Garvey's Choice

An adaptation that expands the world of a captivating, much-loved character.

The verses are given a new visual life with excellent page designs and clever illustrations...An unusually effective use of the graphic novel format to bring poetry alive.

Gr 4-9--Garvey wants to connect with his father, but feels as though his dad can't accept him for who he is; Dad wants Garvey to be an athlete like his sister, Angela. But Garvey, who is Black, loves astronomy and chess; he escapes into science fiction to make himself feel better. Garvey's dad and sister criticize his eating habits, adding to insecurities he feels as a result of bullying at school related to his weight. His best friend Joe, who is also Black, is caring and supportive; a new friend, Manny, who has albinism, helps Garvey learn to ignore bullying and "crank up the inside volume." Joe encourages Garvey to try out for chorus; singing boosts his confidence and gives him a way to connect with his dad, who used to be in a band. Some of Grimes's original tanka poems have been adjusted, but the novel in verse adapts beautifully to the graphic novel format, and Taylor's art emphasizes the imaginative, poignant, painful, and joyful aspects in turn. Starry night sky illustrations, with characters outlined in white, are striking. Taylor often shows Garvey regarding himself in a mirror, and readers can see how Garvey's feelings about his appearance change throughout. VERDICT This format will attract new readers to a poetic, powerful story of growth. Highly recommended.--Jenny Arch

Copyright 2023 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year
School Library Journal Best Book of the Year 

Grimes' award-winning tanka poem narrative about a boy struggling to find a place for himself in his family and the world is adapted in this captivating, visually impressive graphic, which looks at Garvey from a slightly different perspective. —Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

★ Grimes returns to the novel-in-verse format, creating voice, characters, and plot in a series of pithy tanka poems, a traditional Japanese form similar to haiku, but using five lines.... (w)ritten from Garvey's point of view, the succinct verses convey the narrative as well as his emotions with brevity, clarity, and finesse. —Booklist, starred review for Garvey's Choice

★ Grimes' newest follows a young black boy searching for his own unique voice, lost among his father's wishes and society's mischaracterizations. This compassionate, courageous, and hopeful novel explores the constraints placed on black male identity and the corresponding pains and struggles that follow when a young black boy must confront these realities both at home and in school.... This graceful novel risks stretching beyond easy, reductive constructions of black male coming-of-age stories and delivers a sincere, authentic story of resilience and finding one's voice. —Kirkus Reviews, starred review for Garvey's Choice

Grimes tells a big-hearted story of Garvey...(e)mploying the Japanese poetic form of tanka—five-line poems (or, here, stanzas) with haiku-like syllable counts—Grimes reveals Garvey's thoughts, feelings, and observations, the spare poetry a good vehicle for a young man's attempts to articulate the puzzle that is his life. —The Horn Book on Garvey's Choice