Recognizing this yearning, Kathi Appelt has written a series of insightful poems that strike at the heart of adolescent longing. The characters are unforgettablewhether they are a flirtatious couple passing notes in history class, a boy tenderly erasing bathroom graffiti about someone he secretly loves, or a fat girl whose name nobody remembers. Divided into two sectionsthe first containing Appelts own transcendent poems and the second exploring how they were written and how readers can begin poems of their ownthis unique book offers teen writers a place to start.A perfect gift and an excellent classroom resource, this book opens up the world of poetry in a way that is accessible and appealing to teens.
"Poetry is the home for all my yearnings each poem a separate room where wandering words find a cool bed, a bowl of soup..."
Using her own adolescent-appealing poems, Kathi Appelt has created a poetry guide that teens can turn to when they are having trouble corralling those "wandering words." In "Part I: Homeroom: The Poems," Appelt showcases her own poetry, mostly whimsical in tone, about such teen-pleasing topics as tattoos, first crushes, and homecoming dances. In "Part II: Study Hall: Writing What We Long For," Appelt describes the inspiration for each of the previous 26 poems, and provides questions to stir the imaginations and pens of young writers. She identifies the specific motivation behind each of the poems, (some examples include longing for attention, justice, or respect) and then asks readers through a series of open-ended questions to examine that motivation in their own writing. And while most of her poetry is free verse, she also throws in a few forms for young readers to challenge themselves with, such as the sestina, villanelle, and haiku.
Young adult author Kathi Appelt's lighthearted take on crafting poetry will have teens scratching down sonnets in no time. Full of practical advice, poetry-provoking questions, and thin enough to fit in the back pocket of a binder, Poems from Homeroom is sure to be popular with wannabe young Maya Angelous and Walt Whitmans. And for further guidance, aspiring bards may also want to try Seeing the Blue Between: Advice and Inspiration for Young Poets, edited by Paul B. Janeczko. (Ages 13 to 18) --Jennifer Hubert
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 3.5 / 5.0
Great gift for your high school poet:
My daughter enjoys writing poems and really enjoyed these age appropriate poems written by her peers
poems from homeroom:
Daniel Whedbee The book I read was "Poems from Homeroom", by Kathi Appelt.
The main focus in this book seems to be about younger people and problems they had. For the most part, most of the poems weren't great, but they were good.
"Good Job Buddy", was my personal favorite. It is about a young man who work's late night at a supermarket. Every night at the same time a girl comes in there after she gets off work. She never talks to anyone, she's always quiet. The man secretly has a major... more info
Better than it first seems.:
Kathi Appelt, Poems from Homeroom: A Writer's Place to Start (Henry Holt, 2002) I'm still not quite sure how I feel about this book. I love the second section of it, where Appelt goes into the ideas behind the poems and provides exercises for young readers to get to writing (even if she does make the usual mistake of calling 5-7-5 an established form, rather than a guideline, in English haiku). As for the poems themselves, the jury's still kind of out. Attention is paid to the crafting of them, which... more info
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