Poems From Homeroom is a collection of 26 poems about the trials and triumphs of being a teenager. Included are Lost in the Blues; an observation on the classroom air guitarist who cannot bring his real guitar to school, The Fat Girl; who is in danger of forgetting her own name because everyone addresses her as “fat girl,” and my favorite, The Twirling Queen of Dogwood, Texas; who begins twirling her knife and fork when she is a tiny little girl and ends as the star of both her hometown and a Hollywood movie. The poems are sometimes funny, sometimes sad, and sometimes frightening, but each one contains all of the fear, hope, and yearning that goes with being a teen.Teens in grade six through twelve will identify in some way with each of Kathi Appelt’s heart-felt poems. Written in many different forms including free verse, haiku, and acrostics the book contains a second section where the author explains how the idea for each poem was formed and continues with suggestions on how to write poetry of your own.
Book review excerpt from Booklist: “The poems frequently shine with humor and tender, memorable images: "the cream colored cat, wild in her loneliness," that's left behind when a boy leaves his childhood home. But it will be Appelt's prose encouragements to young writers that will draw readers most. A warm, instructive resource for teens and teachers alike.”
Gillian Engberg Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Appelt, Kathi. Poems From Homeroom: A Writer’s Place to Start. New York: Henry Holt, 2002,
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