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Solo
Solo | Kwame Alexander, Mary Rand Hess
From award-winning and New York Times bestselling author Kwame Alexander, with Mary Rand Hess, comes Solo, a YA novel written in poetic verse. Solo tells the story of seventeen-year-old Blade Morrison, who knows the life of a rock star isnt really about the glitz and glamour. All the new cars and money in the world cant make up for the scathing tabloid covers or the fact that his father is struggling with just about every addiction under the sunincluding a desperate desire to make a comeback and regain his former fame. Haunted by memories of his motherwho died when Blade was nineand the ruin his fathers washed-up legacy and life have brought to the family, Blade is left to figure out life on his own. But, hes not all alone: Hes got the friendship of a jazz-musician mentor, Robert; the secret love of a girlfriend, Chapel; and his music. All may not be well in the Morrison home, but things are looking up for Blade, until he discovers a deeply protected family secretone that further threatens his relationship with his family and has him questioning his own identity. Thrown into a tailspin, Blade decides the only way he will understand his past and begin his future is to find out the truth behind the music and himself. He soon sets out on a journey that will change everything he thought to be true. His quest lands him in Ghana, stuck in a village just shy of where answers to the secret can be found. There, Blade discovers a friendship he couldnt have imagined, a people founded in family and community, and a reconciliation he never expected. With his signature intricacy, intimacy, and poetic style, Kwame Alexander explores what it means to finally come home.
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Addison_Reads
Solo | Kwame Alexander, Mary Rand Hess
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Pickpick

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks #LittenListen @aperfectmjk

The lyrical writing style in this book was excellent. I'm a fan of this author but this book wasn't my favorite. It's still a pick though because it's a great YA book that deals with important topics in a sensitive way for teens.

LibrarianRyan I loved this book so much. 3y
36 likes2 comments
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Smarkies
Solo | Kwame Alexander, Mary Rand Hess
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Pickpick

Only book I had that matched #booked2021 prompt #musicalintrumentoncover
A story written in verse which was an interesting read for me as I don't gravitate to this form very often (in fact I think I bought this book mistakenly 😂)
Set in both LA and #ghana this tells the story of Blade Morrison as he finds his life ripped from under him. Written well by Kwame - I may pick this format up again 😁
@Cinfhen @4thhouseontheleft @BarbaraTheBibliophage

Cinfhen Yay 😁 it seems serendipitous that you accidentally purchased this book 🎸✌🏽 3y
Smarkies @Cinfhen this prompt made me pick it up. If not I think it would have languished longer. 😂😂😂😂 3y
25 likes2 comments
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fredamans
Solo | Kwame Alexander, Mary Rand Hess
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Pickpick

I listened to the audiobook version. I liked the story but didn't care for the author being the narrator. My favorite part is the songs that are sung. I have the next book, Swing, on audiobook as well. I so look forward to listening to it. 4⭐

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TheBookHippie
Solo | Kwame Alexander, Mary Rand Hess
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From NYC PUBLIC LIBRARY

I‘ve read Illegal and all of the bottom row. All good.

#integrateyourshelf

ChasingOm Ooooh, I‘ve only read Akata Witch and Trevor Noah‘s autobiography! 4y
LibrarianRyan I can vouch for the excellence of Solo and Illegal. 4y
mrp27 I've read a few of these and they were all good. The Bitter Side of Sweet was really good too. You'll never think about chocolate the same way again. 4y
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vlwelser You should definitely read Akata Witch. 4y
TheBookHippie @vlwelser I added it to my list ! 4y
TheBookHippie @mrp27 ooo I added the ones I didn‘t read yet to my ever growing list. 4y
TheBookHippie @LibrarianRyan RIGHT?! Soo good! 4y
ErinSBecker I haven't read When the Ground is Hard but I've read all of her other books. I believe that one is set is Swaziland? Her mystery series (tagged) is set in South Africa and the first book in it is my favorite read of the year. Nunn is Eswatini and South African. 4y
63 likes9 comments
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hwestfall
Solo | Kwame Alexander, Mary Rand Hess
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The audiobook of this book is awesome so far!

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Logan_barrantes
Solo | Kwame Alexander, Mary Rand Hess
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Pickpick

Solo is a book about a boy named Blade who was born into the life of fame. His father was a famous rock star, but soon became addicted to drugs and alcohol, and has been to rehab countless times. The book is sort of slow paced and is novel is verse. I think this book is good for anyone into music and romance, because there is a slight bit of romance. The book makes you want to read it more because of how amazing the characters are.

LibrarianRyan I too liked this book. Are you planning to read any of his others like 4y
MissYaremcio Great review Logan1 Thank you for posting it! I love novels in verse! 4y
2 likes2 comments
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independent.danii
Solo | Kwame Alexander, Mary Rand Hess
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Pickpick

This was an amazing book. I would recommend this book to other people. The ending part was really sad. But i'm most likely going to read this book again.

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StaceyKondla
Solo | Kwame Alexander, Mary Rand Hess
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Pickpick

I‘ve had a crap week with a crappy cold, so I‘ve shirked responsibility, been a total sloth today, and powered through this - it has a lot of heart. Very enjoyable

Avanders Hope you feel better soon! 😷🤧 5y
LibrarianRyan I was surprised how much j loved this book. Hopefully next week is better. 5y
Dragon Feel better soon 💐 🥣 ! 5y
31 likes3 comments
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Jacki_Reads
Solo | Kwame Alexander, Mary Rand Hess
Pickpick

Written in prose, this book is a quick read, with a fantastic development of theme and characters. There are songs intertwined in the story, and listening/knowing the songs makes the story so much more enjoyable! I‘m going to need a few copies of this one for my classroom.

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Jacki_Reads
Solo | Kwame Alexander, Mary Rand Hess
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When you go to the library for your kids and get three books for yourself... even though you already had a giant stack at home.

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Clwojick
Solo | Kwame Alexander, Mary Rand Hess
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Pickpick

This was amazing in audiobook format! Loved it! 🧡

Suet624 Hmmm... I read it in print and was so-so about it. I wonder if I should listen to it. 5y
65 likes1 comment
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Clwojick
Solo | Kwame Alexander, Mary Rand Hess
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I am 12 minutes into this #audiobook and I am in love already. The swap between narrating and music is so perfect! 🎵🎶 #BookishWeekend 🧡

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S3V3N
Solo | Kwame Alexander, Mary Rand Hess
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Pickpick

Love this book! The storyline, the style of writing, everything about this book is great. If you enjoy YA books, check this one out.

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alisiakae
Solo | Kwame Alexander, Mary Rand Hess
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Book haul! Took in a few books to trade in at 2nd & Charles, and used up my credits! The tagged book is for Maya (but I‘ll probably read it too!), and I picked up My Name Is Leon mainly because I remembered @Cinfhen and @TrishB ‘s positive reviews! 😘 #blamelitsy

#bookhaul

Cinfhen Good memory 🧠loved 5y
Cinfhen And a beautiful photo and great stack of books 💞🤩 5y
alisiakae @Cinfhen My brain remembers odd things, and often forgets the important stuff! 😂😂😂 5y
See All 7 Comments
Cinfhen Know the feeling 🙄 5y
TrishB A lovely little read 😁 5y
LibrarianRyan Solo was so good. You should read it. 5y
alisiakae @LibrarianRyan I really liked Crossover, so I‘ll probably read it with Maya whenever she decides to pick it up. Knowing her, that will be this weekend. 😂 5y
115 likes7 comments
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LibrarianRyan
Solo | Kwame Alexander, Mary Rand Hess
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@4thhouseontheleft

Here you go.

alisiakae 👍👍👍 5y
75 likes1 comment
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LibrarianRyan
Solo | Kwame Alexander, Mary Rand Hess
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Pickpick

4.5 ⭐️ Why oh why did I wait so long to read this masterpiece? I can picture every stanza in my head not just as prose, but as music. In fact I want an entire playlist of every song mentioned in this book, and trust me there are a lot. It ranges from Aretha to Metallica.

#Mount TBR
#ReadHarder
#Booked2019
#Litten Love Bingo
#nancyDrew Challenge
#KillYourTBR

TheBookHippie I loved this read!!! We should make a play list!!! 5y
LibrarianRyan @TheBookHippie I think there is one made on Spotify. I was looking it up at work but didn‘t have access. I hope it has more songs than just the ones in the titles. It was just so well done. 5y
TheBookHippie @LibrarianRyan I agree! I'll look it up!! 5y
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Coleen Now I‘m curious. Sold! 5y
tjwill The playlist is good. Also, the audiobook! I ❤️ Kwame! 5y
Graciouswarriorprincess I have seen Kwame twice and yes, love all of his books. 5y
alisiakae Stacked! Which prompt does this fill for #booked2019? 5y
Cinfhen Cool!! #stacked!!! 5y
93 likes6 stack adds8 comments
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LibrarianRyan
Solo | Kwame Alexander, Mary Rand Hess
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For a laugh. 😁

66 likes1 stack add1 comment
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LibrarianRyan
Solo | Kwame Alexander, Mary Rand Hess
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The only good thing about sitting in express care with dad is 1. Min is not here, and 2. We are both getting reading done.

His parking lot at work was a solid sheet of ice. Him and a couple guys at work ended up dog piling trying to get out of cars. Dad dented his coworkers car when he fell. Done something to his knee and it‘s bad enough he couldn‘t drive himself. More info when I have it.

Btw this book is been so interesting.

cobwebmoth Sending positive thoughts. 5y
tammysue Keeping your dad in my prayers xx🤗 5y
TheBookgeekFrau 🙏🙏 5y
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Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks I hope your dad feels better!! 5y
Laura317 Yikes! Praying his knee isn‘t as bad as it sounds. 5y
Kaye Hope he‘s ok. Keep us updated. 5y
merelybookish Hope all goes well! 5y
Lreads I hope your dad is okay. At least he has you with him. 💕💕 5y
Lreads I hope your dad is okay. At least he has you with him. 💕💕 5y
julesG Hope your dead is okay! 5y
Leftcoastzen Oh so sorry! I hope your Dad will be ok! Ice is treacherous. 5y
valeriegeary Oh my gosh! Yikes! Hopes it's a speedy recovery for him! 5y
litenthusiast Oh no! I hope he is okay. Sending lots of positive thoughts! 💜 5y
Jas16 Wishing him a quick recovery! 5y
DivineDiana Best wishes for your Dad! 5y
80 likes15 comments
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RebL
Solo | Kwame Alexander, Mary Rand Hess
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Not sure if the hard copy is better for a deeper connection to the poetry or the audio book for the music, but for sure one or the other or both.

18 likes1 stack add
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tjwill
Solo | Kwame Alexander, Mary Rand Hess
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Third #audiorun of the week after no running last week! I started the audiobook of Solo by Kwame Alexander and Mary Rand Hess in anticipation of reading their next book, Swing, out soon. I read a paper copy of Solo the first time, so it‘s fun listening. It‘s read by Kwame and has music in it too!

Amandajoy Audiorunning is the best! 6y
tjwill @Amandajoy I‘m a big fan! 6y
54 likes3 comments
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AmandaRae26
Solo | Kwame Alexander, Mary Rand Hess
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Pickpick

Kwame Alexander has stolen my heart again. This book is about a young man whose famous musician father embraces the ugly side of fame. Blade, the son, goes on a journey to discover who he is and in the process learns so much more. Highly recommend!

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AmandaRae26
Solo | Kwame Alexander, Mary Rand Hess
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Reading Solo whole my kids ride rides at an amusement park. 📚🎟

Wan.der.love It‘s the little moments 😄 6y
6 likes1 comment
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Peddler410
Solo | Kwame Alexander, Mary Rand Hess
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#yawednesday #music

I started reading the hard cover then switched over to audio because I learned the songs in the story are sung by Randy. Wonderful story of Blade, son of an old rock star, trying to get out from his family‘s tabloid fame. Told in two parts, the second part taking Blade to Africa in order to learn more about his family.

TheFunkyBookworm Ohhh this sounds great!!! 6y
Daisey Great choice! 6y
AmandaRae26 Sounds like I should switch over to the audiobook! I am only a small part of the way in and loving it so far! 6y
22 likes5 stack adds3 comments
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UnabridgedPod
Solo | Kwame Alexander, Mary Rand Hess
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Pickpick

We are SO excited about today‘s BONUS episode and giveaway. @unabridgedpod loves Kwame Alexander both as an author and as a human being, so we thought his #solobook would be the perfect way to wish everyone out there a Happy Summer! This is a great read for teachers and students, so we‘re also holding a #giveaway. Head over to @unabridgedpod (on Instagram) for more details.

5 likes1 comment
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CoffeeK8
Solo | Kwame Alexander, Mary Rand Hess
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Pickpick

This book was terrific as an #audiobook! It‘s the story of the son of a aging Rock Star, growing up and trying to find himself while navigating complex family relationships.

52 likes1 stack add
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callunakeep
Solo | Kwame Alexander, Mary Rand Hess
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Next up on audio ... a departure from my usual picks, but it was free and sounds like it might be a good read.

LibrarianRyan It's in verse. I received a copy from the publisher but have not gotten around to reading it yet. 6y
callunakeep @LibrarianRyan Oh cool! I haven‘t read a book in verse in a while and have never listened to a book in verse! This will be an adventure! 🤓 6y
14 likes2 comments
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kgriffith
Solo | Kwame Alexander, Mary Rand Hess
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Really impressed with SYNC‘s #audiobook offerings so far this year. You can get a free copy of SOLO at this link, and sign up for text reminders so you don‘t miss any of the 26 titles they offer each summer. Each pair is only available for one week, so I highly recommend requesting them all when they become available because once they‘re gone, they‘re gone! http://www.audiobooksync.com/books/solo/

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Lola
Solo | Kwame Alexander, Mary Rand Hess
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The SYNC free audio downloads have been OUTSTANDING thus far. The downloads are yours to keep but are available to download for only a week-if you miss it, it‘s gone. Sign up if you haven‘t already. http://www.audiobooksync.com/

Peddler410 Thanks for the reminder! I forgot to sign up last week! 6y
29 likes1 comment
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LibrarianRyan
Solo | Kwame Alexander, Mary Rand Hess
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It's Thursday which means there are new books on #AudiobookSync. Which will you download for free?

Www.audiobooksync.com

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BucklingBookshelves
Solo | Kwame Alexander, Mary Rand Hess
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My child‘s been refusing to nap, so he conked out early tonight. Diving back into this book I started this afternoon — there was pretty much nothing else on my shelves I wanted to read after finishing Rebound this morning! But I won‘t have much left of his to read after this one which makes me ☹️

smilingshelves This one was fun on audio because there was music. But I'm intrigued by the "deleted scenes" mentioned on your cover. I might have to read a print copy as well! 6y
BucklingBookshelves @smilingshelves I currently have a free trial subscription to Scribd and they have the audio, so I‘ve been finding the song tracks as they come up in the book which is fun. The deleted scenes are only in the Barnes & Noble exclusive edition though 🤷‍♀️ 6y
10 likes2 comments
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sunflowermeghan
Solo | Kwame Alexander, Mary Rand Hess
Pickpick

The second book I've read by Kwame and I absolutely loved it! I read this in one night, I could not put it down.

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sunflowermeghan
Solo | Kwame Alexander, Mary Rand Hess
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Just started on this and already halfway through!

4 likes2 stack adds
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abbylibrarian
Solo | Kwame Alexander, Mary Rand Hess
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I put up a Novels in Verse list to celebrate National Poetry Month and now I just want to read them ALL. #librarylife

Chelsea.Poole Nice! We have tlc at my library too! 6y
21 likes1 comment
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LibrarianRyan
Solo | Kwame Alexander, Mary Rand Hess
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I don't own an #orange shelf. My white shelf was almost orange. I just couldn't find a shade I liked. Then since it was the last shelf to go it And I put it in a different location (dilute to a whole in the floor) I changed the color. So instead I show you the framed Print of Solo the publisher sent me. The glass was broken in shipping but josh was able to save the print. I will eventually hang it. #readingresolutions

SkeletonKey Saw them speak yesterday at a Teen Book Festival. I‘m really excited to read this now. 6y
63 likes1 comment
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BookswithB
Solo | Kwame Alexander, Mary Rand Hess
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Mehso-so

YA is just not my thing, but I enjoyed the idea of having musical accompaniment.
#readsoullit

8 likes1 stack add
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Eggs
Solo | Kwame Alexander, Mary Rand Hess
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Pickpick

The only thing Blade and his rocker dad have in common is the music that lives inside them. But when a family secret is exposed, it changes not only 17 yo Blade, but the people he loves as well. Told in verse. Another winner for Kwame Alexander

82 likes2 stack adds
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Nitpickyabouttrains
Solo | Kwame Alexander, Mary Rand Hess
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Pickpick

I don‘t always love books in verse, but this one was very well done. The main character is a musician and having the songs he wrote integrated into the story really worked.

Tamra Have you listened to his book in verse Crossover? Language is so alive! The other verse book I really loved was Brown Girl Dreaming. 6y
Nitpickyabouttrains @Tamra I haven‘t read either of those! Thank you for the recs! 6y
17 likes2 comments
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Abby2
Solo | Kwame Alexander, Mary Rand Hess
Pickpick

I enjoyed this Alexander story in verse. The music references were fun and the story was interesting.

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lauralovesbooks1
Solo | Kwame Alexander, Mary Rand Hess
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Pickpick

This is a pick for me because of the beautiful writing. It's a novel told in free verse and it is a lyrical reading experience -- particularly appropriate since music is one of the central themes. At times it was a little too "angsty" for my taste and certain plot points only worked because of the extreme wealth of the main characters. Still, though, I enjoyed the reading experience.

21 likes1 stack add
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Tamra
Solo | Kwame Alexander, Mary Rand Hess
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Yay!!! Excited to see the growing diversity! I‘m am hopeful my children won‘t have to struggle to find books for their children to see themselves reflected.

readordierachel Awesome! 6y
Christine Ooh, exciting! 6y
Zelma Great name! 6y
batsy Love the name. 6y
97 likes4 comments
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Kristy_K
Solo | Kwame Alexander, Mary Rand Hess
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Pickpick

Kwame Alexander can write a novel in verse better than anyone. He has those gut-punching moments interspersed with comedy and his characters are incredibly relatable.

Another book done from my #24in48 stack! Time for a short break then back at it.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

#readathon #poetry #ya

72 likes2 stack adds
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smilingshelves
Solo | Kwame Alexander, Mary Rand Hess
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Here's my stack for #24in48 this weekend, plus the tagged book as an audiobook. We'll see how much I can get read (and how well I'll stick to these choices ☺)!

LibrarianRyan Mr. Lemoncello!! I need to finish that series. 6y
BucklingBookshelves Ooooh I have Solo on my shelf — that would be perfect for this weekend! Though i also really want to get back to Greenglass House which I stalled at like page 10 bc I started an audiobook for bookclub that made it too confusing to keep track of both those particular stories! 6y
smilingshelves @LibrarianRyan That's the one I'm most looking forward to reading. It's such a fun series! 6y
See All 9 Comments
smilingshelves @Bucklingbkshelf In past readathons, I've finished a book before starting the next one. But I think this time I'm going to dip in and out of all of these. Maybe I'll get more read that way! Solo and Greenglass House seem like they would be able to be read together well. ☺ 6y
BucklingBookshelves They do! I keep eyeing some really short/easy books thinking maybe I could read a whole bunch of them vs possibly sinking into Greenglass and it‘s sequel — I‘ll have to see what I‘m in the mood for! 6y
smilingshelves @Bucklingbkshelf Mood reading is so important during a readathon! Hope you love whichever you choose! 6y
RaimeyGallant I saw him speak once. :) 6y
smilingshelves @RaimeyGallant That would be so amazing! 6y
RaimeyGallant It was. 6y
29 likes9 comments
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Ashley_Nicoletto
Solo | Kwame Alexander, Mary Rand Hess
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My car is being serviced today so I can't even leave the house if I wanted to. 🙌🏼🙌🏼

Hoping to finish this one and then the #luminariesbuddyread section for the week.

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Peaceful_Reader
Solo | Kwame Alexander, Mary Rand Hess
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She tells me/my work/begins/the moment//my eyes open/to the light.
I don‘t stop/until the night/pulls my eyelids/down like/warm blankets.
But I have fun/and sometimes/I sing.
So though I work, I live.
Wait, you sing?

12 likes2 stack adds
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syasutake
Solo | Kwame Alexander, Mary Rand Hess
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Pickpick

Finished my first book of 2018! I enjoyed this story about family, redemption, and the healing power of music.The audio version includes original songs composed for the book. 🎵

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Matilda
Solo | Kwame Alexander, Mary Rand Hess
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Back to work. Today #inmyears

52 likes1 stack add
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bellasocks
Solo | Kwame Alexander, Mary Rand Hess
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..today‘s read! So far, I‘m really enjoying the story and writing style

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alanacristin
Solo | Kwame Alexander, Mary Rand Hess
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Pickpick

I've loved all the Kwame Alexander creations I've read but totally forgot to anticipate the gut punch. Sad! The afterword helps but I wish i could have spent more time with the characters at the end so we could collectively heal. This one is great for musicians and rock fans. I always think #middlegrade with his novels in verse but this feels more #YA for some reason? #mommyreads #poetry #songwriting #ghana

20 likes2 stack adds
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LibrarianRyan
Solo | Kwame Alexander, Mary Rand Hess
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Look what shoes up on Thanksgiving. Josh got home with Andy to this giant box on the steps. He texted me and was like I better not have ordered books. I so didn't. Since the box rattled he opened it. I knew I won the book but had no idea about the signed print of the cover. It's georgous. The glass was broken but just got the broken glass out with little damage to the print.

Graciouswarriorprincess Gorgeous! It is a great book! 6y
55 likes4 stack adds1 comment