Words with Wings

Written by Nikki Grimes

Narrated by Mutiyat Ade-Salu

Gabby's world is filled with daydreams. Now, what began as an escape from her parents' arguments has taken over her life. But with the help of a new teacher, Gabby the dreamer might just become Gabby the writer. Written in vivid accessible poems, this verse novel is a celebration of one girl's indomitable spirit and of a teacher's ability to reach out and change a life. Review Quotes: * ." . . Grimes has written a novel in verse that is an enthusiastic celebration of the power of words and imagination. . . Always accessible, Grimes' language is vivid, rhythmic, and figurative. . . Grimes' words speak to the daydreamer in every reader." --"Booklist", starred review Review Quotes: " . . . Grimes packs substantial emotional heft into her poems, especially the way that Gabby's parents' separation weighs on her. . . her poems lovingly convey the rich inner life (and turmoil) of a girl in the process of finding her voice." --"Publishers Weekly" Review Quotes: * "In this delightfully spare narrative in verse, Coretta Scott King Award-winning Grimes examines a marriage's end from the perspective of a child. . . Throughout this finely wrought narrative, Grimes' free verse is tight, with perfect breaks of line and effortless shifts from reality to dream states and back. An inspirational exploration of caring among parent, teacher and child--one of Grimes' best." --"Kirkus Reviews", starred review

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Feb 21, 2014
• ISBN: 9781490613963

Nikki Grimes

New York Times bestselling author Nikki Grimes is the recipient of the 2016 Virginia Hamilton Literary Award and the 2006 NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children. Her distinguished works include ALA Notable book What is Goodbye?, Coretta Scott King Award winner Bronx Masquerade, and Coretta Scott King Author Honor books Jazmin's Notebook, Talkin' About Bessie, Dark Sons, The Road to Paris, and Words with Wings. Creator of the popular Meet Danitra Brown, Ms. Grimes lives in California.

Reviews for Words with Wings

[biblilakayayizan · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Words with Wings is a delightful ode to dreams and imagination. With each poem, young Gabby shares a size of her life, how her daydreams impact her everyday world. From her relationship with her parents to her school friends, the young girl shares her feelings and hope. As her parents separate, the little girl has to adapt to a new home and a new school. Daydreams help Gabby to escape the difficulties of life.Nikki Grimes’s words are so beautiful. Words with Wings is like a small novel, with each poem being a small chapter of Gabby’s life. I have been deeply touched by the story, which has a beginning and an end. It is a truly wonderful poetry book.

[jennybeast · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Short book for the dreamer kids, the word-touched, flyaway, distracted by imagination kids. Sweet, beautiful, thoughtful. Divorce in the background, story stays centered on dealing with the day to day challenges.

[heatherlinc · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A sweet story about how a teacher helps Gabriella capture her daydreams on paper. Suitable for younger readers.

[sullywriter_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

An inspiring, compassionate story celebrating imagination and friendship. That Mr. Spicer is one awesome teacher!

[jamdwhitt · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a really interesting style that may not appeal to all readers. It took me a little bit to get into it, too.This tells the story of a girl whose coping mechanism for a stress is to daydream. This is the story of the girl moving and changing schools, learning to make new friends, and growing up. The book is written in short poems and the poems provide glimpses into the girl's life, mood, emotions, experiences, etc. The weightlessness of daydreaming is, in a sense, felt through the narrative technique. This is a really interesting way to tell a story. I think it will naturally fit the thinking styles of some kids, but I think it's also a really cool challenge for all readers. What's interesting here is that the poems are complete entities that can relate to many adolescents, but when read as a whole, the poems work together to tell the story. I think this is great practice in linear thinking as well as building mental imagery of a building story. A lot of this story is left up to the reader in that we only hear one voice-- that one voice is translated through poetry that is, at times, quite emotional. So, it's up to the reader to empathize with the poems and really 'hear' the voice behind them so that they can connect a lot of the dots that would otherwise be connected through an omniscient narrator (or additional voice beyond the protagonist).

[kwolinski-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In Words with Wings, Gabby's parents are getting a divorce, sending Gabby and her mother to move and Gabby having to attend a new school. Gabby thinks of herself as a daydreamer and shy. Her daydreamer becomes a problem for her in school. Her thoughts take off and she wanders into her words. I enjoyed this book. Nikki Grimes shows abstract poetry through the thoughts of a child, suffering from missing her father and a broken home.

[4hounds · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Another book where I think if I were the age of the intended audience, I'd like it better. It was fine, and I'd recommend it to kids, but it wasn't quite right for me.

[asomers_8 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I just love books written in verse and this one is a one of the best I've read. This is a book for the dreamer in all of us. It is a book for people who love the way words can transform us, and for the teacher who needs to remember the child behind the behavior. This is one of the top five books on my reading list this year.

[supendleton · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a wonderful book written in poetry and told from the point of view of a little girl trying to cope with her parents' divorce, a new school, and feeling alone. Her poetry perfectly captures her thoughts and lets the reader into her "daydreams" which are written in verse. She has a hard time concentrated in school because of her imagination. I love her poetic thoughts. Words with Wings is one of my favorites. Here are a few lines: "Some words sit still on the page holding a story steady. Those words never get me into trouble. But other words have wings that wake my daydreams. They fly in, silent as sunrise, . . . " I wish the library would file another copy of the book under fiction; students may miss it in the poetry section.

[jdwalker-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

. Each poem played a piece in telling the story of a girl who was trying tofit into her life that had just been turned upside down. I loved how the author used thepoetry to convey such strong emotions and feelings from the main character. The poem on page 33 almost made me cry as it just really struck me when she talked about how she had a bad day and just needed to come home and be held by her mom until the sadness went away and she could breath again. Very well written and a great way to show students howpoetry can be used to convey emotion.

[knitwit2_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Very sweet story of a little girl who daydreams a lot. Other kids tease her, teachers are frustrated with her. Her mother is mean. She misses her father - parents recently divorced. Novel in verse - very quick read.