Locomotion

When I was told we had to read a poetry book for this class, I was less than thrilled.  I DO NOT LIKE POETRY.  Reading a poem now and then is ok, but a whole story told just from poems...no way.  My very unenthusiastic attitude changed within the first few pages though.  Lonnie instantly captured my heart, sympathy, and respect.  What a kid! He's suffered so much in his young life, yet he is far stronger than he realizes.  And he's a phenomenal poet, especially for his age.  The author did such a great job of incorporating Lonnie's daily life into poems.  This is definitely something I did not think was possible for a whole book.  I also think that if the book had not been written in poems, I wouldn't have gotten as emotionally attached to the story as I did. Lonnie's emotions were much rawer than they would have been had the story been told just in prose.  I think this book would be great to use in any middle school classroom, especially when teaching about poetry.  Students could see that poetry doesn't have to be complicated or have deep, secret meanings.  The subjects of poems can simply be how one is feeling that day, a memory, or what is happening at that moment.  Students can also learn that they can be great poets...it doesn't take a professional or a teacher to be able to express themselves through poetry.  I'm really glad we got to read a poetry novel as it opened my eyes to how great poetry can be!