Locomotion (Puffin Teenage Fiction) [Paperback]

Jacqueline Woodson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 6, 2003 | Series: Puffin Teenage Fiction

Eleven-year-old Lonnie lives with Miss Edna, who is always telling him to be quiet. But there's a lot going on in Lonnie's head. His English teacher, Ms Marcus, encourages him to write everything down, quickly, before his thoughts disappear. So Lonnie writes in poetry, because it's short, and using the many different styles of poem they are learning in class, Lonnie describes his life - memories of his mama and daddy; the fire that claimed their lives; living in the Home with Miss Edna; his little sister Lili and her new family; Ms Marcus and school; race and religion. In the end, Lonnie finds his way forward through the loving care of those who surround him.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The kinetic energy of the aptly named Locomotion (the nickname of Lonnie Collins Motion) permeates the 60 poems that tell his sad yet hopeful story. Lonnie's first poem sets up a conflict familiar to anyone who has attempted creativity: despite the cheering of his teacher, Ms. Marcus ("Write it down before it leaves your brain," she says), as he begins to write, Lonnie hears the critical voice of his foster mother ("It's Miss Edna's over and over/ Be quiet!"). As Lonnie explores poetry's various forms throughout this brief yet poignant and occasionally humorous volume, he also reveals Miss Edna's kindness toward him in the little things she says and does ("The last time Miss Edna came home and found me/ crying She said Think/ about all the stuff you love, Lonnie"). Gradually Lonnie reveals that at age seven, his parents died in a fire, leaving him and his younger sister, Lili, orphaned. Lili was adopted, yet Lonnie figures out a way to visit her regularly. The gradual unfolding of his life's events intermingle with his discoveries about poetry as a form, from haiku to sonnets ("Ms. Marcus says "sonnet" comes from "sonnetto"/ and that sonnetto means little song or sound/ It reminds me of that guy's name Gepetto/ the one who made Pinocchio from wood he found") to the epistle poems he writes to his father and to God. Woodson, through Lonnie, creates (much as Sharon Creech did with the boy narrator in Love That Dog) a contagious appreciation for poetry while using the genre as a cathartic means for expressing the young poet's own grief. Ages 10-up.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-6-In Jacqueline Woodson's novel (Putnam, 2003), fifth grader Lonnie Collins Motion, an African-American boy whose parents were killed in a fire four years ago, is given an assignment by his teacher to write different forms of poetry. Collected here are 60 poems in verse that reveal his innermost thoughts about his family, his friends, and his place in the world. Through Lonnie's poetry notebook, we learn that he is a foster child living in New York City, and that he has been separated from his little sister, Lili. This school assignment has given Lonnie an outlet for dealing with his feelings of grief over the loss of his parents and coming to terms with his present situation. JD Jackson narrates the poems with a genuine and honest voice, allowing listeners to feel the rhythm of the different poetry styles from sonnets to haiku to free verse. Jackson's performance is tender at times and full of energy at others, giving Lonnie's character tremendous depth and bringing to life all of the lesser characters. We are able to see directly into his life and feel his sorrow and pain as well as his hope for the future. This novel about survival and the resiliency of the human spirit should be an essential purchase for all libraries with the print version in their collections and should be paired with it at every opportunity.
Casey Rondini, Westerly Public Library, RI
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 112 pages
• Publisher: Puffin (March 6, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 014131608X
• ISBN-13: 978-0141316086
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,144,800 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jacqueline Woodson's awards include 3 Newbery Honors, a Coretta Scott King Award and 3 Coretta Scott King Honors, 2 National Book Awards, a Margaret A. Edwards Award and an ALAN Award -- both for Lifetime Achievement in YA Literature. She is the author of more than 2 dozen books for children and young adults and lives with her family in Brooklyn, New York

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Young Expressions, April 17, 2005

By 

The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers (RAWSISTAZ.com and BlackBookReviews.net) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Locomotion (Coretta Scott King Author Honor Books) (Hardcover)

LOCOMOTION by Jacqueline Woodson tops the list of originality with thought provoking words from a little boy named Lonnie. Although LOCOMOTION is categorized as poetry, it is not written as one of the traditional styles of poems that rhyme. LOCOMOTION is a collection of poems that reads as a story with uniqueness and wonderful grandeur. Every word echoes a young child's hurt and rediscovery of self.

Lonnie, who lost his parents in a fire, writes in first person in the book. He tells a story through poetic form of suddenly being left alone and separated from his little sister, Lili. Lonnie is encouraged by his teacher to write down all this thoughts as soon as they hit his brain. He writes about living in a foster home, visits with his sister and going to school each day. Lonnie continues his thoughts about the new kid in school, his friends and learning about sickle cell anemia for the first time. He writes of trying to believe in God, as his little sister has done, believing one day they will be together as a family. The most heart wrenching part was his words of about not having his parents with them anymore and learning that he and his sister would be living in separate homes.

I have never read such an enjoyable children's book as LOCOMOTION. Jacqueline Woodson has opened new doors of poetic style and humble offerings. Although this book is written for ages six to twelve, a book of this magnitude can be enjoyed by all ages. Several selections brought tears to my eyes and caused my heart and soul to interact with each word. The heartfelt meaning of why Lonnie was expressing himself through words was moving. Jacqueline Woodson has indeed written another award winning children's book.

Reviewed by Kalaani

of The RAWSISTAZ™ Reviewers

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Loco, December 19, 2006

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Locomotion (Coretta Scott King Author Honor Books) (Hardcover)

I love this book because he expereses his feelings in poems.I would recamend this book to people who like poems or are afraid to express their feelings. In stead of saying it like it's bad, but express in things that you like doing. Read this book and you'll fall in love. I wish there was a locomotion 2.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars what i think about LOCOMOTION, April 3, 2007

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Locomotion (Paperback)

In this book Locomotion is going through a lot because he is trying to live in the same foster home as his little sister, Lili. It is also hard for him because when he writes about his parents being in the fire it makes him sad. Sometimes he gets mad because whenever Locomotion goes to visit his little sister, Lili, her foster mother acts like she doesn't want him there. I would recommend this book because it is interesting how his life style was when he was growing up.