Summer Reads: Chapter & Verse (Stargirl)

Last Poetry Friday, I kicked off a series called "Summer Reads: Chapter & Verse" -- novels we have read this summer, paired with a poem that complements the book.

So far, we've paired:

THE GIRLS AT THE KINGFISHER CLUB (Historical YA) with Edna St. Vincent Millay's "First Fig"

DARIUS & TWIG (Contemporary Urban YA) with Gwendolyn Brooks' "We Real Cool"

Today, I'm thrilled to have guest blogger Janet Wong sharing her "Chapter & Verse" for Jerry Spinelli's YA novel STARGIRL. 

Buy the book here.
You will thank Janet later.

But first, Poetry Friday is hosted this week by the wonderful poet and educator Margaret Simon of Reflections on the Teche. Margaret has the round up of Poetry Friday posts this week.

Now, let's hear it for Janet!

Janet Wong is a poet, publisher,
and Poetry Friday regular.
Visit Janet's website
and Poetry for Children,
where Jane'ts co-publisher,
Sylvia Vardell blogs.

Stargirl is one of my favorite books. I read it before I knew Eileen, when it first came out in 2000, and read it again recently because Sylvia and I will be hosting a panel at NCTE (11/21/14) with Eileen and Jerry Spinelli on it and I wanted to have specific examples to talk about in our session. 

(AA aside: There is so much to love about STARGIRL. The Hot Seat scene. Senor Saguaro. The way the novel ends. If you visit Jerry Spinelli's website, you will see a scrolling message: STARGIRL has been nominated by Entertainment Weekly as one of the best YA novels of all time. Back to Janet...)

This recent reading was so different for me from the first reading because: 1) my son is now grown, so I've seen high school popularity issues from the hypersensitive eyes of a mother; 2) I now know Eileen and have received her delightful cards, so I can picture her as a young Stargirl; and 3) I kept thinking about Eileen's "Poem for a Bully," especially at that part where (I'll try to avoid a spoiler here) "that girl" [blanks] Stargirl and Stargirl then [blanks] that girl? Well, that is exactly what "Poem for a Bully" is about, isn't it? 

Poem for a Bully

by Eileen Spinelli

Somewhere deep inside you

there’s a softer, kinder place.

I know this will surprise you—

but I’ve seen it in your face.

Your eyes are often sad, although

you wear a surly grin.

Sometimes when you stand all alone

your “mean” seems worn and thin.

I wish that you would take a step—

a small but brave one, too—

and look inside yourself to find

the good I see in you.

©2012 Eileen Spinelli

from The Poetry Friday Anthology 

by Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong 

Posted with permission.

Eileen's poem "Advice to Rapunzel," on the other hand, is about the other major question in Stargirl: wondering if a person's goodness is too good to be true, which we see both in the skepticism of "Hillari's Hypothesis" and also in the behavior of Prince Charming at the critical moments. (Spoiler Alert!!! Stop reading now if you haven't read the book!!) Leo might not have had the heart of a toad, but we all [hoped] that he'd had more courage, right?—and that Stargirl had been more cautious. The dance scene makes it seem like she got over him quickly, but I'll bet her wagon pebble count was mighty low for a long, long time.

Advice to Rapunzel 

by Eileen Spinelli

Rapunzel, Rapunzel, Rapunzel beware.

Be cautious and wise

when you let down your hair.

Who is this Prince Charming

who claims to be true?

Who claims to be caring for

nothing but you?

Be sure you’re not blinded

by his gold and crown

before you go letting

your lovely hair down.

Is this prince a kind boy

who rides down the road?

Or is he a cad with

the heart of a toad?

Rapunzel, Rapunzel, Rapunzel beware.

Be cautious and wise

when you let down your hair.

©2013 Eileen Spinelli

from The Poetry Friday Anthology for Middle School

by Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong 

Posted with permission.

Janet Wong is a poet-turned-publisher who, with Sylvia Vardell, created The Poetry Friday Anthology series (PomeloBooks.com) that features these two poems by Eileen Spinelli (EileenSpinelli.com).

On her transition from poet to publisher, Janet says: I was at an NCTE conference when some teachers told me they needed more help with teaching poetry—specifically, teaching it in a way that worked with this "new thing" called the Common Core. A few months later, Sylvia Vardell told me that Texas librarians were clamoring for help with the new "Poetry TEKS," similar to the Common Core standards for ELA/Poetry. We had already collaborated to produce the PoetryTagTime series, the first original ebook anthologies for young readers, and we liked the feeling of being publishing pioneers. After some R&D, Sylvia and I came up with the "Take 5!" approach to teaching poetry; and The Poetry Friday Anthology series was born. 

One of the neatest things about our series is that, because of the Common Core and TEKS connections, we are reaching a whole new audience of teachers who aren't very familiar with poetry. Many teachers come up to us after a workshop to let us know that they've been avoiding poetry, which is why they needed to come to our session—to figure out how to teach it now that their students need to know at least some poetry basics. Sylvia and I have found ourselves with standing-room-only crowds where people don't know who J. Patrick Lewis or Joyce Sidman are—but when they hear a poem they like, you see their faces light up. I might be reading Eileen's "Poem for a Bully" or "Advice to Rapunzel"—two of my "regulars"—and they'll whip out phones to start videotaping. It's like it is with good barbecue, good soap, good anything--when you meet it, you know it. 

Janet, I agree. When I do poetry residencies, many classroom educators tell me, "I was afraid to teach poetry before. Now I love it." By modeling how to make the discussion and writing of poetry fun and personally meaningful for students, we are winning converts to poetry education.

Thanks to Janet Wong for this Poetry Friday guest post, and to the amazing Eileen Spinelli for giving us permission to share her poems.

Do you have an idea for Summer Reads: Chapter & Verse. Guest bloggers are welcome! For more information, find a full explanation of the series and a sample Chapter & Verse pairing at this post.