Rebound Review

Here is the latest in my round of poetry book reviews! 

Book Review #9, Rebound

1.       Bibliography: Alexander, Kwame. HMH Books for Young Readers; 2018. ISBN: 9780544868137.

2.       Plot Summary: This is the second book in the Crossover series. While the first book focuses on two brothers, this one goes back in time to tell their father’s story. In the 1980s, Charlie is a comic book loving middle school student, grieving over the loss of his father. He spends the summer with his grandparents, where he learns to appreciate the sport of basketball. This book is written entirely in poetic verse, just like The Crossover.

3.       Critical Analysis: This is a very touching story written in poetic verse. Each “chapter” is its own poem. Each poem is different than the others in style. “Looking Back” is the first poem in the story, bringing readers into Charlie’s world with details such as “It was the summer when Now and Laters cost a nickel and The Fantastic Four a buck.” Right away, readers learn that we are in the past, and that Charlie likes comic books. Rather than stating how his father died, the verse states, “a storm shattered my home into a million little pieces and soaring above the sorrow and grief seemed impossible.” This hyperbolic language gives readers an image and feeling of how hurt Charlie is. Poems such as “May 28, 1988” and “Home” play with text visually, showcasing some words in large or all capital letters or writing them so that they appear on different lines. The word, “twirling” is written to like as though it is twirling. The word, “kabooms”, is written in all capitals to show a sound effect. Similarly, in “Conversation”, the verse shows a conversation between Charlie and his mother by using italics to showcase her lines. The poem, “Black Hole”, is written with the verse in groups of three lines, such as “My dad was a star/in our neighborhood/Everybody knew him.” Not every poem is written like this. “In the Morning” is a short poem written with all of its lines together, with the lines getting smaller and smaller until the last line is only one word. “Ten Reasons I Hate Sirens” is a poem that has every line start with “because”. Alexander took great care in crafting the poems in this way, so that each one feels special by using different styles. The book ends with “Later that Summer”, wrapping up the timeline of how the plot takes place during the duration of one summer. More specific details are mentioned again, such as a visit to Disneyworld and the character, CJ’S, craving of IHOP. This is a longer poem, written in verse, but ending with a postscript note. This poem gives closure to what happens to all of the main characters, including that Charlie’s grandfather passed away. It’s also written as though Charlie is talking to his children, as he addresses them both in the poem, and lets them know how his grandparents would be so proud of them. There are not that many illustrations in the book, but the ones that are featured are drawn in a comic book style, reinforcing Charlie’s love for comic books. This leaves a lot to the imagination.

4.       Review Excerpts:

·         From VOYA, “This book will bounce off the shelves.”

·         From The New York Times, “His books pulse with musicality.”

·         From Kirkus, “An eminently satisfying story of family, recovery, and growing into manhood.”

5.       Connections: Display with other books by Kwame Alexander for an author study.

·         Crossover, HMH Books for Young Readers. ISBN: 9780544935204.

·         Booked, HMH Books for Young Readers. ISBN: 9781328596307.

·         The Undefeated, Versify. ISBN: 9781328780966.

·         He Said, She Said, Amistad. ISBN: 9780062118981.

Have a basketball coach come and teach children about how to play basketball. If it’s warm outside, children can practice playing.