Tag: Kwame Alexander

REVIEW: J vs K by Kwame Alexander and Jerry Craft

REVIEW: J vs K by Kwame Alexander and Jerry Craft

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

J is an amazing young artist who doesn’t like to read.
K is an amazing young writer who couldn’t draw a straight line if his life depended on it.
And they are both entering their school’s annual creative storytelling contest. And that makes them rivals.

J’s confidence wavers when he sees how his friends respond to K’s writing. What if he can’t deliver on a good enough story to compete? J’s friends loved his latest comic, though, which leaves K feeling flustered.

When J tries to subtly get some writing tips from K, K deliberately gives him terrible advice. And J tricks K into using his equally terrible “drawing secrets.” So they both create terrible stories that leave all of the other kids stunned.

Then a game of 2-on-2 basketball shows them what they can accomplish when they team up. What might happen if they tried that for the storytelling contest?

Review

This was fun, and I think kids will enjoy it. The illustrations weren’t 100% complete in my review copy, but what I saw was fun. The tone of the book is sassy, keeping with the rivalry of the two main characters – and the two authors. There are also great moments celebrating art, words, stories, and family. There’s a lot here for readers to enjoy.

There are tons of asides throughout the book from the two authors, Kwame Alexander and Jerry Craft. Those could become a distraction for some readers as they break the flow of J and K’s story. Other readers will likely enjoy the banter. I found them distracting, but they did keep the “rivalry” theme up throughout the book.

This would be a great mentor text for readers who love art, writing, and storytelling. And many classroom libraries would be well served by having a couple of copies of this on hand!

Rating: ♥♥♥½*

*♥♥♥½ = Good+

REVIEW: Solo by Kwame Alexander

REVIEW: Solo by Kwame Alexander

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Blade is a young man anticipating his future. Graduation is right around the corner, and college is approaching quickly. He has his music and the girl of his dreams. These should be his best days.

But he’s also

  • grieving the loss of his mother,
  • dodging paparazzi trying to catch a glimpse of the famous Morrison family going down in flames,
  • hiding from his girlfriend’s father who forbade her from dating him, and
  • disgusted by his father’s empty promises of staying sober “this time”

And when all of those things collide along with new challenges, Blade is off. Not to college, but to Ghanna Africa, in search of answers and in search of himself.

Review

Like other books by Alexander, this book is written in verse, along with song lyrics and other creative forms and references. I liked the unusual format. It’s amazing that he can tell terrific, effective stories with such sparse, carefully chosen words!

I had a hard time connecting with the characters in this one. I completely understood Blade’s emotional states, but I didn’t click with him like I had hoped to, or like I did with the twins in his book, The Crossover. Blade wasn’t the heart of the story for me. I did enjoy a couple other characters – like Joy and Sia, but not the others.

This book has been wildly popular with other early readers. If the story sounds interesting to you, I encourage you to give it a try. I usually enjoy Alexander’s work. I may just not be the right reader for this one.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher, Blink, for providing an electronic review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. [Some sources show this book releasing this week, and some say it will release on August 1.]

Rating: ♥♥♥