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SWIMMING UPSTREAM
Middle School Poems
by Kristine O'Connell George
Illustrated by Debbie Tilley
"Middle school, with all its trials, tribulations, and
triumphs is portrayed humorously and poignantly through the
eyes of one girl . . . Students will relate to this voice
navigating "upstream" while they find their own place in the
middle-school wilderness." School Library Journal |
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IRA-CBC Children's
Choice
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Starting middle school can be confusing, exciting, or scary, or all
three. Suddenly, everything is different. Lockers. Moving from class
to class. Changing for PE. School dances. You have to make new
friends, do homework and take tests, deal with gossip, and maybe even
find out what happens when you like someone...and they like you back!
Scroll down the page or visit these quick links to learn more
about SWIMMING UPSTREAM: Middle School Poems:
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Awards and Reviews
SWIMMING UPSTREAM: Middle School Poems
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IRA-CBC Children's Choice Award 2003 |
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Rose Diaz Pinan Reading Aloud Collection |
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Nominated for Dorothy Canfield Fisher Master List, the South
Carolina Junior Book Award, the William Allen White
Children's Book Award, and the Louisiana Young Reader's Choice
Award. |
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World Book Encyclopedia - Outstanding Poetry Collection
2002 |
 "Readers
facing this upstream swim can get their feet wet here, and those
toweling themselves off afterwards will find much they can relate to
in this engaging volume." The Bulletin of the Center for
Children's Books
"Sweet and on key." Booklist
"Poems capture the myriad worries, minicatastrophes, and highs and
lows of the first year of middle school." World Book Encyclopedia
- Outstanding Poetry Collection 2002
Gr 4-7 "...a sometimes poignant, sometimes humorous, and always
engaging journey of self-discovery, illustrated with amusing
artwork." School Library Journal Curriculum Connections
"From humorous to angst-ridden, this collection offers verses that
will captivate your pre-teen." Scholastic.com
"This luminous voice is a real winner..." Adventures for Kids
"Grade 4-7 "Middle school, with all its trials, tribulations, and
triumphs, is portrayed humorously and poignantly through the eyes of
one girl...from making new friends and a first crush to teasing,
gossip, and a bully who may not be so tough after all...Students
will relate to this voice navigating "upstream," while they try to
find their own place in the middle-school wilderness." School
Library Journal
"The language is brisk and witty, highlighting many questions
important to middle graders: Where do I fit in? Am I up to the
challenge? How can I make it through the whole year?" Instructor
Magazine
"Kristine O'Connell George recalls middle school with bittersweet
clarity. Using a variety of verse styles the poems reveal a range of
topics... This collection speaks of small moments (hall passes) and
large moments (discovering other students' problems) and all the
moments in between. The truthful simplicity of the poetry,
illustrated by Debbie Tilley, will resonate with anyone who has
experienced middle school or junior high." Reading Teacher
"[George] writes of lockers and lunches, new friends and typical
experiences, as she tracks a child's first year of middle school.
She invites readers stepping across that (or any) threshold to
embrace change: "Where do I fit? / Nothing is clear. / Can already
tell / this will be / a jigsaw year" becomes, in "Long Jump," "I can
do anything. / All I need / is a running start," and by "Last Day of
School," "I am shining / from the inside out." [A] growing sense of
self-confidence, a promise of good things to come calculated, and
apt, to buoy up young grammar school graduates." Kirkus
"George's pithy free verse is a pass in and out of the hallways of a
tricky 'tween year... this book of poems reads more like finding a
secret insider's binder full of small distractions and successes.
Any middle-schooler reading this will feel less alone, and any adult
reading this will remember the days. A graceful gathering of
thoughts, and booklovers, don't miss the tiny treasure of a poem
"School Librarian" tucked inside!
Esmé Raji Codell Planet Esmé
"George's poems take the reader smack into the anxiety of a
sixth-grade school student ... Amusing black-and-white illustrations
by Debbie Tilley ... capture the real look of a middle school and
its students wonderfully." Post-Gazette
"This collection of poems, affirms the status, albeit sometimes
shaky, of the middle school student: worried about new friends,
homework, the combination lock; giddy and silly, but with an
awakening concern not only about self but also for others—the slow
student, the stutterer, friends, snobs, and did her report on the
teen-aged martyr, Joan of Arc, do her justice. George captures the
humorous, the humdrum, and poignant events in the lives of ordinary
middle school youngsters."
Mary Hurlburt Cordier, Associate Professor Emerita, College of
Education, Western Michigan University.
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Ordering Information
Swimming Upstream: Middle School Poems
by Kristine O'Connell George
Illustrations by Debbie Tilley
CLARION BOOKS A Houghton Mifflin Imprint
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Indiebound
Use this link to order online from that wonderful independent
bookstore in your own neighborhood.
Amazon
Any rebates from Amazon will be used to help fund children's
literacy and Internet poetry projects. |
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An American Library Association Great Web Site for Kids
Copyright © 1997 - 2012
Kristine O'Connell George. All rights reserved.
Acknowledgements, Site Awards, and Privacy Notice
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Poems, excerpts,
audio, video, text, and art images on this site are copyrighted and are
either original creations or used with
permission from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Content may NOT be re-posted or re-used electronically or in print without
permission. Please ask! |
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