''Moving Day'' is a
young adult
A young adult is generally a person in the years following adolescence. Definitions and opinions on what qualifies as a young adult vary, with works such as Erik Erikson's stages of human development significantly influencing the definition of ...
book of poetry by
Ralph Fletcher
Ralph Fletcher (born March 17, 1953) is an American writer of children's picture books, young adult fiction, and poetry. He is also an educational consultant, and author of books for both children and professional educators on the art of writing ...
, illustrated by
Jennifer Emery. It was first published in
2006
File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
.
Summary
Thirty-four short
free verse
Free verse is an open form of poetry, which in its modern form arose through the French ''vers libre'' form. It does not use consistent meter patterns, rhyme, or any musical pattern. It thus tends to follow the rhythm of natural speech.
Definit ...
poems that express the feelings of a twelve-year-old boy moving from
to
Ohio
Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
. Some of the topics include packing, the discovery of long-lost treasures, giving things away, and doing things one last time.
Reception
Kirkus Reviews
''Kirkus Reviews'' (or ''Kirkus Media'') is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus (1893–1980). The magazine is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fic ...
said "The poet leaves pretension at the moving-van door and gives readers a real feel for the evocative emotions of a regular kid--and that regular kid was Fletcher himself. Emery's accompanying watercolor illustrations are like flashes of family history viewed through hand-swiped frost on windows of memory. They are simple, but they speak volumes. A fine collection."
Mary Jean Smith in her review for
School Library Journal
''School Library Journal'' (''SLJ'') is an American monthly magazine containing reviews and other articles for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, with ...
said that "like shards of glass, Emery's pencil drawings with their watercolor washes mirror the loss and longing in these poems." and she describes the book as "excellent in relation to other titles on the same subject or in the same genre"
Sylvia M. Vardell in her book ''Poetry People'' said that "the poems are loosely connected one to another to reveal the grieving process of separating from the familiar and slowly establishing new roots in a new place." and that "this collection is a reassuring voice for children who are dealing with one of life's most challenging transitions."
Notes
{{reflist
External links
Ralph Fletcher's websiteJennifer Emery's website
2006 poetry books
American poetry collections
2006 children's books
Young adult poetry books