Skylark

by Sara Cassidy

Angie lives in an old car with her brother and mother. Homeless after their father left to find work, the family struggles to stay together and live as normally as possible. It is difficult though. Between avoiding the police and finding new places to park each night, it is a constant struggle. When Angie discovers slam poetry, she finds a new way to express herself and find meaning and comfort in a confusing world.

Genres: Young Adult, Poetry

136 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

Sara Cassidy is an award-winning Canadian author of 20 acclaimed books for children and teens. Her early novel GENIUS JOLENE won the 2020 Sheila A. Egoff Children’s Literature Prize. Her middle-grade novel NEVERS was nominated for the Governor General's Literary Award in Young People's Literature and the Sunburst Award for Excellence in Canadian Literature of the Fantastic. Two novels appeared on Kirkus's Best Middle Grade Books of 2018 and 2016: THE GREAT GOOGLINI and A BOY NAMED QUEEN.

She is the author of the highly praised picture book FLOCK, and the wordless graphic novels KUNOICHI BUNNY and HELEN'S BIRDS, a 2021 Canadian selection for the Silent Books Collection (IBBY). Her board books include I MAKE SPACE, about creating boundaries, THE SUN IS A PEACH and THE MOON IS A SILVER POND, which received a starred review from Publishers Weekly.

Sara lives on Vancouver Island and loves to visit classrooms over Zoom/Skype/Teams. sarascassidy@gmail.com

Reviews

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Deeply affecting sensitivity... beautifully written... full bodied in its every aspect." - The Vancouver Sun

"A lot of power in a small package...without a wasted word. The result is an ultimately uplifting treatment of a difficult subject that is both accessible and artful..." - Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books.

"A very rewarding read and one in which at-risk students will find hope." - Resource Links.

"Skylark genuinely shows the reader the benefit of being able to express oneself through words, whether written or spoken…a pleasure to read." - CM Magazine

[Sandy Eichelberger · Rating 3 out of 5]

This Orca Soundings book is a short, easy read. Angie and her mother and older brother Clem are forced to live in their car as they await public assistance housing to come through. After Angie’s mother fell off a ladder cleaning windows, she couldn’t continue her job as a house cleaner. With bills mounting, and frustrated that he couldn’t better provide for his family, Angie’s father has left to seek employment elsewhere. Now the three he left behind are forced to spend their nights in their car and their days are spent at school or sometimes at the public library. The harsh realities of homelessness are vividly depicted. Angie must wash her hair in the school bathroom sink before the start of classes and Clem is forced to eat the food left behind by restaurant patrons as they depart, leaving part of their meal un-eaten. The teens don’t wallow in self-pity but make the best of their terrible situation. Clem is a wiz at BMX bikes but with limited funds and little sustenance, it’s hard to keep up with the best riders. Some evenings, while their mother works, the siblings spend time at a local cafe where people participate in a poetry slam. Angie is instantly drawn to the voices she hears reciting personal poetry. She begins to see her world through a poetic lens and decides to share them at the slam. The action moves swiftly and the story tells of homelessness and baring one’s soul with a tender touch. The use of poetry to give voice to Angie is healing to the character, helping her deal with the difficulties she and her family face. Teens who like to write poetry should find this an affirmation of its value and it may make others aware of the power of words.

[Sanjay Varma · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful book about finding a "lifeline" to see you through a difficult period in life. Angela, a fourteen year old living in a Buick Skylark with her mom and brother, is left once a week in a cafe while her mom goes to a housecleaning job. The cafe hosts an open mic and hearing the participants inspires Angie to try her hand at writing poetry and performing it on stage. The passage below captures some of the magical quality of the book. Angela has just added her name to the list of performers that night, and is quite nervous that she might forget some of the words:

"It took me three days to write my poem, or whatever it is. The next three days I recited it over and over, fixing little mistakes here and there, cutting a word or choosing a better one. I was mostly laying the track, though, burning it into my brain so it wouldn't fall apart while I slept. I wanted to get to a point where the words were all mine, forgettable as my own fingers, forgettable as my tongue, so I could then perform them-- bend them, whisper or shout them without getting muddled."

[Carol Kennedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this short, reader-friendly novel, Angela is a teenage girl who lives with her mother and brother Clem in their Buick Skylark, as they are unable to afford an apartment or house. Dad left a few months ago to look for work in another city, and Mom is unable to do much since her accident. Things are looking pretty grim. But then Angela discovers poetry slams, and finds that she has a gift for poetry. Both she and Clem have found interests and activities that take them away from their sadness. By pursuing these interests and actively working at maintaining their ties as a family, Angela, Clem and their parents manage to find hope and rise above their situation. The novel ends on a hopeful note as the family prepares to reunite and move into public housing.

[Katt Hansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book hits like a punch to the stomach. Gasping for breath, fighting tears, the pain overwhelms. And then comes that breath of air filling lungs again, the sweetness of it. The hope, the joy, the feeling of coming home.

Poetry slams, homelessness, a rhyme and rhythm that lilts with each poem and pulls emotions through a strainer until I can't help but write poetry myself where I should be reviewing. I loved this book. I didn't want to put it down.

[Kirsikka71 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very touching short story that nearly moved me to tears. This story touches upon what it is like to live in a wealthy country with no Welfare for its Citizens. A normal family "wobbles" due to lack of free Health care and no social safety nets in Place. Angie ends up with her mother and brother living in their Buick Skylark. She finds an outlet from her reality in spoken Word/poetry slams.

[Jesseweaver]

This book was very interesting. It had really good dialogue. The author made everything actually feel like it was happening. I liked the author made the characters in this book always have a positive attitude even though they were living in car. I would recommend that you read this book.

[Marissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice, quick read. The development of the characters was shown and described very well in this novel.

[Pink · Rating 3 out of 5]

ooohhhmannn finally finished a book. :P

This was pretty short and sweet. I really enjoy reading poetry slam books. :)

[Maha S · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was really good, that read in one day. It was quite short but worth it to read. It was cool ow the author described and person living in a car, poems called slams. I think you'll enjoy it.

[Eden Mason · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a great book about finding a passion and letting it flourish until you forget about an troubles. Only complaint was that I wish it was longer.

[Sheetal Dash]

This book seems interesting. Really wanna read it.

[Gillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Angie lives with her mom and brother in a pristine Buick Skylark. Things are hard but they live with what they have and remain both proud and hopeful. One night, on a rare visit to a local cafe, Angie becomes fascinated with the slam poetry readers - suddenly she feels like she has found a place where she belongs, among the words and the rhyming and the living the best life she can. Touching and thoughtful, I loved this book!

[moray sofia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Got me out of a reading slump. Also inspired me and made me think about how good my life actually is and that it could be worse

[Amanda Dicicco · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really don’t like books on poetry. But this was a cute read.