Garvey's Choice
by Nikki Grimes
Told in verse, this wonderful book is the story of Garvey, a young man more interested in science than athletics, much to the disappointment of his father. At school he faces frequent bullying due to his weight. Things take an interesting turn, however, when Garvey becomes a soloist for the chorus. Will Garvey’s father approve of his new love of singing?
I flew through this book! I always tell my students that, if I open a book don’t budge from the couch until I’m done, then I know it’s a great choice for me. Garvey is a likable character and, the more I got to know him, the more I wanted things to go his way. Many readers will be able to relate to the situations that Garvey goes through in this story. I love how the story was told in verse, each page was like its own little poem. An author’s note at the end shares that the story is told using an ancient form of poetry called Tanka, and she also gives a breakdown of how it is written.
I had the opportunity to hear
Garvey's Choice author Nikki Grimes speak at the recent American Library Association annual conference in Chicago earlier this summer. What an outstanding person - I had not read any of her books until I read
Garvey's Choice, but I will be sure to read more of her work soon!
Author's website:
http://www.nikkigrimes.com/
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Told in verse, this wonderful book is the story of Garvey, a young man more interested in science than athletics, much to the disappointment of his father. At school he faces frequent bullying due to his weight. Things take an interesting turn, however, when Garvey becomes a soloist for the chorus. Will Garvey’s father approve of his new love of singing?