Module 9

SLIS 5420/ Module 9 August 2- 8

Books Read:
"Dizzy in Your Eyes: Poems About Love" by Pat Mora
"A Bad Boy can be Good for a Girl" by Tanya Lee Stone

"Dizzy in Your Eyes"
Summary: The book is written in different points of view of teenagers who are in love or find a new place that they love and can be alone with their thoughts. The author also includes notes on the different types of poems that are included in the book.

My Impressions: I loved this book. I thought it was great that the author included different definitions of the types of poems and which poems have that type. The poems in this story are beautifully written and create beautiful images in my mind.

Reviews:

School Library Journal

Gr 7 Up—A collection of poems written in various forms, each narrated in a different teen voice. According to the author's note, Mora envisioned the flow of the poems as that of a symphony with four movements—an opening focus on love's initial rush, followed by a few bumps in the road, healing after loss of love, and finally the joy of finding new love. This cohesion is indeed delivered. Peppered with Spanish, the selections define the emotion in countless ways. The quiet lyricism of some lines will prompt many readers to roll them over and over on their tongues; this is a world in which a simple smile can make a boy feel as if he's "swallowed the sun" or one's worst fear might be a kiss "dull like oatmeal." Where relevant, poetic form is indicated, defined, and discussed on the adjacent page. For all its beauty, this collection is also, in some ways, hard to pin down. The jacket copy and title might lead one to expect a focus on the intensity of teen romantic love. The love here is neither hot and heavy nor clichéd, however, but rather a glimpse into the last remaining innocence of the teen years. At times, the narration even slips a bit astray from an authentically teenage voice. Those expecting a more typical raw, edgy approach to love with poetry akin to the ramblings of a teenager's journal will be better off elsewhere. Teachers in need of a fresh new avenue for teaching poetic form, lovers of language, and teens in search of a broader definition of love will find it here.—Jill Heritage Maza, Greenwich High School, CT

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Dizzy-in-Your-Eyes/Pat-Mora/e/9780375896019/?itm=1&USRI=dizzy+in+your+eyes

"From family and school to dating and being dumped, the subjects in these 50 poems cover teens' experiences of love in many voices and situations. Several entries incorporate Spanish words and idioms, as in "Ode to Teachers," a moving tribute in English wish a Spanish translation... Mora writes free verse as well as a a wide variety of classic poetic forms- including haiku, clerihew, sonnet, cinquain, and blank verse- and for each form, there is an obtrusive explanatory note on the facing page. The tight structures intensify the strong feelings in the poems, which teens will enjoy reading on their own or hearing aloud in the classroom."-Booklist
http://www.patmora.com/book_pages/dizzy.htm

Uses: This is a great book to use for teen poetry lessons. It really can speak to people of this age range and help them have a better understanding of poetry.

Mora, Pat. (2010). "Dizzy in Your Eyes: Poems about Love." New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf.

"A Bad Boy can be Good for a Girl"
Summary: Three girls date the same guy, and write about what happens. They try to warn other girls that he is no good but sometimes some things just have to be learned the hard way.

My impressions: I thought this book was great. I loved the forms of verse and how it all fit well together even though it was from 3 different girls points of view. I totally could relate to this story and I think there are probably a lot of teenage girls out there who could relate to it too.

Reviews:

Kirkus Reviews

Three high-school girls take turns relating their separate experiences with the same bad boy, a senior jock who seems only interested in one thing: "nailing" them. There's enough in this verse novel to make a grown woman cringe-remembering what it was like back then and that the more things change they stay the same. These narrators, despite their varied backgrounds and ambitions, are interested in, well, the physical realm of boy/girl relations and are willing to kiss and tell: They speak poetry of pedestrian language, which, at its most varied, describes erotic outings and, in one instance, oral sex. High school girls with uncomplicated reading agendas might find this brain candy gratifying. But those with SATs on their minds will find this shallow, repetitive and empty. (Fiction. YA)

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Bad-Boy-Can-Be-Good-for-a-Girl/Tanya-Lee-Stone/e/9780307433053/?itm=1&USRI=a+bad+boy+can+be+good+for+a+girl

"Three girls succumb to the charms of one sexy high school senior and emerge wiser for the experience in this energetic novel in verse. . . The free verse gives the stories a breathless, natural flow and changes tone with each narrator. The language is realistic and frank, and, while not graphic, it is filled with descriptions of the teens and their sexuality. This is not a book that will sit quietly on any shelf; it will be passed from girl to girl to girl.”School Library Journal, Starred Review
http://www.powells.com/cgi-bin/biblio?inkey=1-9780553495096-0

Uses: This is a great book to introduce YA's to verse. I think a lot of girls can relate to this story and find it just as intriguing as Judy Blume's "Forver". It is definitely a good read for young adult girls.

Stone, Tanya Lee. ( 2006). "A Bad Boy can be Good for a Girl." New York, NY: Wendy Lamb Books.