Friday, April 30, 2010

Shakespeare makes the Playoffs - Ron Koertge

Shakespeare Makes the Playoffs by Ron Koertge
Kevin is a 1st baseman and writes poetry. Like the first book Shakespeare Bats Cleanup this is a novel in verse. The reader gets to know Kevin through his poems.

Kevin uses many different poetry forms, including blank verse, haiku, metronome and sestina. At a poetry reading Kevin meets Amy, a girl his age. The two become poetry partners and critque each others work. Amy gets a few poems of her own. They exchange some very cool poems about monsters. I loved Amy's sestina about Igor and Kevin's couplet about dracula. Kevin already has a girlfriend, Mira but he begins to fall for Amy.

Kevin is a wonderfully well rounded character. I think it would be very hard not to like him. Koertge has found a fun way to introduce poetry to readers who may think its for someone else.

Dracula Tells All (an excerpt)

I swear to god, I like the flying best
The sun goes down, it's dark there in the west
At last I rise intact from that pine box
Then all I have to do is change my socks
I'm ready for some fun up in the sky
before I have to land and terrify
some tourist in a flimsy negligee
who's come to Plasma Heights on hoilday
A maiden is my favorite midnight snack
the goal of my crepuscular attack

I've linked this to Poetry Friday, which is being hosted this week by Mary Ann over at Great Kids Book

3 comments:

evelyn.n.alfred said...

I'm not into baseball, but the poetry might win me over.

Doret said...

Evelyn- I was thinking about telling you to get this in your comment. I think you'd love the poetry.

Laura said...

Thanks for letting us know of this new title. I'll put it on my reading list.

Laura Evans
all things poetry