Redwood and Ponytail

by K.A. Holt

Overview

2020 Odyssey Honor Award
2020 Rainbow Booklist Title
NCTE 2020 Notable Poetry Book
ALSC Notable Children's Recordings

A universal story of finding a way to be comfortable in your own skin: Kate and Tam meet, and both of their worlds tip sideways. At first, Tam figures Kate is your stereotypical cheerleader; Kate sees Tam as another tall jock. And the more they keep running into each other, the more they surprise each other. Beneath Kate's sleek ponytail and perfect façade, Tam sees a goofy, sensitive, lonely girl. And Tam's so much more than a volleyball player, Kate realizes: She's everything Kate wishes she could be. It's complicated. Except it's not. When Kate and Tam meet, they fall in like. It's as simple as that. But not everybody sees it that way.

• A novel in verse about two girls discovering their feelings for each other in a sincere and relatable way that helps young reader connect to the storyline
• Features a unique presentation of text that beautifully merges together two first-person narratives
• K.A. Holt is the author of Rhyme Schemer, House Arrest, Knockout, and several other books for young people. She lives in Austin, Texas

"A glowing, heartfelt addition to the middle-grade LGBTQ genre." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"The free verse narration is totally accessible, flowing quick and clear, and Holt plays with form, beautifully highlighting the parallel internal journeys, often achieving something akin to a musical duet. Ultimately, this is a . . . moving story well-told." — Booklist, starred review

• A great chapter book for middle school students
• Novels for preteens and teenagers ages 10-14

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781452172880
Publisher:	Chronicle Books
Publication date:	10/01/2019
Pages:	424
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 8.40(h) x 1.55(d)
Lexile:	NP (what's this?)
Age Range:	10 - 14 Years

About the Author

K. A. Holt is the author of Rhyme Schemer, House Arrest, Knockout, and several other books for young people. She lives in Austin, Texas.

Editorial Reviews

08/05/2019

Holt (Knockout) once again offers keen insight into the social pressures and vulnerabilities of middle schoolers in this novel in verse, which traces the mutual attraction between two seventh grade girls. “Tall as a palm tree” Tam, a jock, is sometimes mistaken for a boy; “with her “perfect/ swinging/ ponytail,” Kate resembles “every clichéd cheerleader.” Despite their differences, though, they establish a friendship that evolves into something deeper. Conflicts arise when Kate’s friends and social-status-obsessed mother disapprove of Tam, and she fears that people will see her as “twisted up,/ not right” because she is gay. Ultimately, she must choose between molding herself into the girl her mother wants her to be and following her own path. The girls’ interior monologues, sometimes merging on the page, sometimes visually set apart, effectively show their shared feelings and contrasting perspectives, and the voices of three onlooking students function as a Greek chorus, highlighting transitions in the girls’ relationship. In a story thoughtfully formed and eloquently executed, Holt offers affirmation and hope to readers struggling to fit in. Ages 10–14. Agent: Ammi-Joan Paquette, Erin Murphy Literary Agency. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

"A glowing, heartfelt addition to the middle-grade LGBTQ genre."— Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"A glowing, heartfelt addition to the middle-grade LGBTQ genre."— Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"The free verse narration is totally accessible, flowing quick and clear, and Holt plays with form, beautifully highlighting the parallel internal journeys, often achieving something akin to a musical duet. Ultimately, this is a middle-school romance concerned with the thrilling, confusing, world-shifting emotions of that age. . . . [A] moving story well-told." —Booklist, starred review

"The free verse narration is totally accessible, flowing quick and clear, and Holt plays with form, beautifully highlighting the parallel internal journeys, often achieving something akin to a musical duet. Ultimately, this is a middle-school romance concerned with the thrilling, confusing, world-shifting emotions of that age. . . . [A] moving story well-told." —Booklist, starred review

From the Publisher

★ 2019-06-23
Two middle school girls grapple with their blossoming feelings for each other in this verse novel.

Tam is a volleyball player sometimes mistaken for a boy. Kate is a popular cheerleader. When they notice each other at seventh grade registration, Tam sees a walking cliché with a perfect ponytail, while Kate sees a girl as "tall as a palm tree." When they meet face to face, they strike an immediate rapport. Soon the two are having lunch together every day and linking pinkies in the halls. As they grow closer, each finds herself questioning who she thought she was. Tam doesn't know how she fits into Kate's seemingly perfect world. Kate, who has spent her life trying to live up to her shallow, perfectionist mother's expectations, wants to go her own way, a process that includes deciding whether or not to admit her feelings for Tam. Tam and Kate share the first-person narration, which keenly conveys each girl's joys and inner turmoil. The dual narratives play off of each other, sometimes in a call-and-response manner that clearly communicates the shyness, awkwardness, and confusion of first love. A trio of unseen watchers, identified as Alex, Alyx, and Alexx, collectively represent the observant school-hallway bystanders, providing commentary and speculation in the manner of a Greek chorus. Their verses can be read vertically or horizontally, resulting in multiple meanings. Characters are racially ambiguous.

A glowing, heartfelt addition to the middle-grade LGBTQ genre. (Fiction. 8-14)

Kirkus Reviews