{"product_id":"ordinary-hazards-isbn-9781629798813","title":"Ordinary Hazards","description":"\u003cb\u003eMichael L. Printz Honor Book\u003cbr\u003eRobert F. Sibert Honor Book\u003cbr\u003eBoston Globe\/Horn Book Nonfiction Honor Book\u003cbr\u003eArnold Adoff Poetry Award for Teens\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSix Starred Reviews—★Booklist ★BCCB ★The Horn Book ★Publishers Weekly ★School Library Connection ★Shelf Awareness\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA Booklist Best Book for Youth * A BCCB Blue Ribbon * A Horn Book Fanfare Book * A Shelf Awareness Best Children's Book * Recommended on NPR's \"Morning Edition\" by Kwame Alexander\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn her own voice, acclaimed author and poet Nikki Grimes explores the truth of a harrowing childhood in a compelling and moving memoir in verse.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGrowing up with a mother suffering from paranoid schizophrenia and a mostly absent father, Nikki Grimes found herself terrorized by babysitters, shunted from foster family to foster family, and preyed upon by those she trusted. At the age of six, she poured her pain onto a piece of paper late one night - and discovered the magic and impact of writing. For many years, Nikki's notebooks were her most enduing companions. In this accessible and inspiring memoir that will resonate with young readers and adults alike, Nikki shows how the power of those words helped her conquer the hazards - ordinary and extraordinary - of her life.★\u003ci\u003e \"Ordinary Hazards\u003c\/i\u003e is a gorgeous piece of writing that also serves as powerful inspiration for any reader who has struggled and sought grace. Grimes's triumph over adversity is matched only by her skill with the written word--her memoir is accessible to poetry enthusiasts and detractors alike, and will linger long after the final lines.\"—\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eShelf Awareness, starred review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e★ \"With \u003ci\u003eOrdinary Hazards\u003c\/i\u003e, Grimes delivers a memoir in the form of a powerful and inspiring collection of poems. She details her early life through adulthood, and she unabashedly explores the highs as well as the lows. Young adults will identify with and connect to the many challenges explored in Grimes’ work, which delves into issues of love, family, responsibility, belonging, finding your place in the world, and fighting the monsters you know—and the ones you don’t. The memoir has heartbreaking moments—even soul-crushing ones—that will make readers ache for young Grimes and teens grappling with similar circumstances. But inspiring moments bolster her raw, resonant story, showing that there is always light at the end of the darkest of tunnels.\"—\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBooklist, starred review\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e★ \"Grimes potently conveys the way reading and writing can become ways not just to express oneself but to construct oneself, to articulate one’s identity, to map one’s mental and emotional territory. Readerly readers will find young Nikki inspiring company...\" —\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, starred review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e★ \"\u003c\/b\u003eAs poetically written as Woodson’s \u003ci\u003eBrown Girl Dreaming\u003c\/i\u003e with a story as hard-hitting as Sapphire’s \u003ci\u003ePush\u003c\/i\u003e....the striking free-verse poems powerfully convey how a passion for writing fueled her will to survive and embrace her own resilience.... (a) must-read for aspiring writers.\"—\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Horn Book, starred review\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e★\u003c\/b\u003e \"Grimes presents a gripping memoir in verse constructed from imperfect recollections of the hardship and abuse she endured as a child. Underlining the idea that 'a memoir’s focus is on truth, not fact,' Grimes courageously invites readers to join her on a journey through the shadows of her past...\"—\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublishers Weekly, starred review\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e★ \"\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e(W)ritten in highly readable verse and delivers a relatable message characterized by pathos and resilience... this book is an homage to the fortifying effect of written expression. School counselors can use this text as bibliotherapy for students in similar situations (and it) can also act as mentor text in classroom lessons on memoir writing or when teaching confessional poetry.\"—\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eSchool Library Connection, starred review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\"For award-winning children's and YA author Grimes, writing, faith, and determination were the keys to surviving her tumultuous childhood. Grimes recounts her story as a memoir in verse, writing with a poet's lyricism through the lens of memory fractured by trauma. Fans of her poetry and prose will appreciate this intimate look at the forces that shaped her as an artist and as a person determined to find the light in the darkest of circumstances. A raw, heartbreaking, and ultimately uplifting story of trauma, loss, and the healing power of words.\"—\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Grimes offers young adult readers the special treat of literary ingenuity in her new memoir... that doesn’t demand a time line.  This nontraditional memoir from a long-working and highly acclaimed author will speak deeply to young readers harboring their own interest in writing or otherwise squeezing art out of life’s spiky fruit.\"—\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eSchool Library Journal\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“This book is... a gut-wrenching testimony of pain, loss, resilience, and grace. Nikki is open about her truth and wrote it to make it accessible to readers of all ages. This book will heal hearts and open a lot of eyes. It will keep some kids alive and it will wake up some adults. This powerful story, told with the music of poetry and the blade of truth, will help your heart grow.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Laurie Halse Anderson, author of Speak and Shout\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“In \u003ci\u003eOrdinary Hazards\u003c\/i\u003e, Nikki Grimes has given us an intimate look into her life as a young person who found writing as a way to buoy herself in the choppy waters of her childhood. Giving us a glimpse into addiction, abandonment, foster care, and abuse, Grimes poetically guides us to her eventual acceptance and amazement. This is a testimony and a triumph.” \u003cbr\u003e—\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eJason Reynolds, author of Long Way Down\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Life, as Nikki Grimes so well puts it, is full of ordinary hazard\u003ci\u003es\u003c\/i\u003e, only she creates and accepts them in poems. Sometimes you want to cry... sometimes to laugh... but always at all times are you glad you are alive and lived with it and through it. Ms. Grimes writes, but some of us sing, bake, or build buildings or play sports. These, too, can be hazardous. But none of them is ordinary.” \u003cbr\u003e—\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eNikki Giovanni, Poet\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Each verse is a gift, showing us how to find beauty even in brokenness.”\u003cbr\u003e—\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eRenée Watson, author of the New York Times best seller Piecing Me Together\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“In \u003ci\u003eOrdinary Hazards \u003c\/i\u003eNikki Grimes gives us her raw, desperate, joyful, lyrical truth, while celebrating the life-changing, and \u003ci\u003e­\u003c\/i\u003elife\u003ci\u003e-saving\u003c\/i\u003e,\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003epower of words. Whoever you are, there’s something in \u003ci\u003eOrdinary Hazards \u003c\/i\u003efor you.” —\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eChris Crutcher, author of Whale Talk and Losers Bracket\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“\u003ci\u003eOrdinary Hazards\u003c\/i\u003e is an extraordinary book, a stunning memoir in verse that celebrates the power of the written word and the human spirit. Nikki’s story will be a life-saving read for teens who need to know that there is hope on the other side of the struggles they’re facing today.”\u003cbr\u003e—\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eKate Messner, author of Breakout and The Seventh Wish\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Can I use just one word in a blurb? Then it’s WOW! If two: Incredibly moving. If three: Poetry saved her. Four: That’s too easy. Instead I’ll tell you that if you read one book of poetry this year, or one memoir, make it this one. How the poet came out of her childhood with grace and good words is a miracle. How she wanted to share is a second one. That she did—a third. Just WOW.”\u003cbr\u003e—\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eJane Yolen, sometime poet, author of over 375 published books\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Memory is a capricious dance partner. Sometimes it overwhelms our brain, stomping with bold, defined images and thoughts, and sometimes it simply tiptoes around the edges of a whisper, a dream, a forgotten touch or glance. Nikki Grimes’s powerful memoir does both as she uses words, her constant source of strength, to tell the story of her childhood, which at times was both traumatic as well as triumphant. The strength that carried the child who would become the writer, the poet, the visionary was built on the power of words. She constantly and faithfully wrote in journals and notebooks and on scraps of paper because the words were her wings. Poetry became a necessary tool of survival for her mind and body and soul. This memoir, which she calls \u003ci\u003eOrdinary Hazards\u003c\/i\u003e, far exceeds the title. It is extraordinary.” —\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eSharon M. Draper, author of the New York Times best seller Out of My Mind\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author \u003cb\u003eNikki Grimes\u003c\/b\u003e is the recipient of the Coretta Scott King-Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement, the ALA Children’s Literature Legacy Award, and the NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children. Her books include her critically acclaimed memoir in verse \u003ci\u003eOrdinary Hazards\u003c\/i\u003e as well as picture books \u003ci\u003eKamala Harris: Rooted in Justice\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eBarack Obama: Son of Promise, Child of Hope\u003c\/i\u003e. She won the Coretta Scott King Award for \u003ci\u003eBronx Masquerade\u003c\/i\u003e and earned a Coretta Scott King Author Honor five times—for \u003ci\u003eWords with Wings\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eJazmin's Notebook\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eDark Sons\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eTalkin’ About Bessie\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eThe Road to Paris.\u003c\/i\u003e Visit nikkigrimes.com\u003cb\u003eON OUR OWN \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e1.\u003cbr\u003eNo one warned me \u003cbr\u003ethe world was full of \u003cbr\u003eordinary hazards\u003cbr\u003elike closets with locks and keys.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eI learned this lesson when Mom, \u003cbr\u003ewithout her cousin to fall back on, \u003cbr\u003eleft us daily with\u003cbr\u003ea succession of strangers \u003cbr\u003ewhile she went to work.\u003cbr\u003eOne woman was indisputably \u003cbr\u003ea demon in disguise,\u003cbr\u003efull lips grinning slyly\u003cbr\u003eas Mom waved goodbye \u003cbr\u003eeach morning.\u003cbr\u003e“See you after work,” \u003cbr\u003eMom said that first day.\u003cbr\u003eThe second she was out of sight,\u003cbr\u003eDemon’s smile melted like \u003cbr\u003ehot paraffin.\u003cbr\u003eSnatching up Carol and me,\u003cbr\u003e she dragged us, kicking, to\u003cbr\u003e the bedroom closet.\u003cbr\u003eShe shoved us in, quick as the witch\u003cbr\u003e in “Hansel and Gretel,”\u003cbr\u003ejamming the key in the lock.\u003cbr\u003e“You tattle to your mom about this,” \u003cbr\u003eshe growled, “I’ll comeback\u003cbr\u003eand beat the black off ya.” \u003cbr\u003eDeadly threat delivered, \u003cbr\u003eshe left for the day.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e2.\u003cbr\u003eI screamed, my puny fists pounding the door\u003cbr\u003e till Carol caught me by the wrists\u003cbr\u003eand held me still. “Shhhh,” she whispered. \u003cbr\u003e “It’s okay. I’m right here.”\u003cbr\u003eOnce my breathing slowed, \u003cbr\u003eCarol left me long enough \u003cbr\u003eto navigate the darkness.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eShe found suitcases to sit on.  \u003cbr\u003eSniffling, I perched on the edge of one\u003cbr\u003e and pressed my fingertips together.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e“Now I lay me down to sleep,\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eI pray the Lord my soul to keep.”\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI repeated those words\u003cbr\u003e like a chant.\u003cbr\u003eI was three years old.\u003cbr\u003eIt was the only prayer I knew.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e3.\u003cbr\u003eI should’ve prayed not to pee my pants.\u003cbr\u003eThe cramped and stuffy space \u003cbr\u003emade me wheeze.\u003cbr\u003eBrass fittings on the Samsonite case\u003cbr\u003edug into the flesh\u003cbr\u003ebehind my knees. \u003cbr\u003eBut worse yet,\u003cbr\u003ethe occasional roach\u003cbr\u003e skittered along my calf, \u003cbr\u003eup a thigh,\u003cbr\u003eand I would scratch \u003cbr\u003eand stomp and cry\u003cbr\u003e till it was off. \u003cbr\u003eNo one was around \u003cbr\u003eto wipe away my tears, \u003cbr\u003eexcept my sister,\u003cbr\u003ewho had tears of her own.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e4.\u003cbr\u003eDay after day,\u003cbr\u003ethe routine remained unchanged. \u003cbr\u003eDemon locked us up in the morning,\u003cbr\u003e then let us out and fed us just before \u003cbr\u003eMom came home from work.\u003cbr\u003eDespite the witch’s threat,\u003cbr\u003ethe minute Carol saw Mom, she poured out\u003cbr\u003e the horrors of that first day,\u003cbr\u003ebut Mom waved her away\u003cbr\u003e with a warning\u003cbr\u003eto quit lying.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e5.\u003cbr\u003eOne afternoon, \u003cbr\u003ewhen I thought\u003cbr\u003ewe’d live in the dark forever,\u003cbr\u003eI heard what sounded like \u003cbr\u003ea familiar voice.\u003cbr\u003e“Girls?”\u003cbr\u003e“Mommy?” I screamed,\u003cbr\u003e afraid to believe.\u003cbr\u003eBut the lock turned,\u003cbr\u003e the door flew open,\u003cbr\u003eand I leaped into Mom’s arms.\u003cbr\u003e “My God!” she said.\u003cbr\u003e“How long have you two\u003cbr\u003ebeen in here?”\u003cbr\u003e“All day,” snapped Carol,\u003cbr\u003ekeeping her distance. \u003cbr\u003e“I told you!\u003cbr\u003eI told you,\u003cbr\u003ebut you called me a liar!”\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e6.\u003cbr\u003eThe slap of words sent \u003cbr\u003eMom to her knees, \u003ci\u003eplease \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003ewritten all over her face.\u003cbr\u003e“I’m so sorry,” she whispered, \u003cbr\u003ereaching for my sister.\u003cbr\u003eCarol backed away.\u003cbr\u003e“Jesus,” Mom said. “What did\u003cbr\u003ethis woman do? Are you all right?”\u003cbr\u003e Where to begin?\u003cbr\u003eThere were too many answers.\u003cbr\u003eEven my big sister\u003cbr\u003elacked the language needed\u003cbr\u003e for them all,\u003cbr\u003eso we chose silence.\u003cbr\u003eBesides, it was impossible to guess\u003cbr\u003e which atrocities\u003cbr\u003eMom was \u003cbr\u003eprepared to hear.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e7.\u003cbr\u003eThankfully, my sister and I \u003cbr\u003enever laid eyes on that\u003cbr\u003ebit of walking evil again. Still, \u003cbr\u003eDemon lived inside us for years, \u003cbr\u003eembedded in our twin fears\u003cbr\u003eof the dark.Words have the power to change a life - or save it.","brand":"Wordsong","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46300173926629,"sku":"NP9781629798813","price":19.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9781629798813.jpg?v=1767734256","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/es\/products\/ordinary-hazards-isbn-9781629798813","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}