Overheard in a Tower Block: Poems by

by Joseph Coelho, Kate Milner (Illustrator)

Gazing at the stars from five floors up, smelling the bins from five floors below. Overheard arguments, overheard laughter. A disappearing father and a Mermaid-Queen mother; statues that sing for flesh and blood; bullies who kick you under the table; perfect red trainers – and the things that lurk in the library…. Award-winning poet Joseph Coelho’s astonishing new collection is a powerful and moving poetic narrative about growing up in the city.

Genres: Poetry, Family, Middle Grade, Childrens, Young Adult, School

112 pages, Paperback

Published August 29, 2017

About the author

Joseph Coelho is a British poet and children's book author who was elected Children's Laureate in 2022.

Reviews

[Mathew · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a powerful collection. There were so many strong images throughout that many of these poems will stay with me for a long time - all supported by Milner's affecting illustrations. From parent separation to bullying to trying to find your own identity; Coelho's collection is a bildungsroman of sorts or, the road to taking that spiritual leap (we find in this collection that is the poet's escape to University and the world of books that saves him). So many strong themes throughout and subjects around family and distance will resonate so strongly with some readers. Accomplished.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Overheard in a Tower Block is a series of poems that form one continuous tale of a boy’s life from childhood to adolescence to adulthood. Jospeh’s unique metaphors and similes takes the main character from a young boy dealing with school bullies and the break up of his parents, to a teenager with an estranged father, and finally to an adult, falling in love, and having a child of his own. All in the space of a hundred pages.
It’s a story told in brief illuminating flashes. Filled with unique images, sensory detail and fairytale talismen – like the reoccurring red trainers, reminiscent of the Red Shoes or Ruby Slippers. And the text is perfectly matched by Kate Milner amazing kinetic, lively black and white drawings.

[Elsa Leuty · Rating 5 out of 5]

My new favourite way to enjoy poetry is to read the poems and listen to them read by the author alongside eachother. A brilliant collection that doesn't inherently have a plot but definitely deserves to be read in order like an Adele album.

[Charlotte Yardy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A powerful collection of poems, a fantastic book to explore, most likely upper KS2 - A wide range of topics are explored throughout, with a multitude of children being able to relate in some way shape of form - Plenty of ways in which these poems could be explored and recreated particularly through forms such as art and drama

[Mr Bramley · Rating 3 out of 5]

"How can I become,
Not knowing what Dad has done?
Is a seed free
To decide the tree it will be?"
- Wandering

Definitely aimed at slightly older children. Would be a great one for Y6. Mixed opinions overall but I love the aim, the topic, and some absolute gems within.

[Benjamin Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely collection of poems. The impact this has had on my class is incredible. I introduced them to it on Monday and since then i have had children taking it home every day, staying in at lunch/break to read it and it has also caused my class to pick up more poetry books. Really happy with it.

[Ellie L · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite a personal selection of poems which takes the reader along a journey of growing from childhood and into adulthood. Coelho gives voice to the darker times that many children and young adults will experience, including break downs of parental relationships and struggles with bullying. To me, there seemed to be an edge of maturing too soon, with a stronger awareness of reality in the light of unsettled beginnings in life. Very powerful imagery which is at times direct but often borderlines into being more obscure; I loved that he left plenty of room for the reader to experiment with meaning. This was only extended through Milner's almost abstract illustrations, which suited the writing and themes so perfectly. To me, it felt like Coelho was telling the story of escape and rebirth after leaving the Tower Block in which he grew up. Very cathartic and filled with heavy emotion.

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book of poems. It's modern and I really liked how the red trainers reappear throughout the book. Definitely recommending this book!

[Megan Alexandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review 1: The Watchers

The language used creates imagery of the setting and characters in the poem. Although a detailed description of the three statues have been given, there is still enough room for creativity to imagine what these statues are, what they look like and what they’re doing. The children’s appearances aren’t described, and yet when reading the poem you visualise a group of children, their height, their expressions their outfits, scared and alone, on train tracks with tall metal statues standing tall behind them.

Review 2: Richmond Park

The descriptive language used creates such a vivid imagine of Richmond Park. Small details such as berries on trees are easily visualised and I feel Coelho creates a particular colour palette when describing the scenery. The rhythm of the poem has a relationship with the words used and allows for a fluent read.

Review 3: Caught

Although such a short poem of only 3 lines, there is so much room for imagination. After reading it just once I created several different scenarios of what could have happened. There is so much freedom to imagine the setting, the characters, the event and what 'wasn't them'.

[Amy Brydon Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had to wanted to read this book of poetry for a while now after hearing such great things about the collection, and wow i am glad i have now. The collection is a diverse one that explores themes from the absence of a father to being bullied in school. There is a poem in this collection that i believe every adult and child will be able to find themselves reflected in. One of my favourite poems is 'Tables Red, Green and Blue' as I think it very effectively portrays the feeling of aggression and anger that so many children feel in school and don't know how to express. The repetition in the poem makes it extremely effective and I like that it is told from a child's point of view, not the teachers.

I am also slightly bias to the poem 'Richmond Park' as I live on the road next to Richmond Park! This is definitely a collection of poetry I will be taking into the classroom with me.

[Zoe Pluck · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing collection of poems, all interlinking, as we follow a journey from childhood to adulthood!

Coelho addresses challenging topics, such as separation from a parent in 'I am a father', in an eloquent and thought-provoking way . He opens up discussions about the effect the absence of a parent can have in 'Wandering' where it is questioned, "How can I become, not knowing what Dad has done?".

My personal favourite is 'Tables Red, Green and Blue' - a poem about how others' behaviour can impact someones own behaviour. This, for me, particularly highlighted how teachers deal with behaviour in classrooms and are often quick to judge behaviour to be unsatisfactory, rather than addressing the underlying causes for that behaviour.

Overall, each poem may appear on the surface to be short and simple, but all have extensive, profound aspects waiting to be explored.

[Alice Hadley2 · Rating 5 out of 5]

"A city is its children, / with their scrambled-word-filled heads / and familiar dialects" reads one of the many poems in this touching anthology. Coelho gives us a child's perspective of the city, narrated through verse. He connects his personal experiences and internal emotions with the external landscape he grew up in. This anthology is not limited to school-aged children, would recommend to adults!

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful and moving collection of poetry. Coelho captures his childhood growing up in London, in a tower block, wonderfully. You feel and the pain and sorrow after his father leaves his life and the joy of growing up and being able to share the wonders of life with his own daughter. I absolutely love poetry and hopefully poetry collections like this will get more children into reading and loving poetry.

[Jasmine - The Librarian's Bookcase · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved reading this book of poems. A lot of them were very moving and meaningful, especially the ones about reading and the library. Thinking rhat these could be Overheard in a Tower Block, I rather think the building is an exciting and emotional place where there is sadness yet hope as well. A fab addition to a school library

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fantastic poetry collection that I really hope makes it onto the Carnegie shortlist.

Some favourites:

Welly
The Watchers
Tables Red, Green and Blue
Books Have Helped Me
Wandering
Teetering Towers
This Is Your Um...
Plant Your Heart in Me
A Book for a Daughter

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow.

[Seawood · Rating 2 out of 5]

A book of poems aimed at middle-grade readers. There are some real gems in here but overall it didn't particularly appeal to me; I will be interested to see what the children make of it in school.

[K M Laume]

Nice collection of poems. Interesting perspectives! Gives me hope that people/children still like and read poetry.. I may need to do something with mine now ;)

[Ciara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some very interesting poems. They were like reading stories. Other went over my head a little but a very good book overall

[Elvis Gregory-sayce · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's Good
But Not What
I Thought It Would B

[Tess · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very sweet poetry collection

[Jessica Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Favourites:
I wonder
Leaving the nest
A book for a daughter
There are things that lurk in the Library

[Tracy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't enjoy this, but I can recognise that it's good poetry. Just not my 'cup of tea'.

[✨nina✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25⭐️

[Hannah · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 🌟

Really interesting collection of poems. I'm not sure what they had to do with the tower block as they just seemed like stories of life.

[Alice Hadley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Secondary: Purple (poetry)

"A city is its children, / with their scrambled-word-filled heads / and familiar dialects" reads one of the many poems in this touching anthology. Coelho gives us a child's perspective of the city, narrated through verse. He connects his personal experiences and internal emotions with the external landscape he grew up in. This anthology is not limited to school-aged children, would recommend to adults!