'You'd talk the whiskers off a catfish,'
Grandpa says, 'and the shine
off a new penny.'
I like to talk.
I like to spin stories,
this-is-what-I-did stories,
this-is-what-I-saw stories,
stories to make my brother giggle-bouncy
and wiggly as a worm,
stories to make my Daddy lean in
and hold me octopus-tight,
stories to make Mama's eyes
shine birthday-candle bright.
My name is Katharen but my friends and family call me Keet - Keet Keet Parakeet.
"I used to be Keet-Keet Parakeet.
I used to talk to anyone.
I used to talk anywhere.
But now at school,
words are peanut-butter sticky
and tight was lids on pickle jars."
This seems like a perfect book to end my reading year. It is a verse novel and I adore this genre. It is a book that I knew nothing about, so it is a surprise discovery. This is a book that celebrates the power of storytelling and the importance of courage to use your voice. I love the new friendship between Keet and Allegra. And the paperback edition (2023) of this book has just been published so we can afford to buy it here in Australia. There is even a poem you could use from this book when you talk about our CBCA (Children's Book Council of Australia) 2024 slogan - Reading is Magic.
Ms Lindle is the school Teacher-Librarian:
"Ms Lindle won't mind.
She says getting lost in a book
is a magic trick
which means that I'm a wizard."
I love Ms Lindle. When Keet enters a story competition I can hear her warm voice when she says:
"It's a good story, Katharen.'
'Really?' I ask,
'Absolutely-truly-ruly-
no-mistake-for-certain,' Ms Lindle says."
Moving house is hard for Keet and at school the other kids tease her southern accent:
"Grandpa, the kids say I talk funny.
They laugh at my words.
They're mean. Grandpa. And I don't like,
I don't like, I don't like school at all."
Blurb from the author webpage: Keet knows the only good thing about moving away from her Alabama home is that she'll live near her beloved grandfather. When Keet starts school, it's even worse than she expected, as the kids tease her about her southern accent. Now Keet, who can "talk the whiskers off a catfish," doesn't want to open her mouth. Slowly, though, while fishing with her grandfather, she learns the art of listening. Gradually, she makes her first new friend. But just as she's beginning to settle in, her grandfather has a stroke, and even though he's still nearby, he suddenly feels ever-so-far-away. Keet is determined to reel him back to her by telling him stories; in the process she finds her voice and her grandfather again. This lyrical and deeply emotional novel-in-verse celebrates the power of story and of finding one's individual voice.
Keet's is a simple and familiar-feeling story, but one that is understated, fully realized, deftly written, and utterly absorbing ... School Library Journal
Awards
- Winner of the Paterson Prize for Books for Young People
- Arnold Adoff Poetry Honor Award
Janice N Harrington includes ten different poetry forms in her story and these are listed at the back.
"This lyrical novel in verse effortlessly weaves together multiple poetry forms to introduce readers to Katharen, called Keet, a young girl who loves to talk and spin stories.... The poems effectively convey conflicting emotions; different styles (haiku, concrete, blues, etc.,) express moods and nuances without being distracting." Booklist
New Girl Blues
I got the New-Girl blues.
I got those back-to-school and don’t-want-to,
do-I-have-to-Mama? do-I-have-to? blues.
Blues in my thinking, blues
in my walk. Blue and lonely lonely
because of my New-Girl talk.
I got the New-Girl,
don’t-want-to-go,
don’t-make-me-go blues.
You could use this book with a class as a way to explore poetry forms plus there is a wonderful public speaking topic idea - The Dream Report.
I would pair this book with:
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