Kevin has a bad attitude. He's the one who laughs when you trip and fall. In fact, he may have been the one who tripped you in the first place. He has a real knack for rubbing people the wrong way—and he's even figured out a secret way to do it with poems. But what happens when the tables are turned and he is the one getting picked on? Rhyme Schemer is a touching and hilarious middle-grade novel in verse about one seventh grader's journey from bully-er to bully-ee, as he learns about friendship, family, and the influence that words can have on people's lives.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful.
Courtesy of Mother Daughter Book Club. com
By Cynthia Hudson
Kevin is the youngest of five boys, and it seems to him that his parents have no time to think about him. One of his brothers bullies him, and he in turn takes it out on other kids in school. When the class nerd ends up finding Kevin’s lost notebook that contains poetry he’s written, the bully becomes the bullied. His situation starts to turn around when a perceptive teacher figures out how to help him address his issues and acknowledge his strengths.Rhyme Schemer by K. A. Holt examines how a sensitive soul can go off track. Kevin is smart and insightful, but he acts out at school hoping it will get him the attention he craves at home. His parents aren’t bad, they’ve just fallen into a pattern of believing certain things about each of their children and stopped noticing anything that doesn’t reinforce their perceptions. They’re also a little overwhelmed working and raising five sons.Told in free verse, Rhyme Schemer shows the importance of having someone believe in you and recognize the strengths you have. While the free-verse format makes it easy to read quickly, the text begs for lingering over or even a second reading to get the most out of the meaning. Here’s an excerpt from one of Kevin’s notebook entries:“There are people who talkso muchall the timeforeverwith words falling from their mouthslike crumbsfrom a sandwich.But then there are people who never talkhardly ever.Except with their eyesand their head-tiltsand their lips that can smile and frownat the same time.Mrs. Little says so muchwithout evereverSHOUTING ABOUT RESPONSIBILITY.”I highly recommend Rhyme Schemer for mother-daughter book clubs with girls aged 10 to 14. Issues to discuss include why kids bully and what can be done about it, from the perspective of all involved, including bystanders. Club members could even try their hands at writing poetry to share with the group.The publisher provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful.
Great read!
By mav
This is an excellent, engaging text to supplement anti-bullying programs in schools. It is a quick, fun read--I want to use as a read-aloud for the junior high classes I teach. I found the book personally encouraging as well. It was a great reminder to keep my family a priority in my life (as opposed to the upper middle class home life of the main character). This book also shows the importance that educators play in the lives of students--reminding us to go beyond worrying about standards and state testing! Highly recommend!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful.Verse Can Bring Our. . .w. . .Best.
By Paul W. Hankins
Kevin's story of being on "top" only to find himself at the "bottom" as a victim brings the situation of bullying to the forefront in K. A. Holt's RHYME SCHEMER. Interesting look at "Found Poetry" which will be appealing to younger would-be writers who have not seen this style of poetry before.
