Ron KoertgeReseñas

“Stoner & Spaz” is a story about two possibly-but-not-likely average teens living in the L.A. suburbs. It is a great story, and Ron Koertge has terrific timing. Ben is sixteen-year-old boy with cerebral palsy who one day holds an extended conversation with one of his classmates, a girl who loves drugs. They have almost nothing in common, but become interesting events in each other’s lives. Despite, or perhaps because of, his grandmother’s disapproval, Ben falls for Colleen. But can he handle? Side plot: Ben is a film aficionado and his new divorcee neighbor is a free spirit that has dabbled in film-making with a documentary on heart-donor recipients. Ben decides to create his own. Some of the story are cliché and predictable. And the story plot is one expected from an after-school special. However, the details and dialogue Koertge levers are quite honest and real. He writes an interesting commentary on adolescent life today.

Poor. Cliched, a bit trite & stereotyped. :(

So this is the fourth poetry book I've read today. I love the month of April when I start my Poetry unit in my classroom. This book may just bet he one that pulls in my reluctant boys. Kevin loves nothing more than playing baseball. Suddenly he is knocked out of playing by a severe case of Mono. He barely has the strength to walk across the room. Not only can he not play baseball, but he can't go to school. When he isn't napping he has started writing poetry. His writer father has given him a notebook. In his father's office he finds a book about writing poetry that he sneaks to his room. He doesn't want anyone to know that he is writing poetry. For him this becomes a way of looking at and dealing with so many things in his life. It is a way of connecting with his thoughts and feelings about losing his mother. So loved this book. I can't wait to read the second one, "Shakespeare Makes the Playoffs".

Eh. If you’re looking for really thought provoking poetic twists on fairy tale stories, go find Anne Sexton’s Transformations. This one’s contemporary, and a really fast read, but the best thing about the book is the title. I suppose if you've got reluctant readers, it might be a decent choice, but it just feels like something dumbed down for teen readers.

There are a few fresh ideas in this---I enjoyed "Bearskin," "The Emperor's New Clothes: An Afterword," "Little Thumb," and "Wolf"---but much of the book's intended edginess seemed a retread of all the typical fractured fairy tale stuff: incest (maybe?), the tedium of ever afters, women who crave danger and abuse, selfish heroes and heroines, etc. I didn't really feel as though I was discovering anything new about the original stories or, for that matter, fairy tales in general. As for the poetry, while it may suit some readers, it didn't really sing in my ears or catch me up in its imagery or wordplay.

Now Playing: Stoner & Spaz II continues the tale of the fraught relationship between Ben Bancroft, the spaz, and Colleen Minou, the stoner. Ben wants to save Colleen from herself and her drug addiction and she is the only girl who he believes sees the real him and not his cerebral palsy. They became friends in the first novel after meeting at the movies. Ben is a budding film maker who has just had a successful showing of his first documentary at a local South Pasadena gallery, where he meets Amy or A.J., another budding filmmaker. Colleen left the event with another guy, confirming what Ben’s grandmother already thought about her. Ben knows his grandmother, who raised him after his mom left and his dad died, would prefer he fall for someone like A.J., clean-cut, upper class girl, with higher aspirations than just finishing high school and staying clean. Ben pursues a friendship with A.J. but comparing her to Colleen all the while, especially in the way she looks at him. He wonders what she sees and whether she is a potential girlfriend, whereas he feels he knows what Colleen sees, just him and he loves her for that. While Colleen struggles to stay clean, she convinces Ben to find and meet his mother with interesting results. He realizes maybe he wasn’t so bad off being raised by his grandmother. The all of thecharacters are well drawn including the secondary ones and readers will enjoy the disparate personalities of Ben and Colleen.

Ok sequel.

Not necessarily for middle readers (so why is it in my library?), LKaGiRD is a great, funny exploration into the psyche of fairytale characters without overstaying its welcome. The tales are short (between a page and a couple), to the point, and thought provoking.

a adorable heartbreaking good times, would read again.

Margaux is a beautiful girl who is just so tired of all the boys trying to hard to win her over all the time. Her parents are neglectful at best and emotionally damaging at worst. When she meets Danny, an earnest misfit with his own emotional baggage, she can't quite figure out why she is drawn to him. Together they try to forge the only normal friendship either has ever had.

I do not understand why this book received such fantastic reviews. It's such a tired trope: Beauty falls in the love with the Beast, the one person who never put her on a pedestal. As if that weren't enough, she learns to admit how much she enjoys being smart, because goodness knows pretty girls are supposed to keep their brains to themselves. And what do you know, the celibate relationship based on mutual interests and affection is more satisfying than meaningless sex in the backseat with the popular football player. The narration varied between omniscient and limited third-person in a way that was jarring; whenever Margaux's name was used, I realized I had forgotten it wasn't a first-person narrative.

I admit I did enjoy the sophisticated language and wordplay, but in the end it was just window-dressing on a hollow story.

strange free verse about the flip side of fairy tales. Some darkness, some humor, and a lot of weird...

This struck me as much more interesting and intelligent than those "twisted fairy tales" I had to hear about all through college.
I chuckled, I rolled my eyes, but most importantly, I wanted to finish each poem.

While laid up at home recovering from mono, 14-year-old Kevin Bolland turns to writing poetry to pass the time. A book of his father's describes the different poetry forms which Kevin experiments with. His poetry explores the issue of his mother's death, missing the game of baseball, girlfriends, his changed role on the baseball team, his illness. Later he meets Mira, a girl who shares his interest in poetry. Voice seems way intelligent and wise for a 14-year-old; poems are sophisticated despite his playing around with formats. I thought "Love that Dog" did this better. Some baseball action but not a significant part of the book.

Lib notes: Swear words sprinkled throughout, regular mention of drug use, scene of Ben about to lose virginity with Colleen.

This was a dark and edgy reimaging of 20 classic fairy tales. Told in free verse the author tries to use humor and a modern voice to intrigue readers. The book started off great with The Stepsisters, which was a retelling of Cinderella from the stepsister’s perspective. They are the abused siblings of a cunning and unruly Cinderella. I also enjoyed the twist on The Emperor’s New Clothes. The stories were short, which made for an easy read. Using silhouettes to illustrate the stories was really moving, they were both gritty and terrifying and the highlight of the book.

However, the majority of the stories were a bit lazy and confused. I wasn’t sure if it was because I wasn’t overly familiar with the original stories, but with several of the stories I just missed the point. I felt like there isn’t an audience for this book. A lot of the descriptive content was mature for young teen readers, but the voice was too youthful for an adult reader. The author left me a bit angry too. For example, in referring to the Woodsmen, Red Riding Hood stated "it's kind of, like, gay because as far as accessories go, scissors don't fit with the flannel shirt." It was phrasing like this that made me think the author was not in touch with the audience, he may have thought this was edgy for teens, but in fact it is just obnoxious. Teens want realistic content, not what someone thinks is realistic. Maybe other options will differ from mine…

This was a dark and edgy reimaging of 20 classic fairy tales. Told in free verse the author tries to use humor and a modern voice to intrigue readers. The book started off great with The Stepsisters, which was a retelling of Cinderella from the stepsister’s perspective. They are the abused siblings of a cunning and unruly Cinderella. I also enjoyed the twist on The Emperor’s New Clothes. The stories were short, which made for an easy read. Using silhouettes to illustrate the stories was really moving, they were both gritty and terrifying and the highlight of the book.

However, the majority of the stories were a bit lazy and confused. I wasn’t sure if it was because I wasn’t overly familiar with the original stories, but with several of the stories I just missed the point. I felt like there isn’t an audience for this book. A lot of the descriptive content was mature for young teen readers, but the voice was too youthful for an adult reader. The author left me a bit angry too. For example, in referring to the Woodsmen, Red Riding Hood stated "it's kind of, like, gay because as far as accessories go, scissors don't fit with the flannel shirt." It was phrasing like this that made me think the author was not in touch with the audience, he may have thought this was edgy for teens, but in fact it is just obnoxious. Teens want realistic content, not what someone thinks is realistic. Maybe other options will differ from mine…

This was a dark and edgy reimaging of 20 classic fairy tales. Told in free verse the author tries to use humor and a modern voice to intrigue readers. The book started off great with The Stepsisters, which was a retelling of Cinderella from the stepsister’s perspective. They are the abused siblings of a cunning and unruly Cinderella. I also enjoyed the twist on The Emperor’s New Clothes. The stories were short, which made for an easy read. Using silhouettes to illustrate the stories was really moving, they were both gritty and terrifying and the highlight of the book.

However, the majority of the stories were a bit lazy and confused. I wasn’t sure if it was because I wasn’t overly familiar with the original stories, but with several of the stories I just missed the point. I felt like there isn’t an audience for this book. A lot of the descriptive content was mature for young teen readers, but the voice was too youthful for an adult reader. The author left me a bit angry too. For example, in referring to the Woodsmen, Red Riding Hood stated "it's kind of, like, gay because as far as accessories go, scissors don't fit with the flannel shirt." It was phrasing like this that made me think the author was not in touch with the audience, he may have thought this was edgy for teens, but in fact it is just obnoxious. Teens want realistic content, not what someone thinks is realistic. Maybe other options will differ from mine…

Disturbing, yet amusing.

This is a study in fixed form poetry. Koertge does it so well, readers don't even know they are reading it. Superb. I love it. It's good it's short so one can take the time to savor each poem and decipher the various forms. Read through first to find out what's happening and then backtrack a bit, and go..."Hey! That was a sonnet!" Additionally, I hear, he's got a sequel coming out.

This is a study in fixed form poetry. Koertge does it so well, readers don't even know they are reading it. Superb. I love it. It's good it's short so one can take the time to savor each poem and decipher the various forms. Read through first to find out what's happening and then backtrack a bit, and go..."Hey! That was a sonnet!" Additionally, I hear, he's got a sequel coming out.

Jesus comes to Coaltown to comfort a grieving teen. Slim but funny and poignant. Raises some big ideas worthy of pondering. A savior that sports Chuck Taylor high tops is alright with me.

This was heavily cliched and trite. Really terrible writing at points. I'm disappointed.

This book has a very unique plot and the twist of the main character being able to talk to animals. Some parts are confusing though, it took a while to realize he thinks he's talking to animals but really isn't. 3Q3P The cover art is okay and I'd recommend this book to high school students. I chose to read this because I thought the title was interesting. BenA

Walker, a teenager grieving his brother's death, gets a visit from Jesus after praying for help. He and his mother, who live above the nursing home she runs, have been struggling to deal with Noah's death. This modern day Jesus spends some time with Walker and helps him come to terms with his loss.

This is a very quick read, written in verse, and in a lighthearted, humorous manner despite the heavier content. Good pick for reluctant readers.

Lexile: 390
AR BL: 3.1 UG
Recommended for: teens/tweens½

I teach a verse-novel unit in my eighth-grade class, and I'm always looking out for those which appeal especially to my young men, since not all of them are ready for Beowulf. Helping them understand that poetry is as much their purview as anyone's can be surprisingly difficult considering how much of literary culture has historically been dominated by men. This story of a teenage baseball player who gets mono and has to distance himself from his sport - and then return to it - does a good job of making poetry a form of not-unmanly expression and also introducing different types of poems, ranging from couplets to villanelles. Hearty on boyhood topics: sports, girls, parents, peers.