Blue Lipstick: Concrete Poems
Blue Lipstick: Concrete Poems
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Paperback ©2007--
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Houghton Mifflin
Annotation: Jessie, a 15-year-old girl, voices her teenage concerns in a collection of poems.
Genre: [Poetry]
 
Reviews: 7
Catalog Number: #4270381
Format: Paperback
Common Core/STEAM: Common Core Common Core
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Copyright Date: 2007
Edition Date: 2007 Release Date: 05/21/07
Pages: 1 volume (unpaged)
ISBN: 0-618-85132-1
ISBN 13: 978-0-618-85132-4
Dewey: 811
LCCN: 2006023332
Dimensions: 23 cm.
Language: English
Reviews:
Horn Book (Sun Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 1999)

Colorful photos and clear diagrams are matched with short explanations about skills and competition. The books will stimulate the reader's interest in riding for pleasure or as a competitor, but they are not a ticket to ride; riding skills are mastered when a child is taught by a qualified adult. While the books provide accurate facts and address issues of safety and instruction, they lack in-depth information. Glos., ind.

Kirkus Reviews

After suffering indignities at the pen of little brother Robert ( Technically, It's Not My Fault , 2004), big sister Jessie gets her chance. In full adolescent voice, she talks of the disastrous day she dyed her hair blue, the misery of pep rallies, the futility of talking to grownups and the path of a secret. As in the previous volume, the poems are shaped by their subjects, so in "The Bowling Party," the reader gets a bird's-eye view of Jessie's shots—a gutter ball, a fader, a feeble dribble and a strike in the neighboring alley. In "Go Look in the Mirror!" the words appear in reverse against an oval of blue as Jessie contemplates her appearance before going out. "All My Important Thinking Gets Done in the Shower," possibly the best selection, features gentle streams of blue words emerging from a showerhead, each forming a sentence completely unrelated to the one next to it. Although Jessie's progress through the year is far from smooth, she learns a few things about friends, boyfriends and cheerleaders. Necessarily lacking the startling originality of its predecessor, this is nevertheless a playfully worthy companion. (Poetry. 10+)

School Library Journal (Sun Jul 01 00:00:00 CDT 2007)

Gr 5-9 Grandits crafts his collections with the needs of poetry-phobic readers in mind. It isn't even necessary to crack the book, since the first poem, "Blue Lipstick," is cleverly placed on the front cover, surrounding a reflective mirror. This selection introduces readers to Jessie, who impulsively purchases blue lipstick, but later, regretfully decides to give it "the kiss-off." Jessie is big sister to Robert, who was featured in Grandits's Technically, It's Not My Fault (Clarion, 2004). As he did in that terrific collection, the author uses artful arrangements of text on the page, along with 54 different typefaces, to bring his images and ideas to life. Jessie's a typical ninth grader who spends much of her time squabbling with her brother; doesn't always see eye-to-eye with her parents; and is preoccupied with clothes, makeup, and dealing with bad-hair days. She confides early on that life is simpler when you build a wall around yourself, as "You've got to be careful who you make friends with." Jessie writes poems to her cat, believes in guardian angels, and though she's quick to form strong opinions, she's smart enough to revise them, too. In the end, she's still got her wall, but she realizes "now I've got more company." This irreverent, witty collection should resonate with a wide audience. Marilyn Taniguchi, Beverly Hills Public Library, CA

Reviewing Agencies: - Find Other Reviewed Titles
School Library Journal Starred Review (Sun Jul 01 00:00:00 CDT 2007)
Horn Book (Sun Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 1999)
Kirkus Reviews
School Library Journal (Sun Jul 01 00:00:00 CDT 2007)
Voice of Youth Advocates
Wilson's Children's Catalog
Wilson's Junior High Catalog
Word Count: 5,999
Reading Level: 3.5
Interest Level: 4-7
Accelerated Reader: reading level: 3.5 / points: 1.0 / quiz: 120058 / grade: Upper Grades
Reading Counts!: reading level:7.3 / points:4.0 / quiz:Q46155

A 15-year-old girl named Jessie voices typical—and not so typical—teenage concerns in this unique, hilarious collection of poems. Her musings about trying out new makeup and hairstyles, playing volleyball and cello, and dealing with her annoying younger brother are never boring or predictable. Who else do you know who designs her own clothes and writes poetry to her cat? Jessie’s a girl with strong opinions, and she isn’t shy about sharing them. Her funny, sarcastic take on high school life is revealed through concrete poetry: words, ideas, type, and design that combine to make pictures and patterns. The poems are inventive, irreverent, irresistible, and full of surprises—just like Jessie—and the playful layout and ingenious graphics extend the wry humor.

2% awake
Bad hair day
The wall
Talking to my stupid younger brother is like swimming upstream in a river to nowhere
Zombie jocks
Pep rally
Mondrian
Go look in the mirror!
Suburb of Atlantis
A chart of my emotional day
My brother the genius
All my important thinking gets done in the shower
Purr verse
Advanced english
Volleyball practice
Style?
The H-U-P song
Grownups talking: A+
Grownups listening: D-
Angels
The bowling party
My Absolutely Bad Cranky Day
Poems inspired by the free perfume samples at Carson's
Girls we have the solution!
Point A to point B
Allergic to time
Silver spandex
The name-your-rock-band chart
Tattoo and tongue stud
How I taught my cat to love poetry
The secret
Happy B*day, Mom
The wall (revisited)
Pocket poem.

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