3/14 Check It Out
3/17 Great Kid Books
3/18 Simply 7 Interview
3/20 Live Your Poem
3/21 Reading to the Core
3/22 KidLit Frenzy
And on the heels of Laura’s new book, I can announce that GAIL ALDOUS won the copy of
Gail, please email me your snail mail address book.
Check It Out 
I’m glad you posted, Jone, and enjoyed being on the panel, all such great books! And, I love Laura’s book, happy to see there’s more celebration of it coming.
I subbed all day today and thought I would get to it. Then couldn’t until know. I sort of knew what I was writing.
I reviewed Laura’s Snowman-Cold=Puddle this week, and I’m looking forward to learning more about and reading In The Middle of the Night.
Looking forward to hear more about Laura’s book, “In the Middle of the Night!” Thanks for sharing the others here too.
Hi Jone. My computer is doing that glitchy thing with your blog post margins again, so I can only see snippets of your reviews of the two verse novels. (Everything else is fine.) I hadn’t heard of Mary’s Monster – and am most intrigued by it. (May have read even less Frankenstein books than you…🙃) And I’ve also just realised that the illustrations in Spring Equations are in collage – yes? Not sure why I haven’t spotted that before. Thanks for sharing!