A Maze Me: Poems for Girls

Nye's collection of poems will appeal to a sense of childhood nostalgia that makes the ordinary world into something a little bit magical. You can almost see Nye's own memories reflected in her quirky but poignant verses, as if they're written sporadically in the way that seemingly disconnected thoughts sometimes surface. I appreciated the personal feel of her poetry, as if anyone could project their own childhood onto her words and remember.

This is an engaging and relatable book of poetry. The book is ostensibly “for girls,” but I could see many of the poems appealing to both genders. Nye captures and records the tumultuous feelings of early adolescence in a lighthearted but thoughtful way. Some of the poems are humorous, some are poignant, but almost all of them reflect the self-discovery and questioning that I remember feeling at that age. Very enjoyable!

4Q, 4P (My VOYA ratings)
As is the case with many poetry collections, I found some poems in A Maze Me to be amazing and others to be mediocre. However, the overall quality of the anthology is high, and I ended up rating it a 4Q for its overall lovely writing. The one thing keeping it from a 5Q is its sometimes confusing or esoteric poem style choices—it seems like Nye decided that X amount of certain types of poems should be in the book and some stylistically different or unique poems felt forced.
My favorite thing about the book was its diversity almost every teen or tween girl will find something to relate to in this book, and it easily warrants a 4P based on that fact. I can vividly see myself as a boy-crazy teen girl relating to show more the poem Eye: "Does he recognize my existence?/ Does he see me gleaming/ in my chair?" I think, for nostalgia's sake, my favorite poems in the book were about having crushes--they really seemed to capture the feelings that I had when I was a teen! However, the poems address diverse issues, issues both lofty (the meaning of death, the fate of the world) and self-centered (crushes, family issues). I definitely believe that almost every girl could pick up and enjoy at least one poem in this book. show less

5Q, 4P I think that this book of poetry for girls is fantastic! I only give it a rating of 4P because I think it would take some convincing to get a lot of young girls interested in reading a book of poems. It was so full of lightness and depth at the same time that I was captivated. Nye's simple poems are heartfelt and resonate with me as a woman by reminding me of the young girl I once was. I can imagine that they would be equally powerful, if not more so, to a teen or young adult.

VOYA Ratings: 4Q, 4P

Sometimes silly, sometimes somber; this collection of poetry spans the emotional gamut of topics and scenes having to do with youth and growing up. The poignant and perceptive nature of poetry is well executed by Nye in this work and numerous poems and lines help to capture the fleeting beauty and stark realizations that come with retrospections upon childhood as it moves into adulthood.

Due to the highly personal nature of some of the poems - as poetry is highly personal and connected to the experiences of the author - many may feel like a bit of a hit and a miss to some readers yet there is still a plethora of sweet and bitter moments that will peek through the veil of memory, allowing readers to see within show more themselves as Nye looks back upon her youth. This book is truly a treasure that grows more beautiful with time. show less

4Q, 3P. This book is a beautiful and nostalgic collection of 72 poems that follow the author through a sort of "coming of age" process in five clear sections. While I didn't connect with every poem (who does, in a collection so large?), several of them strongly resonated with my own childhood experiences and memories. Most of the poems involve some gentle prodding or thought-provoking words, but none come across as preachy.

I'm not usually one to read much poetry, but this collection was very approachable. A good gateway into poetry for teens or pre-teens

4Q, 3P. Nye's poetry collection takes the reader through a maze of events, feelings, curiosities, and observations. A Maze Me: Poems For Girls offers endearing reflections, some with a touch of whimsy, others with provocative intellect. A gentle yet strong breeze of femininity is woven from poem to poem as Nye explores life, family, friends, school, desires, and dreams. Many of the poems look at the experiences of being a young girl. There's the little girl running on the beach, or the girl who misses her first grade teacher's reading chair, or the girl who remembers the smell of grandma's kitchen. While other poems address more mature concepts. Having a high school crush and dealing with growing out of childhood into adulthood. Nye's show more poems are varied and diverse. This is a good collection for introducing readers to poetry. However, I imagine a select female audience would mostly be attracted to Nye's poems. Specifically young teenage girls who don't have much experience reading poetry but are interested in trying it out. show less