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    Planet Middle School
    Planet Middle School
    Planet Middle School
    Ebook161 pages49 minutes

    Planet Middle School

    By Nikki Grimes

    3.5/5

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    About this ebook

    New York Times bestselling author of One Last Word and Coretta Scott King award-winning Bronx Masquerade Nikki Grimes offers fresh novel in verse story about young heartbreak and hope.

    For twelve years, Joylin Johnson's life has been just fine. A game of basketball with the boys-especially her friend Jake-was all it took to put a smile on her face. Baggy jeans, T-shirt, and hair in a ponytail were easy choices. Then, everything suddenly seemed to change all at once. Her best girl friend is now flirting with her best guy friend. Her clothes seem all wrong. Jake is acting weird, and basketball isn't the same. And worst of all, there is this guy, Santiago, who appears from . . . where? What lengths will Joy go to--and who will she become--to attract his attention?

    In short poems that perfectly capture the crazy feelings of adolescence and first crushes, award-winning author Nikki Grimes has crafted a delightful, often hilarious, heart-tugging story.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBloomsbury Publishing
    Release dateSep 13, 2011
    ISBN9781599907277
    Author

    Nikki Grimes

    New York Times bestselling author Nikki Grimes is the recipient of the 2016 Virginia Hamilton Literary Award and the 2006 NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children. Her distinguished works include ALA Notable book What is Goodbye?, Coretta Scott King Award winner Bronx Masquerade, and Coretta Scott King Author Honor books Jazmin's Notebook, Talkin' About Bessie, Dark Sons, The Road to Paris, and Words with Wings. Creator of the popular Meet Danitra Brown, Ms. Grimes lives in California.

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    Reviews for Planet Middle School

    3.5/5

    48 ratings10 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Hm..I opened this book with intention of skimming it to get the jest, but it captured me and I couldn't stop-- I read it cover to cover immediately. I felt the poetry in this book in a visceral way. Grimes brought this girl to very believable life....but... I worry about whether this book should be chosen for a student. Here's the thing: the female protagonist in this book has been a 'tomboy' her whole life, but now she's got a rush of new hormones and suddenly she's caring about stuff she never has before (namely: boys). She's trying a new wardrobe, she's toying with altering her style of feminine masculinity, and she's getting frustrated with her seeming failure to get the guy's attention. For 'tomboy' girls who are the sort to 'grow out of' their tomboyishness, I think this is really fitting. But my concern is that characters like these are so few, that a child struggling with other points along the femininity-masculinity spectrum may feel as though she has no choice but to mature into the same types of choices that this character did.Female masculinity isn't relegated to pre-pubescent years for all girls, and not all masculine pre-pubescent girls grow into heterosexual preferences. I don't know...I'm just not convinced this book is the most careful selection. I know Grimes couldn't possibly discuss all the forms of femininity, but I worry a parent will see this book and 'assign' it as appropriate to her or his daughter based solely on the fact that tomboyishness is something so commonly accepted as a finite phase that should and will eventually end.
    • 4/5
      This novel told in verse centers around a girl who very much enjoys the sport of basketball. However, as puberty hits she begins to notice boys and wanting to change herself into a more feminine girl to get their attention. I like the perspective of the character in this book, and it may identify with some middle school girls experiencing the same issues. The author is a highly acclaimed African American writer, poet, and educator who loves to provide her readers with real-life characters.
    • 3/5
      Narrated by Sisi Aisha Johnson. "What's wrong with me?" Puberty drops like a bomb on basketball-loving tomboy Joylin. All kinds of alien events are happening to her: her first bra, menstruation, and now boys, including a crush on Santiago. Just because everything is changing, does it mean Joylin has to change, too? Narrator Sisi youthfully expresses Joylin's emotions and reactions, from confusion to embarrassment to affection.
    • 3/5
      Good story with a relatable protagonist.
    • 4/5
      Joylin's finds out that growing up is not as easy as she thought
    • 3/5
      This "story" was written as narrative prose (poetry) so it flew by. I'm not sure it even took me a full hour to read this. If you like rhyming poetry, this is not your book. There are no rhymes here. In fact, these poems read like short paragraphs. I liked it, personally, and I think it would make "poetry" accessible to my students.Joylin is a major tomboy that loves playing basketball with the boys. That is, until she meets Santiago. Suddenly, her heart is doing flip flops every time she sees him. She's even starting to change her look by wearing makeup, high heals, skirts, and earrings! Her friends aren't happy with her change because they know it isn't because Joy wants to do it. They seem to know that she is changing for Santiago, not for herself. When she realizes the truth, it's too late. Her heart is broken and her friendship with Jake lays in critical condition (along with Jake) at the hospital.This isn't a weepy story. In fact, there are some pretty funny moments. It's a nice coming of age story for a young girl. At the heart of the story there is a girl trying to find her place and make sense of the changes in her body. This isn't my typical read, but I can see it being a good fit for a tween reader.
    • 4/5
      Awesome story in verse about a basketball crazy girl growing up. All the confusing emotions and changes, quick paced, funny story telling, great message.
    • 1/5
      it was one of the worst books I've ever read only read because of book club.
    • 5/5
      AWESOME great book about growing up!
    • 4/5
      This book is very interesting and I enjoyed the way the author wrote the book

    Book preview

    Planet Middle School - Nikki Grimes

    Praise for Nikki Grimes

    PLANET MIDDLE SCHOOL

    An NAACP Image Award Nominee

    A Bank Street Best Children’s Book of the Year

    A Garden State Teen Book Awards selection

    Readers will appreciate the time they spend with Joylin, her family, and her friends as they live, grow, and learn as individuals and together. —School Library Journal, starred review

    Readers will cringe, laugh, and most of all relate to [Joylin’s] learning process as it is sensitively and sweetly depicted here. —BCCB

    Grimes hits the nail right on the head. . . . The vocabulary is rich, the characters well-drawn, and the scenes realistic. —Library Media Connection

    Accessible verse and clear themes of self-acceptance and open-mindedness ring true. —Kirkus Reviews

    ONE LAST WORD

    A Boston Globe–Horn Book Honor Winner

    A New York Times Editor’s Choice

    Gorgeous. —The New York Times

    "Every page of One Last Word seems to offer a new treasure." —Entertainment Weekly

    Will invariably inspire children and adults alike. —Kwame Alexander, Newbery Medal–winning author of The Crossover

    Timely and thought-provoking. —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

    A remarkable dialogue between past and present. —Publishers Weekly, starred review

    Innovative and powerful. —School Library Journal, starred review

    Artistic, literary, sociocultural, and curricular gold. —BCCB, starred review

    For my young friend and surrogate daughter,

    Sheila Northcutt,

    whose middle name should be Joy.

    Contents

    Heartsick

    Names

    Tom Boy

    Basics

    Sitting Pretty

    Signature

    Preacher’s Kid

    Conversation

    Jake

    Beginnings

    New Math

    Ridges

    The Usual

    B-Day

    Humiliation

    Planet Middle School

    Last Straw

    Hunger Pangs

    Early Warning Signs

    Oh, Joy

    Artiste

    Worthless

    Through the Walls

    Game On

    Busy

    Cravings

    It’s Official

    Period

    The Curse

    Lunch Line

    Text

    Bragging

    The Evil Eye

    The Produce Section

    It’s Not My Fault

    Not My Kind of Exercise

    Bell

    Locker Room

    Lunchroom

    Silent Shift

    History

    Risky Business

    Butterfingers

    Teacher

    Girls Will Be Boys

    After

    Santiago

    Dinner Chatter

    Speechless

    Boy Watch

    The Closet

    Message

    Apology

    Unspoken

    To Be Honest

    Lipstick

    Busted

    Help

    Advice

    Practice Does Not Make Perfect

    Useful Noise

    Hair

    Scar

    Enough

    The Plan

    Seven Kinds of Sorry

    Looking Back

    I’m Texting as Fast as I Can

    Woodruff Never Had a Chance

    Kudos

    Obsessed

    Reminiscing

    The Hang-Up

    Huddle

    Just Like Old Times

    Lonely Lobes

    Pierced

    Studs

    Doubt

    School Photos

    It’s Not What You Think

    Behind Closed Doors

    Homework

    Quick Question

    Practice

    Birthday Dinner

    Better Than Cake

    Told You So

    Heels

    Run

    Daydreaming

    Movie Night

    The Day After

    Skirting the Issue

    Caught

    Runway

    I Don’t Get It

    Fire Drill

    News Travels

    Sick to My Stomach

    What Are Friends For?

    Is Everybody Crazy Now?

    Hiding Out

    Glee

    The New Girl

    Aftermath

    Fuming

    Confession

    The Call

    S.O.S.

    Room 321

    Vigil

    Concussion

    Visiting Hours Are Over

    Gift

    Standing Watch

    The Old Jake

    Peg-Leg

    I Hate to Say It

    Readjustment

    Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?

    Acknowledgments

    Heartsick

    The emergency-room doors

    crack open

    and I feel my heart split.

    The hospital smell

    leaves me dizzy,

    or maybe it’s just my fear.

    What if I got here too late?

    What if my friend’s eyes

    never open?

    What if I missed the chance

    to say I’m sorry?

    Our fights seem silly now.

    But then,

    so

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