Publishers Weekly Review
| In this affecting novel in verse, Keet has always had a lot to say, but since moving from Alabama to Illinois, her voice feels stifled. With a conspicuous accent and no friends, Keet finds happiness in her weekend fishing trips with her grandfather. In the poem "Why?," Keet questions the motivation for her family's relocation: "Better job,/ better pay,/ better school,/ away, away./ For Grandpa's sake. He's all alone./ For all the reasons parents drone,/ for all the reasons parents say,/ for bigger dreams, for better dreams,/ we moved away." Keet feels even more adrift after Grandpa has a stroke and retreats into depression. With the help of a new friend and her own passion for storytelling, Keet reconnects with her grandfather and finds her voice. Harrington (Busy-Busy Little Chick) makes thoughtful use of several types of poetry to tell Keet's story, including blues, catalog, concrete, narrative, contrapuntal, and prose poems (all discussed in a glossary). The poetry forms are well-chosen, their diverse rhythms and formats sensitively reflecting the fluctuating emotions of Keet's narration. Ages 8-12. Agent: Stephen Fraser, Jennifer De Chiara Literary. (Sept.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved. |
School Library Journal Review
| Gr 4-7-Keet, a girl from Alabama, loves language and storytelling, but her family's move to Illinois makes her feel silenced. Comfort comes through a budding friendship with Allegra, her Latina classmate and neighbor, and through fishing with her beloved grandfather. "To catch a fish," he tells her, "You've got to sit quiet and hold still/You've got to listen, really listen/with your inside ears." Like Nikki Grimes does in Words with Wings, Harrington perfectly captures her character's growth by using all the tools poetry provides: artfully chosen words, thought-provoking metaphors, appropriate rhythm and pacing, and changing points of view. Some poems give voice to other characters. Harrington also includes various poetic forms and a postscript offering additional information about each of them: an unusual addition for a title of this format. There is very little to identify the social or racial context of Keet's family, but close reading reveals Keet as brown skinned with "flippy-floppy braids." VERDICT Keet's is a simple and familiar-feeling story, but one that is understated, fully realized, deftly written, and utterly absorbing.-Rhona Campbell, Georgetown Day School, Washington, DC © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. |
