Alexander is not only a great poet, but a great poetic storyteller. In both this novel and [b:The Crossover|18263725|The Crossover|Kwame Alexander|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1390427593s/18263725.jpg|25723388], there were times when the story was so enveloping that I forgot it was verse. At the same time there are individual poems that so sing on the page that you can't ignore the beat. Beyond form, Alexander has a keen grasp of the mindset of young boys, especially young black boys. He articulates their place in the world beautifully and universally. Indeed, I can remember having many of the same thoughts as his narrators about school, parents, girls, everything. The story here is beautifully told and captures something of the American experience for young kids in 2016. My only wish is that soccer played more of a role. In the Crossover, basketball was an essential element in the character and story, and I would have liked to see more of that in this book. ( )

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Eh, a little cheesy with the “you got beat by a girrrllll!” jokes (at the same time, I’m in no way expecting the average middle school boy to be above that lol) and outdated slang “that was tight," BUT the emotional turmoil and the helplessness Nick feels is excellent.

The main character Nick feels like his whole life has been uprooted and left unbalanced when his parents lay a huge announcement on him. Soccer is one of the few things that centers him and provides joy to his now seemingly unstable life.

The parental drama will be very relatable for kids because Nick’s father is overly strict and hard on him (as an adult, I know he just wants Nick to have an education, so he can open more opportunities, but he was too overbearing even for me), his mother’s increased absence affects him, and he can’t find his voice to stand up to bullies at school. When his parents make huge decisions that don’t include him, he’s forced to get over it. At one point, his emotions boil over at his father’s continual chastisement where Nick says… he wants to die. While Nick affirms he wasn’t suicidal, it’s this moment where his father realizes he needs to dial it back and show more emotional care/be more comforting.

Again, I thought the awkward navigation of emotional distress as a young teen and even the inclusion of counseling were great.

A small nitpick: with the way the font is written when Nick is having a conversation with someone, you can easily lose track of who is speaking.

Lastly, word up! * in my Wordgirl voice* This book includes a lot of great, uncommon words to build your vocabulary. c:

3.5 ( )

Representation: Black main character
Trigger warnings: N/A?
Score: Seven points out of ten.

I liked how the verse style of the novel combined with the art. ( )

8/10, this was an amazing verse novel, but I liked the Crossover more, but this was still a good book to read. The main character, Nick, was fleshed out, realistic, and experienced struggles, such as bullies, divorce, and not liking books, but he overcame those challenges, so he experienced character development, which I liked. Some of the other characters in the book, like his parents, friends, and teachers, were so supportive of him, and I liked his dynamic with all of them. He is very passionate at soccer, and the scenes where he played soccer were enjoyable parts of the book, but he can't always play soccer all of the time without encountering issues, however he learns to accept that and control the parts of his life he can control. If you like a story with character development or like soccer, this is the book for you. ( )