A biography in verse pays homage to the life and art of Langston Hughes. “Little Boy Blues,” “First Grade,” and “Jim Crow Row” tell of Hughes’s childhood experiences with racism. “Grandma’s Stories” are about his ancestors’ courage in the days of slavery. His painful relationship with his father is told in “I Do Not Like My Father Much.” As the poems progress, they delve deeper into Hughes’s love of “endless, beautiful words,” his determination to discover “other voices and places,” and his joy in being part of the creative life that he finds among his people in Harlem, “the capital of my world.” All of the poems are in the first person, using Langston’s voice. Several of Medina’s poems directly and deliberately echo Hughes’s own work. “Grandma’s Stories” here corresponds with Hughes’s “Aunt Sue’s Stories,” while Medina’s “Sometimes Life Ain’t Always a Hoot” is the offspring of the famous “Mother to Son.” The poems are presented in chronological order, representing the stages of the poet’s life. They cannot and are not meant to be a complete biography. However, Medina’s introduction and detailed, biographical endnotes help to fill in some of the gaps. The whole work is brought to life by Christie’s remarkable, compelling illustrations, which perfectly complement each poem in content and mood. Christie also pays subtle homage to the African-American artists who have gone before him by incorporating hints of the styles of Horace Pippin and Jacob Lawrence in his illustrations. This is a treasure to be read and reread—a splendid work. (Poetry. 8-12)
Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2002
ISBN: 1-58430-041-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Lee & Low Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2002
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Affecting and hopeful.
A stray dog finds her destiny amid the chaos of a Southern California wildfire.
Wombat is a small dog with stubby legs and “silly ears / that look like furry cookies”—almost impossibly cute in Bricking’s occasional pencil-style vignettes. She’s mastered the art of survival, so when a mysterious internal voice prods her to go toward the fire, she resists. “The wrong way is the right way. / The right way is the wrong way,” the voice insists. When she tells fellow stray Silas about it, he tells Wombat she’s a “destiny dog,” bound to “find their person / before their person / can find them.” Convinced, she decides to follow the mysterious instructions. Meanwhile, Henry, a boy who’s leery of dogs, loves the bats at the wildlife rehabilitation center where Mama Ro, a veterinarian, works; his Mama J is a librarian. Henry and Barnabas, a fruit bat at the center, are both uprooted by the fire, and their paths converge with Wombat’s at an emergency shelter. The third-person perspective shifts from character to character in clusters of free-verse poems that fully immerse readers in each one’s experiences in turn. This extra-concentrated delivery of Applegate’s typically spare writing proves effective, balancing terror and sadness with heart and humor. Henry has light brown skin, Mama Ro has curly black hair and brown skin, and Mama J presents white.
Affecting and hopeful. (Verse fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: May 5, 2026
ISBN: 9780063221178
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Storytide/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: March 9, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2026
Poet Alexander deftly reveals the power of the format to pack an emotional punch.
Basketball-playing twins find challenges to their relationship on and off the court as they cope with changes in their lives.
Josh Bell and his twin, Jordan, aka JB, are stars of their school basketball team. They are also successful students, since their educator mother will stand for nothing else. As the two middle schoolers move to a successful season, readers can see their differences despite the sibling connection. After all, Josh has dreadlocks and is quiet on court, and JB is bald and a trash talker. Their love of the sport comes from their father, who had also excelled in the game, though his championship was achieved overseas. Now, however, he does not have a job and seems to have health problems the parents do not fully divulge to the boys. The twins experience their first major rift when JB is attracted to a new girl in their school, and Josh finds himself without his brother. This novel in verse is rich in character and relationships. Most interesting is the family dynamic that informs so much of the narrative, which always reveals, never tells. While Josh relates the story, readers get a full picture of major and minor players. The basketball action provides energy and rhythm for a moving story.
Poet Alexander deftly reveals the power of the format to pack an emotional punch. (Verse fiction. 9-12)Pub Date: March 18, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-544-10771-7
Page Count: 240
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: Dec. 17, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2014
SEEN & HEARD
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
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