Booked by Kwame Alexander

Summary of Booked Like lightning/you strike/fast and free/legs zoom/down field/eyes fixed/on the checkered ball/on the goal/ten yards to go/can’t nobody stop you/can’t nobody cop you… Nick Hall lives and breathes soccer. But when he’s sidelined by an injury, his word-loving father takes the opportunity to try to instill a love of reading into his reluctant son. Nick’s mother leaves for a job out of state, he and his best friend hit the skids, he’s dealing with a bully, and on top of all of that, he has to navigate the highs and lows of a first crush.

The walk to her desk feels like a death march. Each classmate you pass is eager and loaded, ready to fire. No other way to look at it. Everyone’s gonna know. April’s gonna know. You’re pretty much dead. A bead of sweat drops from your eyebrow. Ms. Hardwick had to see it hit her desk. You hand her the notebook. She glances at it, then shoots a look that says, You’re going down, Hall! Caught The intensity on your face is deafening, Nicholas Hall! What? Huh? If only you were concentrating as much on The Watsons Go to Birmingham as you were on that notebook of yours. Care to show us what you’ve been working on? It must be good, because your pencil’s been perpendicular for a good part of my class. Come up here. And bring your notebook with you.

Then She Smiles If there were an award for worst teacher, Ms. Hardwick would win hands down. She’s had a frown on her face since the beginning of the school year. So, when she smiles, you’re flummoxed. Well, it appears that Nicholas here has been doing a little bit of extra credit, she says, staring at your notebook. Now you’re really confused. She hands you back your notebook. Nicholas, would you please share this lovely new vocabulary word you’ve discovered. She winks at you when she says lovely. She’s gonna embarrass you in front of everyone. Do I have to, Ms. Hardwick? It’s such a wonderful, rhythmic word. Spell it for the class, please. You do, and then she goes in for the kill. Do you know what it means, Nicholas? No, you lie. (Why is she still smiling?) Let’s give Nicholas a round of applause. Everyone does. Even April. Class, your homework is to define limerence. and use it in a sentence. Whew, you think, as you walk back to your seat. (I survived!) Ms. Hardwick isn’t all that bad.

You escaped, but just before you sit down Winnifred raises her hand and starts spraying bullets everywhichaway. Limerence She says, from the French word limier. I can tell you what it means right now, Ms. Hardwick. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Go right ahead, Winnifred. Limerence is the experience of being in love with someone, commonly known as a crush, but not any old crush. A. Major. Crush. NICHOLAS B. HALL BELOVED SON. BEST FRIEND. SOCCER STAR. 2003-2016 DIED OF ONOMATOPHOBIA.* MAY HE REST IN PEACE. *onomatophobia [on-uh-maht-uh-foh-bee-uh] noun: fear of hearing a certain word. DEAD!!!!! (Page 115-119)

Extension 1. What metaphor is used throughout the second and third poems? Why is this an effective comparison? 2. What is the purpose of the stanza at the end that says, “NICHOLAS B. HALL?” 3. How would you characterize Ms. Hardwick? Why?