The Rapid Reader

Purchase this book on Amaon here! One Last Word: Wisdom from the Harlem Renaissance is a middle grade collection of poetry by Nikki Grimes. Grimes uses the "Golden Shovel" method to combine poems from the Harlem Renaissance with her own words. This book also includes beautiful illustrations.  Sex: None. Language: None. Drug/Alcohol Use: None. Violence/Gore/Frightening Scenes/Death: Some poems discuss struggles with violence faced by African Americans. Final Note: This book was gorgeous! Not only will readers be exposed to classic poems, but Nikki Grimes does a fabulous job including her own works.

Up From the Sea is a YA historical fiction novel written in verse by Leza Lowitz. Kai was sitting in class when a 9.0 magnitude earthquake struck his coastal town in Japan. Not long after the earthquake, a huge tsunami swept over the town, taking many homes and lives with it. This is Kai's story, leading up to the earthquake and the months after. Sex: None. Language: None. Drug/Alcohol Use: None. Violence/Gore/Frightening Scenes/Death: The earthquake and tsunami scenes are pretty suspenseful. There are several deaths. Final Note: This was a quick read, but not an easy one. Leza Lowitz was living in Tokyo when the March 11 earthquake and tsunami struck Japan. She did a fabulous job telling this story from the point of view of someone who lived it.

Purchase this book on Amazon here!   Unbound: A Novel in Verse is a middle grade historical fiction book by Ann E. Burg. Told completely in verse, this is the story of Grace. When summoned to work in the Big House, Grace is forced to leave her family. Her mother warns her to "keep her eyes down and mouth shut," but this proves easier said than done. When Grace accidentally slips and reveals her thoughts out loud, she and her family are forced to leave and run to freedom. Sex: None. Grace mentions that Uncle Jim, her mother's husband, isn't her father. Language: None. Drug/Alcohol Use: Grace's mother and aunt give the small boys something to make them sleep while they're trying to get away. Violence/Gore/Frightening Scenes/Death: Because this is a book about a slave family running to freedom, there are several suspenseful scenes. The Missus in the Big House often threatens people with whippings. Final Note: This is a perfect book for middle grad...