I think this story could be told to primary students, but it would be read by intermediate to middle school students. This is the story of Octavia Butler and how she got into being a writer as well as the historical events that she experienced growing up.

Gr 5 Up—Zoboi's multimedia text gives new meaning to the concept of biography, infusing Butler's legacy of
dreaming and discipline with the vibrancy it deserves through poetry, newspaper clippings, sketches, handwritten
notes, and more. A stellar title worthy of its visionary subject.

Octavia Estelle Butler dreamed of the stars, and Ibi Zoboi uses prose and poetry to give us what she terms a "biographical constellation" of a Black woman writing science fiction when it was very much still a white boy's club.

Though written for children, the biography offers much for adults familiar with Butler's work may appreciate, from the titles of the sections ("Parable of the Sower," "Parable of the Talents") to lines in the poems referencing Butler's work. Zoboi does a nice job of introducing the time frame in which Butler grew up as well as giving biographical details. The poetry was less successful for me, but I just let the words wash over me and went with it. I get from the author's note that she was doing something very intentional with that aspect of the biographical "constellation," and I admit as a very picky poetry reader, it was generally lost on me, though others may appreciate her craft. The final section was interesting, in which Zoboi talks about meeting Butler herself and what affect she had on Zoboi's own writing. Mostly, though, I was left wanting to read a full-length adult biography to answer all the questions I still have. ( )

This biography, made up of poems, quotes, and brief biographical entries, gave me a sense of who Octavia Butler was and how she came to be the esteemed science fiction writer she was. I am not sure though who I could interest in reading this book, considering the youth I serve. It would have to be a very particular young person, a bit outside the mainstream of life as was Octavia. ( )

In a creative read, this biography of Octavia Butler is interspersed with poems and short chapters. It follows Butler's drive to write and create science fiction from an early age. Sets of poems are paired with short prose that elaborates on the poem and its connection to Butler's life. The book contains quotes from Butler as well as a section of images in the middle of the book.
It inspired me to read some of Butler's work! ( )