Garvey's Choice

irkus Reviews Best Book of the Year School Library Journal Best Book of the Year "Grimes' acclaimed novel in verse sees new life in comics format. Grimes' tanka poems...pair nicely with Taylor's straightforward illustrations, bringing to life Garvey's story of newfound self-possession. The energetic illustrations playfully depict his rocky journey toward a truer version of himself, providing levity at times but never shortchanging the most poignant moments...These charming, reflective poems are an ideal match for Taylor's endearing first graphic novel endeavor. An adaptation that expands the world of a captivating, much-loved character." -Kirkus Reviews "Grimes wrote the original version of Garvey's Choice in a type of Japanese non-rhyming verse called tanka. Although she slightly modified the text for this graphic novel, the effect still comes through: The story is broken into bite-size pieces, each page or spread depicting a single moment. Taylor's art has a minimum of detail but plenty of emotional impact." -School Library Journal "Grimes' award-winning tanka poem narrative about a boy struggling to find a place for himself in his family and the world is adapted in this captivating, visually impressive graphic, which looks at Garvey from a slightly different perspective." -Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books 'Grimes returns to the novel-in-verse format, creating voice, characters, and plot in a series of pithy tanka poems, a traditional Japanese form similar to haiku, but using five lines.... (w)ritten from Garvey's point of view, the succinct verses convey the narrative as well as his emotions with brevity, clarity, and finesse.' -Booklist, starred review for Garvey's Choice "(A) sensitively written middle grade novel in verse... (readers) will fall hard for Garvey, a tender, sincere boy who dislikes athletics. Grimes writes about adolescent friendships in a way that feels deeply human. A short, sweet, satisfying novel in verse that educators and readers alike will love." -School Library Journal, starred review for Garvey's Choice "Grimes' newest follows a young black boy searching for his own unique voice, lost among his father's wishes and society's mischaracterizations. This compassionate, courageous, and hopeful novel explores the constraints placed on black male identity and the corresponding pains and struggles that follow when a young black boy must confront these realities both at home and in school.... This graceful novel risks stretching beyond easy, reductive constructions of black male coming-of-age stories and delivers a sincere, authentic story of resilience and finding one's voice." -Kirkus Reviews, starred review for Garvey's Choice "Grimes tells a big-hearted story of Garvey...(e)mploying the Japanese poetic form of tanka-five-line poems (or, here, stanzas) with haiku-like syllable counts-Grimes reveals Garvey's thoughts, feelings, and observations, the spare poetry a good vehicle for a young man's attempts to articulate the puzzle that is his life." -The Horn Book for Garvey's Choice