Imperfect: poems about mistakes: an anthology for middle schoolers

by Margarita Engle (Contributor), Buffy Silverman (Contributor), Tabatha Yeatts (Editor)

Why put together an anthology about mistakes? Because we make mistakes all the time. Some are the size of erasing a hole in your paper, mispronouncing a word, or tripping over your shoelace. Some are the size of telling a friend's secret. Some can be useful, like a science experiment that goes wrong but gives you a new idea. How can we make the most of the good mistakes and do our best to fix the ones that need fixing? Poetry can help us figure it out.

Genres: Poetry, Young Adult

124 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2018

About the author

Margarita Engle is a Cuban-American poet, novelist, and journalist whose work has been published in many countries. She lives with her husband in northern California.

Reviews

[Kelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This anthology is a great collection of poems that deal with the issues around failure and screwing up. I think normalizing those situations as much as possible is helpful for the middle-school age, everything can feel so turbulent and out-of-focus. I'm definitely reading several of these with my students.

[Kaylee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I *loved* so many of these! Some are funny; some are sad; some make you think of your past mistakes. It is also super short to read, and even gives tips on being better at mistakes in the back! It would be very interesting to see how a middle schooler felt about it -- would they feel as impacted or learn from others' mistakes? Or just let it wash over them?

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Life is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood." – Ralph Waldo Emerson
This Emerson quote is my favorite from Imperfect: Poems About Mistakes: An Anthology for Middle Schoolers, edited by Tabatha Yeatts. It's one of several that are scattered throughout the collection, interspersed with 70 poems by 50 poets.

Not all of the poems in Imperfect are about life lessons. You'll find the full gamut—mistakes born from ignorance or naiveté; mistakes that lead to invention, pain, or laughter; silly and fanciful poems about mistake-making; poems about self-discovery and finding one's place in the world; and yes, poems about life lessons and how we move on from them. You'll also find a thoughtful introduction by Yeatts, and useful back matter about making good decisions, apologizing effectively, and a few poetic forms readers can try.

It's fantastic that this anthology addresses middle schoolers directly. Has anyone come out of those awkward, uncomfortable years unscathed? I do hope teachers, parents, and other caregivers will recognize that this anthology will be helpful to more than just middle schoolers, however. Judging by my children's experiences, I'd say it more accurately spans 4th grade to 9th grade.

The take home here is to make sure Imperfect is ready and waiting for whenever it's needed—that moment when a child reaches out to a book, rather than a person, for private reassurance. Chances are, it will happen.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this in tandem with my middle-school-age son as part of his National Poetry Month poetry unit (we're pandemic homeschooling this year). It was a great little collection of poetry to encourage and inspire him before he starts composing his own poems for the unit.

[Mason Carpenter · Rating 4 out of 5]

The collection of poems is great. It has the very important message of not allowing yourself to allow your mistakes define you or get you down. I would recommend this to anyone that is having difficulty with this problem and to any younger reader to have it help teach them this important lesson.

[Sana Lai · Rating 4 out of 5]

very relatedble. this basic tells the whole story

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this!! Can’t wait to share with my 7th graders!!

[Jennifer Perez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Imperfect is perfect for preteens! This collection provides a nice scope of stylistic range and relatable content. I plan to use several of the poems in this collection with my children’s poetry group.

[Adrienne Baugh Donahue]

CT read 10/2020