Locomotion | ABC Diversity Library | TinyCat |

2024-05-02 12:51 pm

Locomotion

by Jacqueline Woodson

Paperback, 2010

Status

Available

Series

Tags

writing, school, family, trauma, poetry, black mc

Genres

Children's Books

Collection

Children's Circulating

Publication

Nancy Paulsen Books (2010), Edition: Reprint, 144 pages

Description

In a series of poems, eleven-year-old Lonnie writes about his life, after the death of his parents, separated from his younger sister, living in a foster home, and finding his poetic voice at school.

User reviews

LibraryThing member Whisper1

WOW! What a wonderful book!!! It is no surprise why this author is the recipient of so many awards, including the Coretta Scott King award, a Newbery Honor medal and the Margaret A. Edwards award for Lifetime Achievement.

This National Book award winning story tenderly, poignantly, wonderfully tells

the tale of Lonnie Collins Motion. At seven, life dramatically changed for Lonnie and his little sister when their parents died in a fire. Now, at the age of 12, Lonnie still struggles with the aftermath.

Separated from his sister, Lonnie and Lili are placed in different foster homes.

Through a masterful, insightful teacher, Lonnie learns the power of poetry and the written word. As he puts feelings into words, he is able to unlock the pain and begin a life of hope.

Destined to be one of my top reads of 2011, I highly recommend this one!

Five Stars

LibraryThing member KatherineLo

Lonnie is an eleven year old boy grasping with the death of his parents and the loss of his sister to another foster family. In the classroom: introduction to poems, how to deal with the loss of your parents, glimpse of foster care

LibraryThing member DeltaQueen50

Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson is the moving story of Lonnie Collins Motion, an 11 year old boy who, orphaned and separated from his sister, is trying to come to terms with his life at it is now. We learn Lonnie’s story through a series of poems that he’s written. Lonnie records his good

days, his bad days, and his feelings of isolation created by the loss of his family.

He has been separated from his younger sister, Lili and misses both her and his sense of family identity

Lili’s new mama didn’t want no boys
Just a sweet little girl. Nobody told me that
I just know it
Not a lot of people want boys
That ain’t babies …

He dreams of the day that he and Lili can be together as a family again, but realizes that this is an impossible dream and that he must lean to accept seeing Lili on a supervised visit, once a month.

Lonnie’s poems reveal other issues that he is facing such as his relationship with his teacher, his feelings upon learning that his friend is sick with sickle cell leukemia, and his search for God.

A truly remarkable book, this author has captured the voice of one young boy with a handful of simple, heart-felt poems that resound with insight and truth.

LibraryThing member amandacb

n entirely in verse from the viewpoint of a 12-year-old boy, Locomotion gives the reader insight into a boy struggling with losing his parents to a fire and being separated from his sister. He lives in a different foster home than Lili, his sister. One of Lonnie’s teachers, Ms. Marcus, has his

class write poetry, and Lonnie embarks on a journey of observation and self-discovery with poetry. The book ends with a cliffhanger, almost, as Lonnie sees his sister moved to another house and his own future is uncertain. I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would, precisely because Lonnie’s poetry juxtaposes the mundane with the poignant. Many young readers may connect with Lonnie’s experiences and trials.

Some students may not "get" this book, especially if they are falling behind in terms of reading level. More advanced readers will probably gain the most from the book, as it requires an understanding of poetry and how to glean plot from verse.

LibraryThing member MSLMC

Written mainly in free verse, but contains other types of poetry.
Lonnie is recovering from the death of both his parents in a fire and the loss of his younger sister to adoption while he remains in a foster home.

LibraryThing member lindgoldman

Loved this book; main character loses his parents in a fire and must live in a foster home. He grows

LibraryThing member Hennigar

A story of Lonnie, an 11 year old who has lost his parents and has interesting living arrangements. The entire book is written through poems written by Lonnie. Each poem gives insight into what is happening in his life and each is different.

This was a very quick read and each poem was different. I

could hear Lonnie's voice through his writing and was able to connect with him. I couldn't help but think of the students that I will encounter with living arrangements such as Lonnie's and how I will be able to reach each. This book helped me to realize that students enter the classroom with unique experiences and that I cannot be quick to judge but rather need to get to know each of them as individuals.

In my classroom I would read this book aloud in multiple sessions in order to show students that poems can be written in multiple ways. Many of the poems within this book could also be used in mini lessons to show different styles.

LibraryThing member bkoopman

Written in poem form. A boy must deal with the issues of his parents' death, his placement in an orphanage, and difficult peer relationships and pressures. Poetry is well suited for capturing the emotional shifts of the protagonist. In the end, a relationship, and the love that binds it, is the

saving grace.

LibraryThing member GoodGeniusLibrary

This book is wrtten as a school-journal of poetry. The poems tell the life of an 11 year old, inner city, African American boy dealing with the death of his two parents and seeing separated from his little sister. Again, we see a heroic teacher dealing with a class of inner city kids.

WARNING:

Parents were killed in a fire--nothing graphic is described, but the emotions and visions of a young boy are described.

For a similar book, read Love That Dog by Creech. The two books, Locomotion and Love That Dog, are similar in that they are both about boys similar in age, deal with tragedy/death, show the love of poetry, progressively tell their story.

LibraryThing member curiousbutterpants

It isn't too often that a book makes you want to do something - just do something. Something big. Something important. There aren't too many books like that. But "Locomotion" is one.

Told through the poems of a young black boy in foster care, "Locomotion" makes you want to do something. The book

fills you with anguish and desire - a desire to fix the system. To - alright, maybe you can't fix the system, but to help out one child. To do something for kids like Lonnie, who have no control. Who depend on the decisions of others.

It's anguish to even have to think about making them, but after reading "Locomotion," you want to be the one making those decisions if they really have to be made. Maybe you won't get all of those decisions right... but you care enough to make them. And there's kids like Lonnie who depend on them.

That's what "Locomotion" does.

LibraryThing member readasaurus

Lonnie, a foster child, writes poems that explore death, school, family, and feeling different. This would be an excellent book for middle school readers and writers. Locomotion is a perfect resource for children in the foster care system or who have hard lives at home. School counselors or social

workers could use Lonnie's struggles as a starting place for discussion.

LibraryThing member ElenaEstrada

This book is written in verse, and this format lends itself to trauma literature. The poems tell a tragic story of a young boy named Lonnie who is in foster care because he lost both of his loving parents. He is trying to deal with his grief, and the loss of being separated from his sister. In

addition, the main character is an African-American boy who is also dealing with what it means to be black in America. Consequently, race relations are a theme in the plot. I feel poetry is a condensed format that can at times express much more emotion than prose. Since the literature contains a realistic portrayal of traumatic events, I would be cautious to recommend the book to any child. Reading a poem a day would be a great way to introduce the book to the class, in this way students can be mentally prepared for the sometimes depressing and sad tone in the book. I think this book could offer a lot of psychological support for many YA students who have gone through tragedy at a young age. These poems could validate strong emotions, and give students hope in the idea that life always gives us opportunities for new beginnings after loss.

LibraryThing member CChristophersen

This is a heart renching story told in poems by an 11 year old boy, Lonnie. We discover that his family has been torn appart by his parents death, his sister is adopted by a family and he is left to live in foster care. He talks of his everyday struggles and feelings. His teacher helps him by

incurraging him to write his toughts on paper. A very full book.

LibraryThing member twonickels

An admission: I do not like novels in verse. I know that the short lines and quick chapters can make them a great resource for some reluctant or struggling readers, but they're just not for me. Having already read most of Jacqueline Woodson's novels, I steeled myself to read her verse novel - and

found that this was one of those times that the form works. I feel pretty strongly that you need to have a really good reason to have your novel written in verse, and this book found one - it's a peek into Lonnie Collins' school poetry notebook. Lonnie has lost his parents in a fire, and he and his little sister are in different foster homes. He works out a lot of his feelings through his poetry notebook. Suggestions for topics and types of poetry are provided by his teacher, but Lonnie's writings usually return to the theme of family. He's a wonderful character - an energetic young black boy who has become very thoughtful since the death of his parents. It's nice to see an example of an inner-city school really doing some good in a kid's life - when Ms. Marcus introduces Lonnie's class to poetry it opens up a new way for Lonnie to express himself. Coincidentally, the Guardian recently published a list of Ms. Woodson's favorite children's books.

LibraryThing member mkschoen

Again, so moving. Who would have thought this would appeal to me? I don’t usually respond to stuff that’s out of my own background, so imagine how moving this would be to someone who actually has emotions or a heart. So, is there a way for me to like poetry that *isn’t* sad? Now there’s a

question. (Similar basic plot to Love That Dog, but instead we get parents dead in fire/in foster care/separated from little sister).

LibraryThing member theCajunLibrarian

Somehow Jacqueline Woodson was able to morph into a young African American boy coping with the loss of his parents in a tragic accident and separation from his little sister and write a book of poems from his perspective. The poems blend into a poignant, emotional story of struggling for hope and a

new sense of happiness.

LibraryThing member mmleynek

Personal Response:

I was hesitant to pick up this book because I don't generally like novels told in verse but I really enjoyed this book. The poetry offered an inside look at the character's emotions and allowed me to connect with him even though I have lived a very different life.

Curricular

Connections:

I think this would be a good example for my students of different styles of poetry and how to express feelings in poetry.

LibraryThing member Frye

Lonnie writes in poetry, because it's short, and using the many different styles of poem they are learning in class, Lonnie describes his life - memories of his mama and daddy; the fire that claimed their lives; living in the Home with Miss Edna; his little sister Lili and her new family; Ms Marcus

and school; race and religion.

LibraryThing member dylemon

This novel-in-verse told the story of a boy living in the foster-care system after an apartment fire killed his parents. Lonnie uses poetry as a form of therapy to vent his confusion, anger, denial, and frustration with his new circumstances, as well as his desire to reunite with his younger

sister, who is living in a separate foster home. I found this book to be a quick read and a real tear-jerker at times, particularly in the scenes where Lonnie meets with his little sister and tries to be brave and responsible for her sake.

LibraryThing member michelleraphael

Well written book with a deep core. A young boy is writing poetry to help him make since of his life. Through each poem, we see the main character grow a bit more, The poems are beautiful and insightful.

LibraryThing member Kathdavis54

A young boy is encouraged by his teacher to write poetry. By doing so, he begins to work through the pain of losing his parents in a fire. An interesting story told only in different poetry forms.

LibraryThing member ebruno

A book of poems written by Lonnie, known as Locomotion, serves as a coping mechanism. After his parents passed, he was torn away from his sister and sent to a foster home. Trying to stay in touch with his sister and just participating in everyday life, such as school and friendships, seem to be too

much. Lonnie writes his feelings down in different poetic forms helping him cope.

LibraryThing member Alexandra1600

An Incredibly powerful novel about a brother and sister who lose their parents in a home fire and how their lives change with new caretakers and a teacher that encourages Lonnie to express his feelings through poetry.

LibraryThing member derbygirl

(Poetry, fiction, young adult) Locomotion is one of the easiest poetry books I have read. I mean easy in the sense of how it flowed through the mind as one read. The story has been presented in a poetic form, though it is narrative and it makes for a refreshing read. The book follows 11 yr.old

Lonnie who has had to make many adjustments in his life since his parents died in a fire. He learns how to accept and express his grief through visits to his sister Lonnie, love shared with Miss Edna and by writing poetry for his teacher, Ms. Marcus. The story follows his journey through his poems. An obvious class project would be to encourage students to write their own poems.

LibraryThing member Elizabeth1977

Lonnie, a twelve-year old boy, is a foster child whose parents died in a fire four years ago. He reveals his thoughts and emotions about his parents, his sister whom he is separated from, his foster family, his favorite teacher, and his friends through various types of poetry.

Awards

National Book Award (Finalist — Young People's Literature — 2003)

A Horn Book Fanfare Best Book (2003)

Nebraska Golden Sower Award (Nominee — 2007)

Texas Bluebonnet Award (Nominee — 2005)

Boston Globe–Horn Book Award (Honor — Fiction & Poetry — 2003)

Young Hoosier Book Award (Nominee — Intermediate — 2008)

Massachusetts Children's Book Award (Nominee — 2006)

Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award (Nominee — 2007)

Utah Beehive Book Award (Nominee — Poetry — 2005)

Kentucky Bluegrass Award (Nominee — Grades 3-5 — 2005)

Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award (Nominee — Grades 6-8 — 2006)

William Allen White Children's Book Award (Nominee — Grades 6-8 — 2005-2006)

Nutmeg Book Award (Nominee — Teen — 2008)

Vermont Golden Dome Book Award (Nominee)

Judy Lopez Memorial Award for Children's Literature (Honor Book — 2004)

Coretta Scott King Award (Honor — 2004)

Virginia Readers' Choice (Nominee — Elementary — 2006)

IBBY Honour Book (Writing — 2006)

Maud Hart Lovelace Award (Nominee — 2008)

Best Fiction for Young Adults (Selection — 2004)

CCBC Choices (2004)

Children's Favorites Awards (Selection — 2004)

Capitol Choices Noteworthy Book for Children and Teens (2004)

Notable Children's Book (2004)

NCTE/CLA Notable Children's Book in the English Language Arts (2004)

School Library Journal Best Book of the Year (2003)

Book Links Lasting Connections (2003)

Language

Original language

English

Original publication date

2003

Physical description

144 p.; 8.25 inches

ISBN

0142415529 / 9780142415528

Other editions

Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson (Paperback)

More

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