"In the richly imaginative Rhyme Schemer (which I laughed through on a 90 minute plane ride) K.A. Holt's sparkling poetry is akin to Cliff Huxtable's loonylook—eccentric, entertaining, essential. From the first Flaming Turtle to the last Shrieking Tornado, all I could think was, just like Kevin (her 7th Grade poet narrator), verse novels will never be the same. . "—Kwame Alexander, author of The Crossover
"This transformative tale offers important lessons for all persuasions of middle graders, whether bullies or targets, complicit or horrified bystanders."—Kirkus Reviews
"A strong anti-bullying message. ideal for classroom use."-School Library Journal
"A delightful story with just the right amount of boy language, wonderful free verse poetry, and underlying messages."—Library Media Connection, starred review
"Bullies, those bullied, and bystanders alike will be left with much to ponder."—Publishers Weekly
"This transformative tale offers important lessons for all persuasions of middle graders, whether bullies or targets, complicit or horrified bystanders."—Kirkus Reviews
"Bullies, those bullied, and bystanders alike will be left with much to ponder."—Publishers Weekly
"A strong anti-bullying message. ideal for classroom use."-School Library Journal
"The book closes with a smile and a very important middle school reminder: Be Kind. "—Reading Today
"Poetry-writing seventh-grade bully both is believable and sympathetic, and his voice rings totally authentic."-Booklist
"A delightful story with just the right amount of boy language, wonderful free verse poetry, and underlying messages."—Library Media Connection, starred review
"A strong anti-bullying message. ideal for classroom use."-School Library Journal
"A delightful story with just the right amount of boy language, wonderful free verse poetry, and underlying messages."—Library Media Connection, starred review
"The book closes with a smile and a very important middle school reminder: Be Kind. "—Reading Today
"In the richly imaginative Rhyme Schemer (which I laughed through on a 90 minute plane ride) K.A. Holt's sparkling poetry is akin to Cliff Huxtable's loonylook—eccentric, entertaining, essential. From the first Flaming Turtle to the last Shrieking Tornado, all I could think was, just like Kevin (her 7th Grade poet narrator), verse novels will never be the same. . "—Kwame Alexander, author of The Crossover
"This transformative tale offers important lessons for all persuasions of middle graders, whether bullies or targets, complicit or horrified bystanders."—Kirkus Reviews
"Poetry-writing seventh-grade bully both is believable and sympathetic, and his voice rings totally authentic."-Booklist
"The book closes with a smile and a very important middle school reminder: Be Kind. "—Reading Today
"Poetry-writing seventh-grade bully both is believable and sympathetic, and his voice rings totally authentic."-Booklist
"In the richly imaginative Rhyme Schemer (which I laughed through on a 90 minute plane ride) K.A. Holt's sparkling poetry is akin to Cliff Huxtable's loonylook—eccentric, entertaining, essential. From the first Flaming Turtle to the last Shrieking Tornado, all I could think was, just like Kevin (her 7th Grade poet narrator), verse novels will never be the same. . "—Kwame Alexander, author of The Crossover
"Bullies, those bullied, and bystanders alike will be left with much to ponder."—Publishers Weekly
2014-08-06
A class bully with poetic leanings gets a painful dose of his own medicine. In this middle-grade novel in verse, Holt explores the cycle of violence and alienation that can result from parental neglect. Twelve-year-old Kevin is the self-professed "[k]ing of the seventh grade," the youngest of five boys and son to two preoccupied physicians. He starts off the school year by choosing class runt Robin and the mole on his new teacher's face as the unwitting subjects of his derision—anything to help shore up the self-worth his abusive older brother Petey has made it his mission to erode. With a motto of "So many / weenies. / So little / time," Kevin sets about publicly humiliating Robin and otherwise becoming a menace to the community. Though a tormentor at school, at home, bullied Kevin laments feeling "lost all the time / A toy in a shoe / A sock in the trash" and takes refuge by composing his thoughts in a notebook of poems. When Robin gets hold of the notebook and exposes Kevin as a poet, the tables turn, and both boys must reckon with the motives behind the pain they've inflicted. Holt draws a fairly straight line between cause and effect, weakening the artistry of her tale but making it one that most readers will readily understand. While Holt's simplistic plot resolves a bit too neatly, this transformative tale offers important lessons for all persuasions of middle graders, whether bullies or targets, complicit or horrified bystanders. (Verse fiction. 10-14)
