Speak to Me: (And I Will Listen between the Lines)

This book is told in poems of alternating voices for six diverse students. The commonality is that throughout the day all minds wander regardless of who we are. Each student has a different outlook and different thoughts, but their words speak volumes about their life situations.

omg the blurb makes a big mistake, implying that Tyrell is 'bound for trouble'

He's a child! All he wants is to be free. Read between the lines - apparently he lives alone with his grandmother and she's not quite competent, filling his imagination with Moving to Louisiana (Where it Snows) into a house of their own... but at the same time she cares enough to 'do his hair so carefully.

Blurb also doesn't mention Brianna, and how Rica threw her under the bus when Neecy, with her cute skirt and dance moves and "richer" skin color, decided to possessively befriend Rica.

And I'm sorry if you think Lamont is wrong to want to be a teacher's pet. I believe actually he wants to learn, both to be 'a good boy' and to do his best on his schoolwork, so show more he'll have more choices about what to do with his life when he grows up.

Anyway, this is one day. We have no idea what Tyrell did that he calls his "sins" or if Neecy is a really a mean girl... or what's going to really happen to any of these kids later. There are reasons to be optimistic... I will focus on them.

Recommended to all children age 6 or 7 up, whether they'll perceive it as 'mirror' or 'window' or 'sliding glass door.'

(https://scenicregional.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Mirrors-Windows-and-Sliding-Glass-Doors.pdf)

Btw, creators aren't #OwnVoices but they clearly have experience and have done research and do not mean to appropriate, but rather to give the disenfranchised a voice (well, yes, 6 voices). show less

Six students write poems about their day in the city classroom. The daydreamer, birthday girl/father time, best friend label, and the troublemaker are an accurate representation of the variety of children within a classroom and their priorities. The humorous short poem about going home was one of my favorite parts. The detail within the number of steps toward the office emphasized how often he is in trouble, I love how through each poem you could get to know the child's personality. The emotions, thoughts, and interest of the children's perspective were shared through English's writings of her personal experiences of teaching.

This was one of my favorite children’s books so far. I really enjoyed the different perspectives that the story was told through. Each poem was told from a different child. My favorite poem was “DAYDREAM, by Malcom”. This poem was about day dreaming and thinking about a new life. I also enjoyed the poem about going to the office in which the child knew how many steps it took to get to the office from his classroom. Another reason I enjoyed this story was because of the illustrations. Each page had its own poem and a corresponding illustration that matched what the poem was about. The third reason I enjoyed this story was because of the writing. I found just about every poem engaging and clear so that the reader could understand show more what was going on. For instance, one poem is about Rica writing about how her real father is coming to pick her up after school. You understand from the poem that her parents are separated. Overall, I felt the message was to show that you have to look between the lines of how a friend or student of yours is acting to see what is really going on. show less

I respect the post-modern format but don't love this book. The author is likely African-American, but she is not a child, and I have a hard time accepting that children would really write the way these characters 'write.'

Useful in any lesson on multicultural representation, both in the effectiveness in speak for ones own culture, and in the problems inherent in speaking for others.

Six third graders telling their own story of the school day through poetry. Typical third grade classroom I which there are friends, quiet ones, readers, and the troubled students. Each student has their own story and own views of the world expressed through poetry. For young students, the poetry in this book will challenge them, but they are capable, and for older students the poetry will be easier, but it combined with the illustrations will be just enough to keep them entertained throughout. I wouldn't recommend this book for fifth graders; however, I feel they would still enjoy this book.

Six children express how they are feeling and thinking one school day. Each child has his/her own voice and style of expression.

The book would be useful in a discussion about self-expression and interpreting other people.