Falling Hard: 100 Love Poems by Teenagers

Peach’s Picks Rating


Title:
Falling Hard: 100 Love Poems by Teenagers

Author:
Betsy Franco, editor

Illustrator:
None

ISBN:
978-0-7636-3437-7

Publisher:
Cambridge, Massachusetts: Candlewick Press

Copyright:
2008

Length:
144 pages

Plot Summary:
Betsy Franco is well known as an editor of poetry anthologies for young adults. This collection focuses on love in all its shapes, emotions, and genders. There is even a love poem to a piano. The poems range in length from four short lines to five pages in length. The poems were submitted to Ms. Franco via email and came from male and female teens around the world, although most are from teens in the United States. Each poem is signed by the author and their age is given. The authors’ ages range from 12 -18 with the majority of poems written by 15-18 year olds. Some of the poems are humorous, comparing the feelings of love to flour and tortillas. Another poem is achingly heartfelt when describing the feelings of a former fat kid looking for emotional love, but only finding sex with men or women. Some poems talk about bi-racial love and longings.

Critical Evaluation:
The anthology offers original, authentic voices of teens. Most of the works are creative and vent feelings of sadness, happiness, longing, anticipation, lust, and romantic love. A few of the poems border on cliché, but most teens will not realize this as they read the work because the writings will seem fresh to them. The book’s design encourages browsing and the poetry is not arranged in any particular order. The layout is clean and the text is not dense, allowing an open design on each page and making the book easy to read. Each poem is provided its own chapter. Most of the poems are written in free verse and use analogies that teens will relate to and understand. Teenage angst is at its best in this book. At 144 pages, the length is not daunting to a student who is exploring the genre.

Reader’s Annotation:
(Note: An effective manner to promote a poetry book it to read one or two selections that represent the range of the book.)

Memories of You (page 143)
I miss you less than I thought I would.
I miss you more than I think I do.
I want you less than I thought I did.
And I love you more than I ever knew.

Dreams of Ivy ( page, 120-122, last 11 lines)
dance
dance
we dance.
“Ey mambo, mambo ya”
and he asks if we are lovers
“Sisters,” I reply
her Vietnamese fingers
lining my African shoulders
both brown
both bold
both beautiful

Author Information:
Married, three sons who collaborate with her as illustrators or as readers on audio versions of her books; written over 80 books; lives in Palo Alto, California

Genre:
Poetry

Curriculum Ties:
Use in literature classes, creative writing classes, and diversity discussions.

Booktalking Ideas:
Hear the voice of love from other teens: straight, gay, transgendered
Honest poems that will break your heart and heal it again

Reading Level/Interest Age:
High school

Additional Books by Author:
Editor of: You Hear Me?; Things I Have to Tell You; Night is Gone, Day is Still Coming

Challenge Issues:
Sexuality, homosexuality, language
Deal with challenge by having a challenge policy in place, selection policy in place (ALA policies). Meet with library administration if necessary. Provide positive review(s) from professional publications.

Why this work is included in Peach’s Picks:
The book received a positive review in School Library Journal. It receives five peaches for its authentic voice.

Amazon link:
http://www.amazon.com/Falling-Hard-Love-Poems-Teenagers/dp/0763634379/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1271995387&sr=1-1-fkmr0

References:
Franco, B. (2010). “About the author”. Betsy Franco: Children’s Book Author. Retrieved April 22, 2010, from http://www.betsyfranco.com/