Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson

Locomotion is an anthology of free verse poetry written by a troubled youth. Lonnie's life is changed forever at the young age of seven, when his parents are tragically killed. He and his sister are sent to separate foster homes, and much of Lonnie's poems are written about wanting to be reunited with her. Thank goodness for Mrs. Marcus, his teacher, who takes him under her wing and plays the part of surrogate mother with love and tenderness. In fact, this novel wouldn't exist, if Mrs. Marcus hadn't encouraged Lonnie to write his feelings down on paper.

Jaqueline Woodson's poetic voice is heard throughout this free verse novel. She makes excellent use of the white space by carefully spacing her poems, and manages to throw in a haiku poem now and then to mix up the free verse entries. The poems are all written in the first person, and are so convincing that they read more like historical fiction than poetry. Like most free verse novels, the action in the book centers around an emotional event, and the event in this book is that of the death of Lonnie's parents, and the subsequent separation of he and his sister. Ms. Woodson is a believable voice of a troubled eleven year old, and this book is suitable for 6th grade readers. This book is a must read in today's intermediate and middle classrooms.

What I liked most about this book is how Lonnie's struggles were told so completely through poems. This book would have been totally different written as a novel, rather than an anthology of poetry. I loved how he does seem to get reunited with his sister in the end. The author did not have to provide that happy ending, but I sure am glad she did! I also noticed the theme of the Bible throughout the anthology, and I think it was a clever and effective literary tool that helped portray the characters' thoughts even more.

Key words: sickle cell, cowry, vaporize, epistle poem, occasional poem