Booked

Alexander, K. (2016). Booked. New York, NY: Harper Collins.

Nick Hall is a twelve-year-old soccer star.  His soccer team has just been invited to play in the Dr. Pepper Dallas Cup, and his best friend, Coby, is also going with his soccer team.  Nick loves soccer, but does not like reading and is often daydreaming in English class.  The school librarian, Mr. MacDonald, a former rap music producer,  jokes around with Nick, raps to him, and tries to get Nick to join the book club and read.  Nick also likes a girl, April, who is in his ballroom dancing class and is a reader.  Nick's mother is a horse trainer and has just been offered a job in Kentucky and is moving out.  Nick's parents have just told him they are separating for a while as well.  Nick is devastated about the news and has trouble sleeping after his mother moves out.  He has a tense relationship with his father.  His father is a professor and has written a dictionary, which he makes Nick read to improve his vocabulary.  As if Nick doesn't have enough going on in his life, two brothers bully him and steal his bike.  During a soccer game one day, Nick's team plays against Coby's soccer team.  Nick gets sick to his stomach and twists his ankle.  In the hospital, he finds out he has a sprain ankle and has to have surgery for a perforated appendix. He also finds out he will have to miss the Dr. Pepper Dallas Cup. His mom comes home to help take care of Nick.   While he is in the hospital, his English teacher brings him a book to read, All the Broken Pieces.  Mr. MacDonald comes to visit Nick, and reads the book to him.  Nick enjoys the book, and then reads another suggested by April.  The next book club is at Nick's house and his mom sets up a date for April to come horseback riding with them.  After the date, Nick and April begin to spend more time together and he asks her to the eighth grade dance.  Soon though, Nick's mom says she is going back to Kentucky for her job and that his parents have decided to get a divorce.  At the end of the story, Nick learns he must stop being afraid and stands up to the bullies at a pool party, gets punched, but he  gets his bike back.  Nick learns that there are disappointments and challenges in life, but that life has great things to offer as well. 

Kwame Alexander writes this book entirely in poetic form. Booked uses contemporary language and current topics in the poems.  The poems tell the story of Nick, who deals with bullies, his first crush, disappointment, the divorce of his parents, and a strained relationship with his father.  These are topics that young adults confront as they are growing up and can relate to while reading Booked.    Students that usually shy away from poetry will enjoy the poems in this book.  Alexander won the Newbery Medal Award for The Crossover, another book written in poetic form as well.