Hate That Cat
Sharon Creech
The follow-up book to Love That Dog, it’s a quick read in unrhymed free verse from the point of view of teenager Jack, in the format of a school-year journal. Jack’s voice addresses his English teacher, Mrs. Stretchberry, who spends a bit of time teaching poetry. While cats appear throughout the piece, it isn’t about a cat or about hate as much as it’s about a teen making sense of poetry with guidance of a teacher skilled in methods of making that happen: it’s about the rhythm, the sound, the feeling, the motion and about self-discovery through writing. (Loved it. Great for all middle school and beyond.)
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I finished that little book the same evening I posted about it, and decided it would be a good idea to share my thoughts of these books here as the year progresses. My aim is to write reviews in 100 words or less of the YA (young adult) books with no additional commentary (like this) afterwards. When is the last time you tried to write something with a word constraint? I could easily write 500 words on this book. Easily.
Next up: Repossessed by A.M. Jenkins
(I am limiting my selections to books that (A) are in my library and (B) have been previously recognized in some way, maybe like this.)
I really liked the first book, especially his "so much depends on" poem, so I'd be intrigued by the second one. Is it the same character or just a similiar style.
ReplyDeletewow,Dana, I didn't know you wrote book reviews! This is great!
ReplyDeletePS Is it to say that cat = poetry (from the point of view of a teenager)? Should I also look at our outdoor cat differently? Where's that teacher?
Brooke,
ReplyDeleteI think it's the same in both style and character. Creech explains a bit about it's creation on her website.
Francesca,
no. . .well, maybe. . .kinda. . .just depends who you look at it.
i felt so sure i'd read some sharon creech books, but the title(s) was eluding me, so i went to her website to refresh my memory. but i don't think i have read any of her books. !!! how is this possible (i love children's lit., so of course know who she is)? and it's killing me that i can't immediately pop down to the library to rectify the situation. well, i'm now adding this to my long list of books to read (how i miss libraries!!). thank for the review!
ReplyDeletei´m going to look out for this one. i´m always trying to find good books for daniel. seems like there are many for girls, but not many for boys. if you have any ideas, i´d love to hear them. thanks!
ReplyDelete