Making poetry relevant again, one complaint at a time...

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Shakespeare Makes the Playoffs, by Ron Koertge, Candlewick Press, 2010, 170 pages

Here’s the conceit; teenage Kevin Boland like baseball, poetry and his girlfriend Mira. Then he meets Amy at a poetry reading and likes her to. What’s a tween to do? Why write in his story in his poetry notebook of course in a series of sonnets, prose and quatrains.
And just like the first book in the series, Shakespeare Bats Cleanup, Ron Koertge makes it work. A little cheesy, sure, but it’s nice to find a smart young adult book that isn’t about vampires or wizards. Koertge’s story is direct, his protagonist appears realistic, and for a teenager who likes poetry, Kevin Boland is decent role model. There’s also emails between teachers and Kevin to move the story and provide some poetry lessons.
If you’re looking for a way to get your sports obsessed kid into poetry, this may be it.
B+

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