I know this book has been around, and I'm ashamed to say I'm just getting to it, but hey, it was worth the wait. Nikki Grimes combines poetry and prose to create a powerful novel about a classroom of eighteen teens learning to communicate their inner feelings through verse.
The individual voices are tied together by Tyrone who shares his story as he comments on the others in his class. With the help of Mr. Ward, their English teacher, the students use poetry to express themselves and in doing so, learn everyone is dealing with stuff no one knows about.
BETWEEN THE LINES follows Mr. Ward a second year as he introduces a new group of students to the power of poetry. His method is to use free write topics to inspire his students to share their thoughts on the page and then in Open Mike time regularly scheduled as part of his class.
This time Darrian takes on the role of "leader" as he comments on his own issues and those of the classmates he is getting to know through their poems. The students pass on their experiences in a Poetry Slam open to the school and public at the end of the semester.
Both books have awesome messages that are standing the test of time. English teachers could easily use them in their classrooms to inspire kids' writing and to teach the empathy so lacking in today's world. Don't wait as long as I didn't to experience these books, but if you have been passing them by, just know that better late than never is ok, too.
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