This is a delightful and quick tale of a lower income neighborhood and an out of work teacher with plans to spruce up the neighborhood with a lot garden. Many obstacles come into play as these three unlikely friends bring together a neighborhood with the love of nature. ( )

This is a delightful and quick tale of a lower income neighborhood and an out of work teacher with plans to spruce up the neighborhood with a lot garden. Many obstacles come into play as these three unlikely friends bring together a neighborhood with the love of nature. ( )

Kate is a 12-year old city living in a large city. When her teacher decides to start a community garden in an abandoned lot, Kate discovers that she has a lot to offer. Told in free verse, "Grow" is a book that is similar to "Seedfolk", though told from just 1 voice. Like Kate, this book may inspire to garden with others!

Here are some lesson links I put together for this book, including a discussion guide - http://www.teachingseeds.org/1/post/2014/02/grow-a-novel-in-verse-by-juanita-hav... ( )

Reviewed by Julie M. Prince for TeensReadToo.com

GROW is one of those books that goes down easy. It just has all those elements that makes the reader immediately relax and enjoy the unfolding story. Beginning with great voice and characterization right on the first page, the prose in verse flows right through this entire book so that it's swallowed in one smooth gulp.

Kate may be the narrator of this tale, but Berneetha is the glue that holds everything together. When Berneetha the cat lady decides to grow a garden in the middle of nothing, twelve-year-old Kate is reluctant to help. Everyone is sure to think the two of them are crazy. Except, soon it's not just the two of them. As people join the crusade to clean up the empty lot, more than just a garden is grown from nothing.

"A weed is anything growing
Where you don't want it to grow.
I don't know
where Harlan lives,
only that he looks hungry most days
and he doesn't want
to go home in the evening.
I don't think I'll tell him
about that garden-book
theory of weeds."

This emotional story is shown in brilliant illustrations by Stanislawa Kodman, whose name will stick in my mind because I cannot forget the person who created these drawings. The simple, everyday items that are twisted into beauty. Junk into treasure. The theme of the book perfectly drawn out by both author and illustrator. What a team.

And not to be overlooked is the quality of the book itself. A silky smooth dust jacket, featuring brilliantly composed illustrations by Kodman. Large, light print on the inside that makes an already easy-to-read book even easier on the eye.

The only thing missing from this book is an award sticker. ( )

When Kate joins her friend Berneetha to clear a vacant lot and begin a community garden, Kate wonders why. Neighbors think they are wasting their time, but before long several others pitch in to help. The project pulls the community together and the community grows along with the garden. Kate learns to appreciate who she is and realizes she has unique talents. Kate blooms along with the garden, and learns that gardens grow and die and that life also has its ups and downs.

Grow is titled as a Novel in verse, but it reads much like prose and is great to share with a classroom audience. The quick read focuses on a young girl discovering her place in her community and in life. ( )