Skip to main content

FALLING HARD





BIBLIOGRAPHY

Franco, Betsy, ed. (2008) Falling Hard: 100 Love Poems by Teenagers. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Candlewick Press.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Falling Hard is a poetry compilation written by teenagers and anthologized by Betsy Franco. The poems are free verse and the kids provide a mosaic of diversity. The poems are honest, sometimes graphic. Kids share their emotions across gender, sexual orientation and race. It’s a heartfelt glimpse into the deep emotional well of the teenage mind. Adult readers will walk away with an appreciation of the complexities of teenage emotion, and perhaps a bit of nostalgia for their own memories of the teen years.

The poems were primarily from kids in the United States and were submitted via e-mail to Franco. The names and ages are given with the poems.

SPOTLIGHT POEM AND LESSON

These poems are for high schoolers. I would not share them with a middle school or elementary audience. They are mature in both nature and theme. This is a great collection to introduce as an engage piece to encourage students to write their own poetry. I would start by asking the simple question, “What is love?” Discuss their thoughts and then share a poem. After sharing a poem, allow the kids some time to write on their own. 

This is one of my favorites and I think a particularly good one to launch a discussion and writing piece:

Tilt the halo over my head
I don’t care what the caution tape read
It’s time to get a little dangerous
Let’s fall in love.

Forget the scriptures, forget the past
Conscience and common sense never last
It’s time to get a little curious
Let’s fall in love.

RACHEL McCARREN, age 15

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

FOREST HAS A SONG

Vanderwater, Amy FOREST HAS A SONG. Ill. by Robbin Gourley. ISBN 9780618843497. CRITICAL ANALYSIS Amy Vanderwater brings us a hearty collection of 26 poems. They weave together the story of one girl’s experience in the forest over the course of a year. The poems begin with spring and then merge into summer, with poems like APRIL WAKING and PUFF. Fall and winter poems wrap up this collection, including MAPLES IN OCTOBER and COLORFUL ACTOR. Each poem brings the reader into the forest, so we enjoy the romp through each season with the girl. VanDerwater’s use of language leads the reader to experience the sounds and rhythms of the forest. By employing italics, she brings the forest’s perspective in some poems, which serves as a wonderful point-of-view experience for the young reader. The collection is superbly  illustrated by Robbin Gourley. At its best, illustrations tell a visual story which parallels and enhances the textual message. Gourley does this brilli...
2 comments
Read more

SEEING EMILY

BIBLIOGRAPHY Wong, Joyce. 2005. Seeing Emily. New York: Amulet. ISBN 0810957574 . CRITICAL ANALYSIS Seeing Emily is the best of free verse, as it captures the mind of 16-year old Chinese-American Emily. Told in a rich style reminiscent of Sonya Sones, Seeing Emily is the journey of an American teenager grappling with typical teenage angst, albeit compounded by the complexities of growing up in an immigrant family. Her parents squeeze the American dream for all its worth, working tirelessly in their family restaurant, the Golden Palace. They expect the same ambition from their daughter. Through her art, Emily views her world and its pressures. Wong invites her readers along to view Emily’s unique take on the world. In Seeing Emily, we experience her friendships with Nina and Liz, her blossoming romance with first boyfriend Nick, and her attempts to honor her Asian heritage while finding independence. Are the two mutually exclusive? These are the issues which all...
Post a Comment
Read more

THE BRIMSTONE JOURNALS

BIBLIOGRAPHY Koertge, Ron. 2001. The Brimstone journals. Somerville, Massachusetts: Candlewick Press. INSB 9780763617424 CRITICAL ANALYSIS THE BRIMSTONE JOURNALS is a free verse novel by Ron Koertge. Through the eyes of fifteen students, we learn about the realities of Branston High School, Class of ‘01. There is white supremacy, broken romance, bullying, anorexia, obesity, sexual abuse, black pride. There is also communication and peer support, albeit fragile. And, most importantly, there is problem solving. The narrative arc of the poems surrounds the character of Boyd, a white supremacist who is developing a “hit list.” As his list develops and his weapons stockpile, his plan for a school shooting at Branston give the story an urgency. As each character interacts directly or peripherally with Boyd, the puzzle pieces merge into a coherent set of poems which have the reader desperately imploring the students to intervene. We, too, know Boyd. As the reader, we are omn...
Post a Comment
Read more