Skip to main content

DR. BIRD’S ADVICE FOR SAD POETS by Evan Roskos


copyright date: March 2013
primarily marketed for: young adults (high school)

Dr. Bird’s Advice for Sad Poets by Evan Roskos begins “I yawp…” and ends, “Yawp!”  And if that isn’t enough to love, the middle is filled with quotes from Walt Whitman scattered amongst wise words from a pigeon therapist, and a story that is both genuinely funny and heartachingly real.  It is one of those stories that seems as if it was written simply for my own delight, but perhaps you, too, will fall in love with it.

James is a teenager who suffers from anxiety attacks and a depression that is possibly part of bipolar disorder, though no official diagnosis is named in the book.  His older sister was recently kicked out of the house by his emotionally detached parents after she is expelled from school for an outburst that resulted in a fight. 

As a means of coping with his mental state and the instability in his home life, James invents a pigeon therapist who listens to his deepest thoughts and fears.  He also finds comfort in quoting Walt Whitman, hugging trees, pursuing Beth (the adorable editor of the school literary magazine), and spending time with his only friend (who is both well-adjusted and burdened with problems of his own).

His story caused me to laugh out loud, though some of the language and humor is so mature that I will not admit which parts I found amusing.  The true strength of the story, though, is not its humor, but that it caused me bemoan the fact that this book was not around for me to have read when I was in high school and needed a story like this—a story that echoed the lives of so many of my friends. 

James is a flawed human living in a world that has no easy answers for him.  He is suicidal, his parents are oblivious at best, and although he does have supportive people in his life, the level of support he really needs is not easily accessible.  Luckily, James is the kind of person who can yawp when he needs to, and he is eventually able to save himself amidst his circumstances. 

Comments

  1. Linda BMarch 30, 2013 at 9:51 PM

    I haven't seen one of these posts in a while, or maybe I've been oblivious, Christy. The book sounds fun, and does sound great for high schoolers. I love your intro, hope a lot of your students read this.

    ReplyDelete
  2. ShannonMarch 31, 2013 at 11:50 PM

    Well, you've got my attention!! I want to read this book. I've got to find out what yawp means. :)

    It sounds like a story that so many young people are living and possibly don't know they are. Any book that reaches me through laughter and tears is A-OK in my mind!

    Thanks for the recommendation.

    Shannon
    http://www.irunreadteach.wordpress.com

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

TAKE WHAT YOU CAN CARRY by Kevin C. Pyle

copyright date: March 2012 primarily marketed for: young adults (12 and up) Despite the fact that the teacher in me sees so many lesson possibilities in Kevin C. Pyle’s graphic novel Take What You Can Carry , you should read it simply for the grace of its stories.   The artwork is as striking as the stories it tells.   Using artwork in two different colors and styles, Pyle tells the stories of two teenage boys living years and miles apart.   And yet, he communicates the universality in their experiences.   One boy is a Japanese American forced to move into an internment camp during WWII.   His family struggles to maintain their dignity and sense of peace under unbearable conditions. The other is a rebellious boy with an attitude whose reckless behavior causes him to wind up in trouble with the law.   To make amends, he finds himself completing community service hours in the most unlikely place.   I found my...
1 comment
Read more

NOTHING SPECIAL by Geoff Herbach

copyright date: May 2012 primarily marketed for: young adults (12 and up) This is Geoff Herbach 's sequel to Stupid Fast and continues Felton Reinstein’s story in true Felton fashion.   This is definitely a smart guy book—a book for smart guys, who definitely love a good chuckle. The story opens at the end of summer with Felton typing a letter to his girlfriend Aleah while flying in an airplane on his way to retrieve his younger brother from Florida.   The entire book is written as one giant letter to Aleah explaining how his summer led him to this moment in time.   After Felton and his brother Andrew got some help with their mother’s issues, Felton went right back to throwing himself into football and track—because he is stupid fast.   However, Andrew did not cope quite as well as Felton did.   Felton ignores his brother’s cries for help and continuously lets him down.   His brother ends up cooking up an elaborate plan to run ...
1 comment
Read more

THE SEA IN WINTER by Christine Day

  release date: January 5, 2021 primarily marketed for: Middle grades The Sea in Winter  by Christine Day is a gift to its readers. It is a book of quiet strength with much to offer.  Maisie is a ballet dancer who feels most herself when she is at the dance studio. However, at the start of this story, Maisie is coping with a serious knee injury that prevents her from dancing long-term. She misses her friends from dance and struggles to maintain those connections when she is no longer part of the dancing life they shared.  When her mom and stepdad plan a road trip to the Olympic Peninsula to visit sites of familial and cultural significance, Maisie stubbornly overworks her healing knee. She is determined to heal and return to the studio  faster than expected. Although her knee is the only focus of Maisie's wellness journey, it turns out there is more to healing than physical fitness.  Maisie is a quietly compelling character, but I was surprised to find myse...
Post a Comment
Read more