LoveReading4Kids Says
LoveReading4Kids Says
Shortlisted for the CLPE Children’s Poetry Award (CLiPPA) 2017
Nick is football mad, finding more poetry, more to stimulate him on the soccer field and with a ball at his feet than he ever does in books. This doesn’t go down well with his father, a linguistics professor with ‘chronic verbomania’, but at least his best friend understands. Cody and Nick are on opposing football teams but the same side for everything else, including facing up to the school bullies. When he’s hit by the twin blows of an injury and the news that his parents are separating however, Nick is surprised to find real comfort in books. Booked is written in free verse, like the author’s previous novel The Crossover, and the form brilliantly catches the energy and ups and downs of Nick’s life, giving his story an immediacy that helps make this irresistible reading.
If Booked sends readers looking for more verse novels Sarah Crossan’s The Weight of Water is also excellent while Patrick Neate's Small Town Hero is great on football and teen life.
Andrea Reece
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About
Booked Synopsis
In this electric follow-up to Newbery Medal-winner The Crossover, soccer, family, love, and friendship take the field as twelve-year-old Nick learns the power of words as he wrestles with problems at home, stands up to a bully, and tries to impress the girl of his dreams.
Like lightning/you strike/fast and free/legs zoom/down field/eyes fixed/on the checkered ball/on the goal/ten yards to go/can't nobody stop you/ can't nobody cop you . . .
Nobody can stop Nick . . . at least not on the field. Off it is a different matter. But helping him along as he deals with bullies and problems at home are his best friend and sometimes teammate Coby, and The Mac, a rapping librarian who gives Nick inspiring books to read. This heartfelt novel-in-verse by poet Kwame Alexander bends and breaks as it captures all the thrills and setbacks, action and emotion of a World Cup match!
About This Edition
| ISBN: |
9780544570986 |
| Publication date: |
5th April 2016 |
| Author: |
Kwame Alexander |
| Publisher: |
Clarion Books an imprint of HMH Books |
| Format: |
Hardback |
| Pagination: |
314 pages |
| Series: |
The Crossover Series |
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Press Reviews
Kwame Alexander Press Reviews
An obvious love of words, and the way they flow together and create their own rhythm, makes Alexander's work somewhat irresistible... To pick up Booked is to find yourself turning page after page, swept along as Nick spills out his story. New York Times
A satisfying, winning read Kirkus, starred review
Eminently readable ... readers will surely love Alexander's joyous word play and celebration of reading Booklist, starred review Alexander scores again. Emotionally resonant and with a pace like a player on a breakaway. Publishers Weekly, starred review
Warm and believable ... Alexander understands reluctant readers deeply, and here hands them a protagonist who is a smart, reading-averse kid Horn Book, starred review
Author
About Kwame Alexander
Kwame Alexander is a poet, children's book author, playwright, producer, public speaker, performer, and winner of the Newbery Medal for his novel-in-verse, The Crossover. He conducts creative writing workshops in middle and high schools, often reaching more than five hundred students monthly. He lives with his wife and two daughters in the Washington, D.C. area. You can follow Kwame on Instagram @kwamealexander
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