Ordinary Hazards
A Memoir
Astra Publishing House · Print & ebook · March 1, 2022
Michael L. Printz Honor Book Robert F. Sibert Honor Book Boston Globe/Horn Book Nonfiction Honor Book Arnold Adoff Poetry Award for Teens Six Starred Reviews—★Booklist ★BCCB ★The Horn Book ★Publishers Weekly ★School Library Connection ★Shelf Awareness A Booklist Best Book for Youth * A BCCB Blue Ribbon * A Horn Book Fanfare Book * A Shelf Awareness Best Children's Book * Recommended on NPR's "Morning Edition" by Kwame Alexander In her own voice, acclaimed author and poet Nikki Grimes explores the truth of a harrowing childhood in a compelling and moving memoir in verse.
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- Who it’s for
- A childhood memoir shaped into verse, where writing becomes a sustaining companion.
- Themes
- Childhood adversity, Writing as a source of strength, Family instability
- Genres
- Poetry for Teens, Biographies, Orphans & Foster Care
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Start with this bookAbout this book
Michael L. Printz Honor Book Robert F. Sibert Honor Book Boston Globe/Horn Book Nonfiction Honor Book Arnold Adoff Poetry Award for Teens Six Starred Reviews—★Booklist ★BCCB ★The Horn Book ★Publishers Weekly ★School Library Connection ★Shelf Awareness A Booklist Best Book for Youth * A BCCB Blue Ribbon * A Horn Book Fanfare Book * A Shelf Awareness Best Children's Book * Recommended on NPR's "Morning Edition" by Kwame Alexander In her own voice, acclaimed author and poet Nikki Grimes explores the truth of a harrowing childhood in a compelling and moving memoir in verse.
Continue reading
Growing up with a mother suffering from paranoid schizophrenia and a mostly absent father, Nikki Grimes found herself terrorized by babysitters, shunted from foster family to foster family, and preyed upon by those she trusted. At the age of six, she poured her pain onto a piece of paper late one night - and discovered the magic and impact of writing. For many years, Nikki's notebooks were her most enduing companions. In this accessible and inspiring memoir that will resonate with young readers and adults alike, Nikki shows how the power of those words helped her conquer the hazards - ordinary and extraordinary - of her life.
Words as Companions
A childhood memoir shaped into verse, where writing becomes a sustaining companion.
Come here for
- An intimate memoir in verse
- The role writing plays in enduring hardship
Expect
- A harrowing childhood told in poetry
- A moving reflection on words’ lasting power
Where it sits
| Orphans & Foster Care | 74% |
|---|---|
| Poetry for Teens | 46% |
| Biographies | 45% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- Writers' Lives
- Orphans & Foster Care
- Poetry for Teens
- Authors
- Nikki Grimes
- Publisher
- Astra Publishing House
- Published
- March 1, 2022
- Format
- Print & ebook
- Theme
- Childhood adversity · Writing as a source of strength · Family instability
- Reading lane
- Writers' Lives