poetry Archives - Page 62 of 287

A Work in Progress
by Jarrett Lerner (Author / Illustrator)
@ Amazon | Bookshop

Booktalk: Will is the only round kid in a school full of string beans. So he hides–in baggy jeans and oversized hoodies, in the back row during class, and anywhere but the cafeteria during lunch. But shame isn’t the only feeling that dominates Will’s life. He’s also got a crush on a girl named Jules who knows he doesn’t have a chance with–string beans only date string beans–but he can’t help wondering what if?

Will’s best shot at attracting Jules’s attention is by slaying the Will Monster inside him by changing his eating habits and getting more exercise. But the results are either frustratingly slow or infuriatingly unsuccessful, and Will’s shame begins to morph into self-loathing.

As he resorts to increasingly drastic measures to transform his appearance, Will meets skateboarder Markus, who helps him see his body and all it contains as an ever-evolving work in progress.

Snippet:

When Clouds Touch Us
by Thanhhà Lai (Author)
@ Amazon | Bookshop

Booktalk: In this sequel to Inside Out and Back Again, Hà and her family have worked hard to make a life for themselves in the US, but it hasn’t come easy. Hà has only just started to feel settled when Mother decides that the family will move from Alabama to Texas for a new job.

Hà knows how hard starting over is and doesn’t want to have to do it again. But sometimes even an unwanted change can bring opportunity, new friends, and a place to call home. (The summer snippet below is from the middle of the book.)

Snippet:
Bubble Nursery

The shorter-finned female,
having released eggs
glides safely in her jar.

The swirly blue-green male,
having mouth-carried each egg
to his floating bubble nursery,
guards wiggling promises
without sleep.