Planet Middle School
Ebook
Overview
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.
We are thrilled to welcome Coretta Scott King Honoree Nikki Grimes to the Bloomsbury list with this coming-of-age novel told in verse.
Nikki Grimes is a powerhouse author in the School and Library market, and someone whose poetry we have long admired. (Appearance already scheduled for ALA 2011 at "Poetry Blast").
Perfect reluctant reader book -- the short, funny, evocative poems make this a super quick, accessible read.
Building a more diverse list : Sell this coming-of-age novel right alongside Renee Watson and Tonya Bolden’s latest
Honest (often hilarious) details about adolescence make this a timeless and fun read for readers of any background, giving it a long life on bookshelves.
Award magnet: Nearly every book Nikki has written is the recipient of major national award attention--three times honored by the Coretta Scott King ALA awards, plus ALA Notables, a NAACP Image Award, BBYA choices, YALSA quick picks, a CNN Best Book for Kids, the list goes on and on. Her biography of Barack Obama was a New York Times Bestseller.
Mister is exceptionally well characterized. . . . The language is intimate and immediate.
In clear, short chapters, Grimes tells a beautiful story of family, friendship and faith from the viewpoint of a child in search of a home.
With exuberance, passion perception and wit, 14-year old Jazmin Shelby fills her notebook with glimpses of her life, neighborhood, family and dreams. . . inspiring and heartwarming.
- Title: Planet Middle School
- Author: Nikki Grimes
- Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens
- Print Publication Date: 2011
- Logos Release Date: 2024
- Pages: 160
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Ebook
- ISBNs: 9781599907277, 9781619630123, 1619630125, 1599907275
- Resource ID: LLS:9781599907277
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2025-04-22T15:30:14Z
Nikki Grimes is a New York Times bestselling author and the recipient of the Children's Literature Legacy Award, the Virginia Hamilton Literary Award, and the NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children. Her distinguished works include the Printz Honor and Sibert Honor book Ordinary Hazards; NAACP Image Award nominee Planet Middle School; Coretta Scott King Award winner Bronx Masquerade; Coretta Scott King Author Honor books Jazmin's Notebook, Talkin' About Bessie, Dark Sons, The Road to Paris, and Words with Wings, which was also named an ALA Notable Book; and What Is Goodbye?, an ALA Notable Book. She lives in Corona, California.
www.nikkigrimes.com