Swimming Upstream: Middle School Poems

by Kristine O'Connell George, Debbie Tilley (Illustrator)

Overview

The ups and downs of the middle school experience are explored in these poems by award-winning poet Kristine O'Connell George

“Engaging.” —The Bulletin
 
“Sweet and on key.” —Booklist
 
“From humorous to angst-ridden, this collection offers verses that will captivate your pre-teen.” —Scholastic.com
 
The first year of middle school brings an array of new experiences and challenges. Award-winning poet Kristine O’Connell George’s short, accessible poems are complemented by lively illustrations and will evoke the most memorable moments of the school year.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781328900180
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	03/27/2018
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	80
Product dimensions:	4.90(w) x 16.30(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	NP (what's this?)
Age Range:	10 - 12 Years

About the Author

Kristine O'Connell George is an acclaimed poet who conducts poetry workshops for children and teachers. She is the author of several books of poetry for young people, including Toasting Marshmallows: Camping Poems and The Great Frog Race, winner of the Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award. She lives with her family in Southern California. Visit her online at kristinegeorge.com and on Twitter at @Kristine_George. 

Debbie Tilley has illustrated many books for children, including Spaghetti And Meatballs For All by Marilyn Burns and Babies Don’t Eat Pizza by Dianne Danzig. She lives in Escondido, California.
 

Editorial Reviews

* “Readers facing this upstream swim [or] toweling themselves off afterwards will find much they relate to in this engaging volume." —The Bulletin, starred review “Kristine O'Connell George can do more with a small handful of words than most any poet around.” —Riverbank Review “The mysteries of lockers and uncontrolled giggling are plumbed; as is the rapture of the boy you like liking you back. . . . Sweet and on key." —Booklist   “Middle school, with all its trials, tribulations, and triumphs, is portrayed humorously and poignantly. . . . Students will relate to this voice navigating ‘upstream,’ while they try to find their own place in the middle-school wilderness.” —SLJ —

From the Publisher

Gr 4-7-Middle school, with all its trials, tribulations, and triumphs, is portrayed humorously and poignantly through the eyes of one girl. Some of the more mundane topics include a locker that won't open, being late to homeroom, carrying around a large piece of wood as a hall pass, and deciding where to sit in the lunchroom. The book also delves into significant issues, from making new friends and a first crush to teasing, gossip, and a bully who may not be so tough after all. The selections are short, mostly filling less than a page, and get to the heart of the matter quickly. The emotions range from confusion, loneliness, and fear to being nervous and tongue-tied. Amid all the angst and trauma are light moments of "chaperones/(someone else's parents!)/bobbing offbeat" at the school dance or a troublesome musical instrument, "after much practice/flute still suffers severe case/of laryngitis." Students will relate to this voice navigating "upstream," while they try to find their own place in the middle-school wilderness.-Kristen Oravec, Cuyahoga County Public Library, Strongsville, OH Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

School Library Journal

In simply worded verse, George (Little Dog and Duncan, not reviewed, etc.) writes of lockers and lunches, new friends and typical experiences, as she tracks a child's first year of middle school. She invites readers stepping across that (or any) threshold to embrace change: "Where do I fit? / Nothing is clear. / Can already tell / this will be / a jigsaw year" becomes, in "Long Jump," "I can do anything. / All I need / is a running start," and by "Last Day of School," "I am shining / from the inside out." Aside from a superficial poem about "the boy who's so tough / the one who scares us so much," plus a few passing anxieties, there's little sign of tears or fears here-just a growing sense of self-confidence, a promise of good things to come calculated, and apt, to buoy up young grammar school graduates. Illustrations not seen. (Poetry. 10-12)

Kirkus Reviews