5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
For a classroom library or the young adult in your life., July 5, 2001
I added this and a few others of Sara Holbrook's works to a 6th grade classroom poetry library. The youngsters gobbled up her works. I was delighted.
But teachers aren't the only ones looking to help young people connect feelings and writing. I'm also a parent of children in the 8-15 range and I'm alert to ways to provide other channels for my kids' explorations of inner and outer life. These books are great for that as well.
The 50-odd poems in this slim collection are roughly centered around the wide range of life changes that young people today face, often alone. But there's nothing like a voice describing what you feel to help you think about it while feeling it. These poems all work at that level.
Here are the start end the ending of her poem "Run Away":
I saw JoLynn just once\ after she ran away.\ We hugged at each other's eyes,\ touched hands\ with little to say.\
...\\
When she was running into all those problems\ she used to snap and spit like fire.\ But, now that she's run away,\ the heat is off -\ she just looks tired.\
Nice stuff. Not great poetry, perhaps, but good poetry and thought-provoking. What better doorway to great poetry in later years ?
As a writing teacher, I enjoyed the opportunity to move these younger pre-teens to look at poetry beyond the Shel Silverstein style. Many kids that age have decided that poetry is only fun, silly, "rhymin' Simon' stuff, as I called it. I think the best way to connect them to un-rhymed verse is through powerful themes. Holbrook accomplishes this. She sometimes sneaks in subtle rhyme, and even includes a sonnet or two, but mostly her emphasis is on feelings and words to express them... a place you might hope your writer(s) will explore.
Some of the themes are probably more appropriate for 8th-10th graders rather than 5th-7th, and some of them revolve around urban lifestyles that my primarily rural students did not connect with. Like any good collection there will be something for everyone here; and even if issues of sexuality and gangs are not a part of the kids lives, I'd rather have them explore these issues in poetry than on MTV!
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Walking on the Boundaries of Change, June 25, 2000
This is a must read for those of us who struggle with daily issues of relationships, love, making decisions, growing up, fitting in, and accepting one's self. Holbrook has done it again in this collection of poignant poems, for not only adolescents, but "older folks" too. If you like poetry, you'll love this collection of poems. Walking on the Boundaries of Change is a book for both males and females. Each poem speaks to a different life issue and allows for quiet reflection. When you read the poems you may hear your own voice.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Poems of Transition, June 19, 2003
Great book for middle school students! This book touches on so many thoughts, feelings, and states of mind that teens are experiencing.
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