Publisher Description
This thought-provoking companion to Nikki Grimes' Coretta Scott King Award-winning Bronx Masquerade shows the capacity poetry has to express ideas and feelings, and connect us with ourselves and others. Darrian dreams of writing for the New York Times. To hone his skills and learn more about the power of words, he enrolls in Mr. Ward's class, known for its open-mic poetry readings and boys vs. girls poetry slam. Everyone in class has something important to say, and in sharing their poetry, they learn that they all face challenges and have a story to tell-whether it's about health problems, aging out of foster care, being bullied for religious beliefs, or having to take on too much responsibility because of an addicted parent. As Darrian and his classmates get to know one another through poetry, they bond over the shared experiences and truth that emerge from their writing, despite their private struggles and outward differences.
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About Nikki Grimes
Nikki Grimes is the recipient of the 2006 NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children. Her distinguished works include the ALA Notable book What is Goodbye?, as well as the novels Jazmin’s Notebook, Dark Sons, and The Road to Paris, all of them Coretta Scott King Author Honor Books. She won the Coretta Scott King Author Award for Bronx Masquerade. She lives in Corona, California.
About the Narrators
Cherise Boothe, an Earphones Award–winning narrator, has worked extensively in theater, film, television, and narration. She has appeared in numerous regional plays, as well as in television shows such as The Good Wife, Law & Order: SVU, and Gossip Girl. She holds an MFA in acting from New York University. She was a finalist in 2015 for the prestigious Audie Award for best multivoiced narration.
Sisi Johnson is
“a storyteller for a storyteller’s story.” From folksy to urban, her warm blend
of bite and sweetness wrapped in an accessible narration style sets the right
tone in such award winning books as Francie
and Feathers, and notable books like Romiette & Julio, for which she
received the AudioFile Earphones Award, and Dr.
Mr. President: Letter from a Slave Girl, for which she was selected to be
an Audie Award finalist. A long time resident of New York City, she now resides
in Los Angeles and happily travels between the two amazing metropolises.
Ruffin Prentiss is a voice talent and audiobook narrator.
James Shippy is a voice talent and audiobook narrator.
Almarie Guerra is an actor known for her work on Sorry You’re Sad, Dude Bro Party Massacre III, and Night of the Living Deb. She is part of an LA/NY based improv group, the Story Pirates.
Suzy Jackson is an Earphones Award–winning audiobook narrator whose readings include several novels by Charlane Harris, Jodi Picoult, and M. L. N. Hanover. She was co-winner of an Audie Award in 2018 for Best Multi-Voiced Performance.