Peace, Locomotion

Oh, man, all the feels in this book. Lonnie is sophisticated in his poetry and in his thinking, and that is well illustrated in his letters to his sister. This is definitely one of the most positive books involving the foster system that I've read -- Lonnie and Lili are separated after the deaths of their parents, but they both seem to be thriving with their new families. It's a quiet read, one that's all about the every day challenges of school and math and friends moving away and also the big ones -- fearing the loss of a son and brother in the Iraq war (although the exact war is never mentioned, and it could be any with IEDs), facing the loss of parents and growing up without your sibling. Lonnie's letters and poems are beautiful, show more though, celebrating all the little moments of light and new family connections and good, thoughtful friends and teachers. He's in the middle of a community that wants him to thrive, and that shines through. show less

Lonnie had me from the first letter. He deals with a lot of big issues for a kid his age: how to stay close to his sister, even though they’re living separate lives; how to remain loyal to his parents while allowing himself to be part of his foster family; how to understand an unnamed war into which a foster brother he’s never met was drafted. But he also deals with the regular kid stuff: a friend moving away, a tough subject in school, a new teacher. His story is poignant and warm and absorbing

I listened to the audiobook, read by Dion Graham. Graham does a phenomenal job saturating Lonnie’s words with emotion, bringing the young poet to life and carving out space for him in your heart.

My full review is posted on Erin Reads.

(this review is for the audiobook version)
Peace, Locomotion continues the story of Lonnie Collins Motion (or Locomotion) first begun in Locomotion. After their parents perished in a fire, Lonnie and his sister, Lili were sent to separate foster homes. Years have passed. Lonnie is now twelve and although they miss each other, both have settled in to their new homes.

Locomotion was a novel written in verse, as Lonnie learned the forms of poetry from a caring teacher. Peace, Locomotion is an epistolary novel, consisting of letters from Lonnie to Lili as he endeavors to chronicle his feelings, his memories of their earlier life together, and the daily occurrences of his new life. He saves the letters in the hope that when he is someday show more reunited with Lili, he can relive and share with her each day that they were apart. He struggles with the fact that his younger sister begins to call her foster mother, Momma, and can barely remember their parents. One of his friends is moving away, his teacher is mean, and he does poorly on tests and homework. At home, he has another problem. One of his foster mother's sons is serving in the war (the listener does not know if it is the war in Afghanistan or Iraq) and things are not going well. Lonnie is tempted to pray for Jenkins' safe return but his foster brother Rodney suggests that he pray for peace instead - explaining, if peace comes, all things will follow. In spite of the many obstacles that life has placed in Lonnie's path, he remains positive and thoughtful, never quick to draw conclusions or pass judgment. He finds joy in a church choir, a snowball fight, a good friend. He is kind and wise beyond his years. Although this is a story about African American families, it could be about any family in similar circumstances. It is a story about hope and family and finding peace wherever one may.

The challenge of narrating a novel consisting of letters from only one person is a great one, and Dion Graham's reading rises to the test. He is superb. Graham perfectly captures the many moods of Lonnie Collins Motion with precision, never exaggeration. The listener can hear a smile begin to spread across Lonnie's lips, tears well up in his eyes, a sparkle light up his face. Lonnie recounts conversations within his letters, allowing Graham to create character voices of Lili, Lonnie's friends, and his foster family; but Locomotion is the star of this novel and all ears are upon him. Highly recommended for middle grades.

Peace, Locomotion was named a 2010 Odyssey Honor Audiobook, and was named to ALSC's 2010 Notable Children's Recordings.

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Peace, Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson is an epistolatory novel, meaning it's written in letter form, told through the letters of twelve year old Lonnie Collins Motion to his sister Lili. Basically, Lonnie and his sister are in foster care, but with two different families, and Lonnie feels he must write a letter to his sister every day they are in foster care so they can remember the stage in their life, he doesn't send the letters though, choosing to save them for when they get out of foster care.Peace, Locomotion is a beautifully written novel, often poignant and honest as we view Lonnie's coming of age through his own eyes. I believe the book is set in current-day. The letters don't have a date on them, but there is much mention of show more war and peace. The book mentions how there hasn't been a draft yet, but states how it could occur. Overall, though Lonnie firmly wishes for peace and happiness, which echo throughout most of his letters. I guess, I felt a sort of serenity while reading this book, as Lonnie's voice is a very calm voice, perhaps a bit wise for his 12 years.If you do decide to pick up Peace, Locomotion you will probably finish it in one day. The letters are easy to read, the pacing is quick. Also, it's 136 pages with somewhat large type. I know I just zoomed through this. Also, there is a book which comes before Peace, Locomotion, simply called Locomotion. I have not read it, and I didn't feel lost at all while reading this book. Obviously reading the previous book will only enhance your reading experience, but in this case Peace, Locomotion is a good read regardless of whether you read Locomotion or not.Finally, there were a few quotes which resonated with me:"Lili, when things don't go right in our house, Miss Edna says Sometimes the heart breaks so hard, Lonnie. That's what I was feeling like. Like my heart was breaking--real hard." pg. 27"That's the thing about people dying, Lili. You have all these frozen memories in your head and the longer they stay dead, the more your memory gets all gray--like I don't know if we ever really all sat together up on a roof somewhere or not. I just know when I'm sitting there by myself, a part of me just gets all these pictures in my head--like a movie or something." -pg. 72"You know what? There's peace in your music, Lili. When the organ guy was playing real soft and the choir was just swaying and humming and that beautiful light was coming into the church from the yellow windows, I just sat there smiling because it was like somebody had floated over and pulled warm covers over me." pg. 79 show less

Narrated by Dion Graham. Twelve-year-old Lonnie and his younger sister Lili live in separate foster families since the death of their parents in a fire. Lonnie, who loves writing poetry, pens letters to his sister about all the things that are happening in his life and also to help her remember their parents and the way their family used to be. Meanwhile, his foster mother Ms Edna fears for her son, missing in Iraq. Dion Graham reads Lonnie's letters with brotherly warmth; you can feel the affection Lonnie has for his little sister, and the passion he holds for the things in life that bring him peace: writing, his friendship with Clyde, school, and scheduled visits with Lili.

Peace, Locomotion is a little different from Locomotion. Locomotion was a story of poems. Peace, Locomotion is in story form. Locomotion and his sister became foster kids after their parents had passed away. Locomotion had such a huge love for his sister. They were separated. He wrote to his sister everyday about anything he did. Although they were apart, he made sure that they stayed in contact with one another. He even got to see her from time to time. I think this story will show people the importance of family and not to take things for granted.

Locomotion's letters to his sister captured me quickly, and they under tell, rather than over, tiny little details shedding light on the relationships between the siblings, his sister and her new foster mother, Locomotion and his foster mother, and the son returned from war. I am eager to read the first book, to see Locomotion bloom under the care of an encouraging teacher.
I'd give this to people looking for realistic fiction, stories about orphans, or interesting in becoming writers.