Rhyme Schemer

by K.A. Holt

Kevin has a bad attitude. He's the one who laughs when you trip and fall. In fact, he may have been the one who tripped you in the first place. He has a real knack for rubbing people the wrong way--and he's even figured out a secret way to do it with poems. But what happens when the tables are turned and he is the one getting picked on? Rhyme Schemer is a touching and hilarious middle-grade novel in verse about one seventh grader's journey from bully-er to bully-ee, as he learns about friendship, family, and the influence that words can have on people's lives.

Genres: Poetry, Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction, Novel In Verse, Young Adult, Family, Fiction

176 pages, Hardcover

First published October 14, 2014

Reviews

[Brody · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book made me depressed

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy cats that was a good read. I don't know if the Kevins, or Peteys of the world will read & learn from it, but the Kellys and Mrs. Littles will. And maybe the Robins and Harkowitzes. I had prickle tears in my eyes from almost the beginning, but was also laughing all through. I feel like I can understand something about bullies a little better... it doesn't necessarily take a criminally abusive childhood to create one, but there are ways that are worth trying to help one.

I do kinda wish I understood the parents a bit better. Does Kevin really know/ care nothing about them? I mean, are they really so stupid and awful that they'd have four boys in four years and name them all with "P" and then have another a few years later and name him with "K" and not realize that's a problem?

I like the band names. I like the Dewey notes. I love the 'found' poems (shades of the wonderful Battle Bunny)... but I do wonder about the texts, as I've read those stories and they don't seem like real true pages from the books but rather they seem edited to say what Holt wanted them to say.

Too many novels-in-verse these days are lame wannabees. This is real poetry, and really effective, and recommended. Worthy of being in the same class as Love That Dog.

[hawwa · Rating 4 out of 5]

On a sticky note stuck to the cover:

[re-read and mark all my favourite parts].

Sometimes

you read a book so

q u i c k l y

the words are blurs in your

peripheral vision,

flying by on paper wings

but

you still absorb them all

completely

utterly

fully.

Because that's the kind of book it is:

sticky page magnet chapters

pinning to your brain with

big balls of bright blue-tack.

Rhyme Schemer is that book.


One sitting,

that's how long it took to

finish.

But the poems are imprinted

in my mind, scrolling

over my eyes

churning through my thoughts.

And my hands itch

to rip paper from spine

with a sshh of

satisfaction.

Who knew page poems could feel so

good?

[Suzanne Dix · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love a book that features a school librarian as superhero! A quick and satisfying free verse novel about a 7th grade bully and poet. Not a common mix in a middle school boy but it is oddly believable. The interesting twist comes when the bullied boy finds Kevin's book of poems. The table turns quite dramatically and Kevin is given a chance, with the help of librarian Mrs. Little and new friend Kelly, to start over.

Excellent reading for the avid and the reluctant middle schooler.

[Mike Jung · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book! What the... How the hell did she do that? It's #$%&ing amazing! Funny, moving, inspiring, and not at all what you'd expect, RHYME SCHEMER is pretty damned close to perfect. If it doesn't get Newbery consideration I just might have to eat 20-300 doughnuts in protest. I'LL DO IT TOO, JUST WATCH ME

[Haylee Perry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok wait I loved this book?! This is a short book written as though we are reading 7th grader Kevin’s poetry notebook. It’s like Love That Dog but a little more mature, and it features Kevin’s blackout poetry that is REALLY cool as a teacher who tried to teach blackout poetry this year!

[Julian Valle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kevin Jamison was a boy that was constantly picked on, and picked on other people occasionally. He likes to write poems. Sometimes it was inside of books, by circling the words that were written in them. This all changed, when he was caught doing so, and also being blackmailed at the same time for it. This 163 page book, is a Poetic Drama. In my opinion, I would say that this is a well written, well thought out book. There is a very good plot twist in the middle of this book, where Kevin and a teacher he hates, Ms. Little, and they practically bond near the end, because she thought that Kevin was a good poet, and though he was talented.

In this book, K.A. Holt uses the setting of a middle school, and uses it as both the place and the time, but to be specific, the time would be current, possibly recent. The major events mostly during the climax. Kevin goes to school, and during that time, he is constantly bullied by his older brother, and he then reflects that towards his classmates, especially two people; Robin, the class nerd, and John, who is insinuated to be the gentle giant. Robin decides to get revenge when he finds Kevin's notebook, containing every poem he has written, and his passion to write poems made inside books, and starts to be blackmailed by him. A teacher sees his talents in poetry, and helps Kevin with his problems. She insists his family see his talents, and give him more attention. She invites him over to a school event, and even drives him there. He finds faith in himself finally, and his life just keeps going upwards from there. The conflict starts out as Kevin against a the principal, but gradually goes into Kevin versus Robin, who is short, and snobby, but was previously pushed around by Kevin, and wants vengeance.

The title relates to the book by making the entire book made up of poems, and makes them rhyme near the end, when Kevin has more faith in himself, and then puts more effort into it. The 1st person view of the story affects it by giving all the character's thoughts towards others, and his bias towards them. It also gives the reason to Kevin ripping out pages of the school books, and making poems out of them. The setting adds to the conflict, by making the main character young, short tempered, in a school where bullying is a problem, and he is part of the problem. The setting of middle schools also paves the way for the teacher, and savior of Kevin, Ms. Little to resolve the conflict. The main character, Kevin Jamison, is completely motivated throughout the story by his want for his family's attention. Throughout, it tells the reader that his family does not pay much attention to him, and that one of his brother, who bullies him constantly, gives him nearly no attention; when he does give him attention, he usually does it to demean him and his works. The text states, "My ideas are great but he never listens to me only to music with too many guitars. I could learn the guitar."

I loved how the author made Ms. Little the savior of Kevin, because it is so unique how they made her the heroine, and they likely thought well out of the box for that. I was also moved by how the author made Ms. Little force his family into noticing his talents, and appreciating them. The text states, "She walked in like a queen. Introduced herself. Apologized for interrupting, asked if she could borrow me. Dad couldn't say anything. Mom tried to say no. Ms. Little wouldn't listen, though. She called me talented. A poet. Paul ruffled my hair and smiled... She called me A schemer, no doubt. But also? Smart. Funny. Fragile." An interesting thing I learned from this book, is to look inside of people, walk a mile in their shoes, and to not just judge them by their behavior. I learned this from Ms. Little in the book looking into Kevin, and seeing that he is not given enough attention, and made other people, including her, give Kevin that attention. She even drove him to a school event, and practically bonded with him, and got him to spark.

I would give this book a 4, because it is very good overall, is a page turner, and gives good events, such as when Ms. Little befriends Kevin, but, because of the writing format of poetry, cannot give much detail or the stanzas could be too long, and wouldn't be fitting of the style. I would recommend this wonderful book to anyone that likes to read books about drama, and also anyone that may like poetry, as it does well in both categories. I would also recommend this book to anyone that is currently in middle school, as it could be interesting to be in someone else's shoes, that is around the same age. Kevin was a young adult, in search of ideas for poems, but there were a few problems. He was repeatedly bullied, and because of it, reflected it on other people. Whenever he found ideas, they were usually in books, and because he wrote them in books, he would get in trouble for doing so, as it would be defacing property of the school, and destroying property, but he will in the end get a happy ending.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

What if you found the school bully's personal notebook, and it was packed full of poetry he had written? Revenge time, right?! At first I thought Kevin deserved everything he was getting back from poor Robin, who had been his punching bag for some time. But every bully has a reason why, and through Kevin's verse you slowly learn why he acts the way he does. And of course I love that it's a librarian who sees Kevin's talents and reaches out to him.

[Tammy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this! I didn't want to read it. I think the poetry/novel thing is overdone. Holt's use of rhythm and vocabulary is wonderful. The use of poetic conventions (simile, metaphor, onomatopoeia, allusion, imagery...) is abundant. I could definitely see this as a book circle or even whole class book. Low lexile, high interest. Great for some less-accomplished readers.

[Ruby D · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book! Very quick read if you want a short book. This book is about a boy named Kevin who lives a hard life, always getting into trouble, and getting sent to Principal Hartwick's office. Kevin is making black-out poetry with the library books using his feelings, later receiving the name the "poetry bandit". I think that this story has an overall good lesson about a kid who becomes a bully into someone who knows what it feels like to be treated wrongly.

[Jennifer Wolf · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love books written in verse, especially when the main character is an intentional poet. I always think back to Love That Dog. Both stories feature relatable adolescent boys who use poetry (willingly or not) to learn about themselves.

[Cheryl Michulka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this! I'm looking forward to sharing it, discussing it, and copying the found poetry idea with students. Thank you for providing an ARC at TLA 2014

[Jen Bigheart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this novel in verse!

[jisdle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting book, overall I really loved it.

[Ammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little predictable and unbelievable but well written with a good message. Worth the quick read. There are several humorous spots.

[Jake Castaneda · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Rhyme Schemer" is a book written by K.A Holt. This book is written through the eyes of Kevin, the story's main character. Kevin writes about every day since the beginning of 7th grade, and he does this in poetry form. So Kevin's poetry is like a journal in which he writes in every day. This book is realistic fiction, and I personally did really enjoy this book. The main character Kevin tells readers about everything going on in his life while writing poetry. The poetry was not boring, as it was very enjoyable to read and it did not put me to sleep as most poetry would!

Kevin can easily be seen as a bully to the other kids in his school. In the First chapter, or day of the book, Kevin talks about how small and nerdy most of the kids are, and how he is the "king of seventh grade." Through Kevin's writing, you can easily see more than a bully. He really loves poetry, and especially writing it. Kevin was the poetry bandit at his school, as he would write a unique form of poetry. He ripped pages of books from the library out and connected words to make out sentences, or his special poetry. He will later get discovered by doing this, and also often get in trouble. Kevin lives with multiple people. He lives with his mom and dad, and also his brothers Pete, Philip, Paul, and Patrick who doesn't live in the household because hes at college. Kevin is the youngest out of all of them, and he says he was "The Accident". This story takes place in multiple places, as he often wrote about being at school, home, and other events such as the poetry night and a restaurant.

Kevin did not get along with everyone at the school. One kid named Robin, was an annoying kid to Kevin. Robin was a huge part of the story, as especially when he took Kevin's notebook. Kevin's notebook had many secrets, and Robin made Kevin do stuff or else he would reveal the secrets. Kevin was hiding the fact that he was the "Poetry Bandit", and Robin threatened to tell teachers he was the one behind the library "vandalism". The teachers and principle had warned Kevin if any more trouble came up, there would be serious consequences. So Kevin was really nervous and Robin was a problem. Now, what Robin wanted is to be the Poetry Bandit. He didn't want to write any of it, so he made Kevin do write his poetry and Robin would take the credit once caught for popularity. Kevin really had no choice but to write it, and wrote Robin's name. When teachers saw this, they had really known it was not Robin but Kevin, as they sort of knew he was the culprit, but didn't have the evidence needed. So Robin and Kevin are really sort of enemies, and they often fought during recess and Kevin hits Robin. They sure didn't like each other!

The theme of this story is probably to believe and don't stop going for want you love and want to do. Kevin loved poetry, and especially writing it, and kids would call him a loser and chant, "Poetry Boy!" in an insulting way to him. Although, Kevin didn't stop writing poetry because other kids didn't consider cool, or thought it was for losers. He continued to do what he loved and didn't stop. In the text it talks about how a paper asking every student if Kevin was a loser, and every kid said they agreed he was. Most kids thought he was a loser for poetry, and although Kevin didn't like that, he didn't terminate his love for poetry.

This story is told in 1st person by Kevin, and that has a huge affect on the story. Kevin tells the story like if he were writing in a journal, and he tells us his thoughts and feelings on what is happening in his life. If this story were told through the eyes of a different character, the story would be 100% different, as the thoughts of someone else were now the story, and not Kevin's. The first person aspect of the story was very interesting, as it was entertaining to be "inside" of Kevin's head, and as we know what was going through his mind, and his view of the world around him.
I think that the title of this book was a perfect fit, and an excellent choice. The title is "Rhyme Schemer" obviously. The first word is rhyme, which relates to the poetry Kevin writes, and the second word is Schemer, which means a person involved in a secret or plan. The plan or secret was Kevin being the "Poetry Bandit", and keeping the fact of his poetry in library books secret. This was a well thought title, and I thought it was a really smart choice.

My overall opinion for this book is very good. This book was told in an very entertaining form of poetry, "written" by a character. The book was fairly messing event wise toward the very beginning, but as I read events came together and everything made more sense. I really enjoyed Kevin's role in the story, as he was a bold character and very interesting to read about. I am also impressed on how the author managed to write this book in poetry form, and make it interesting, so that was a big thumbs up for the book.
I would give this book a solid 4 out of 5 stars because of the fact it was a well told, entertaining story, which was surprising because of the fact it was poetry. When I first noticed this book was in poetry for, I hesitated because I am not the biggest fan of poetry. But as I read, I noticed it was more of a journal of a kid who is 13 years old, and it was an interesting story. So for readers out there who aren't big fans of poetry, definitively give this one a try like I did, and maybe you'll like it like I did.
So yes, I hope you enjoyed my review of the book Rhyme Schemer by K.A Holt, it was a really good one, and I hope you decided whether or not to give it a try. hAVe a G0o WUh!

[Leah Russo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book really grabbed my attention. It was a quick, refreshing read but even though it was short, the author managed to pack so much amazing verse into only a few pages. It perfectly captured the life of a middle school kid. Kevin just wants to write poetry, but its hard without being made fun of by his many annoying brothers and kids at school who he bulied that

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seventh grader Kevin Jamison is the son of very busy parents who are more involved with their careers than with their youngest son. Since his four brothers are much older than he is, he often finds it hard to find an ally within the family. In fact, Petey, the brother closest to him in age, is so preoccupied with a girl and his band that he either ignores Kevin or belittles him. For a combination of reasons, Kevin starts acting out in school, picking on classmates, mocking teachers, and creating found poetry from pages ripped from books. What looks like an act of vandalism reveals a clever mind with a knack for choosing the right words to fit the situation. But when Robin, Kevin's frequent victim, somehow gains the upper hand by finding Kevin's notebook, he uses the information to blackmail his former tormentor. Still, Kevin finds he has allies in surprising places. I thoroughly enjoyed the protagonist and following his trajectory from bully to bullied. Readers looking to understand the many motivations for why kids pick on other kids will find some of them here while also having the chance to enjoy some spot-on found poetry. Who knew the soul of a poet lurked within the heart of a bully? It takes talent to find just the right words to express one's feelings, even if those words are someone else's.

[Law · Rating 3 out of 5]

Representation: N/A
Trigger warnings: Bullying
Score: Six points out of ten.
Find this review on The StoryGraph.

I saw Rhyme Schemer circling my recommendations a few months ago, and soon after, I observed that one library I went to had this one, so I immediately seized the opportunity to get it by picking it up. Afterwards, I picked it up and read it. When I finished it, I thought it was an okay piece of literature.

It starts with the first person I see, Kevin, whose last name remains undisclosed, spending the opening pages thinking about who to bully, much to my dismay. I disliked him, but eventually, he was not what he seemed to be at first glance. Soon enough, the school suspended Kevin for his actions, and I thought he deserved that, but after I read a few pages, Kevin showed a side I previously knew nothing of: his poetry. He likes to take words from existing texts and make new creations, which I found fascinating. Rhyme Schemer shines in the character development involving Kevin and the engaging pacing, which never made me put the book down. However, the author didn't give as much attention to the other people in Rhyme Schemer, which was a missed opportunity as I wanted to connect with them. The ending is dramatic.

[Mei · Rating 4 out of 5]

Personally, I really liked this book. The plot, while simple, is entertaining, especially told through first person. The characters, again, simple yet entertaining with a decent amount of character development from our cast. And the whole “story about poetry told in poetry” was genius.

I really liked Kevin. I felt the whole point of view and verses were very faithful to the mindset and perspective of our protagonist’s situation. A youthful novel with a relatable situation. I know personally that poetry isn’t exactly everyone’s favorite thing, a lot of people don’t take it seriously or find it dumb. This made the plot believable, and it was simply a good idea on all fronts. It added a little fresh bit to the bully-turned-victim plot. Also, the tidbits of character development were fun to pick up along the way.

Now, a couple gripes. While I thought the “poetry told in poetry” was a genius idea, novels in verse just aren’t really my thing. But I continue to read them because most of their plots just pull me in. I’m just not a huge fan of the writing style. Definitely not a deal breaker though, it’s not even a constructive critique, just a personal knock. I also felt that Robin, our antagonist, is a bit underdeveloped. However, other than that, I really enjoyed this quick read.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

A middle-school novel about a bully, written in verse? A mean poetry-writing, misunderstood "baby of the family" who has the tables turned on him and becomes the bullied?

Kevin starts out as the bully of his class while hiding his deep passion for poetry that he writes in a journal. Unfortunately for him, when this book is found by a victim of his, secrets will be revealed. One of these is his penchant for defacing the pages of classic children's literature with his thoughts on those around him. It is a testament to this author that by the middle of this book I was sympathizing with Kevin and all he was going through.

One of my favorite parts is the interactions between Kevin and the school's librarian, Miss Little. Toward the end of the book everything comes to a head. Punches are thrown, punishments are delivered, and "I'm sorry's" are said. Not everything is tied up neatly with a bow but there's enough resolution to satisfy you and leave you with a small smile on your face. And this is fine because, let's face it, life is rarely perfect.

[Eunice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author, K.A. Holt, has won the BELA Award. This is a humorous story written in prose from the point of view of a middle school student named Kevin. As we get to know Kevin, we discover that he has two older brothers with whom he doesn't really have a great relationship with, and parents who don't seem to understand him. Kevin is a bully who goes after smaller, weaker students. One interesting quirk about Kevin is that has a talent for creating found art by ripping pages out of books from the school and repurposing them to create insulting cryptic messages about the adults at school. When Kevin loses his poetry journal, the tables are turned and it is Kevin who begins to get bullied. This book is appropriate for students in 4th - 5th grade. I would assign this book to students to read as when working in a book club. There are many interesting relationships that Kevin has with the other characters in the story. Students can write about character traits that collide as well as any judgements that they may have made about characters early on.

[Justina]

I really enjoyed this novel because I think that a key to understanding someone is seeing things from their perspective. This book is about a 7th grader named Kevin. He is a school bully who is very bullied at home and in school while his teacher turns a blind eye. As a way of coping, Kevin tears pages from older books while shelving during detention and creates messages from the words on the page. He is incredibly creative and intelligent. The librarian in the story took the chance to understand him and saw his talent with poetry. She invited him to go to a poetry night with parental permission. A couple of my favorite aspects from this book were the similes, comparisons and descriptions as well as the onomatopoeias. Kevin beautifully describes himself as a stone throughout the story because he wants to pretend he does not care when he is being bullied. The way he describes himself changes throughout the story, and the stone transforms as well. He is also a funny character, so students should be able to relate. It's a great read!

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first this book made me mad...not only because of how sad Kevin's life was, but because 1) he tears pages out of library books to write poems, and 2) his PUNISHMENT is shelving books in the library.

As a middle school librarian, this was not a good start.

However, things begin looking up as Kevin learns about himself and the librarian gets to be the hero. Sometimes it's really hard to look at the reasons behind a bully's actions, and sometimes no matter how hard we try we cannot reach them to help. Once Kevin finds himself bullied and helpless, things really turn around (not that I think bullies should be bullied).

A quick novel in verse--and I DO love found poetry. Just make a copy first, please! :)

[Pauline · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore free-verse novels and this one is so very good. Holt doesn't excuse Kevin's nasty bullying behaviour but certainly shows us how ignored, misunderstood, bullied at home Kevin becomes a bully himself. Mrs Little and Paul are awesome characters - you hope every child in a school has a Mrs Little in their life. A great novel for middle school to show that every side has a story and we should take care not to jump to conclusions about people because you never know what is happening in their world.

[Aaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

As in House Arrest, this book features a fabulously flawed character who is a bully. Writing from this character's perspective, K.A. Holt shows a transformative time in the life of a young boy. The point of view reminded me of reading the Julian chapter of Auggie and M, but the style and voice is all K.A. Holt. I didn't enjoy this as much as House Arrest, but it was a short, powerful read. 4.5 stars

Read this with my class and we really got into talking about how Kevin is a character that needed/craved attention and it explained some of what was going on.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this book was a good read and easy to read. Kids that need a quick read this book is perfect. This is about an ordinary middle schooler that has a passion for poetry. As he is the youngest in his family and not really noticed much he finds a passion for poetry. As he takes pages of books from his teachers and librarians and finds words and letters that make a poem and talks through his year in middle school. As a teacher notices his fanatics for poetry and offers him to a poetry show that expands his thinking of poetry. Overall highly recommended for kids in middle school.

[Karen Arendt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kevin is a seventh grade whose parents don't pay attention to him and whose older brothers bully him. He writes poetry as a way to release all of his emotions (ignored, abandoned, left out). He also bullies other students as a way to feel something until he becomes the bullied. Fortunately for him, the librarian recognizes his talent in poetry and reaches out to help. As a reader, I felt Kevin's pain right from the start and also his cries for help through his poetry.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really clever book told from the point of view of Kevin, a middle school bully who suddenly becomes a victim of bullying himself. Written in free verse and including some found poetry, Holt's story is short but very effective. And guess who eventually breaks through Kevin's defenses and helps him see his strengths? The school librarian of course - yay!

[Jennifer Mangler · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a quick, interesting read told from the POV of the bully. Holt shows us how we never really know a person unless we bother to take the time to look and learn. Luckily for Kevin, and for the kids he so enjoyed bullying at the beginning of the book, someone did. And that someone is the awesome school librarian.