Poets Society - Seattle Style

Poets Society – Seattle Style

A review of Jumped In by Patrick Flores-Scott

Number 7 is the tricky one. A lot of slackers totally screw up number 7.

7. Listen.

That’s right. Listen to everything.

Sam is never late to class. He never looks the teacher in the eye. He develops a blank stare and never raises his hand. In short, he has the rules to slackerhood down. Until a new kid with a scary scar on his neck arrives in his English class and the teacher decides to hold a poetry slam. Reluctantly Sam begins to work on a poem with Luis and in doing so, his world opens up.

Does this sound a bit like Dead Poets Society? Sure. Replace New England in the fall with Seattle in the rain. Switch the uniform of gray flannel jackets and striped ties to hoodies and jeans. Change the sound track from Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” to Nirvana’s “Scoff”. Translate “carpe diem” to “YOLO”. Mix in Hispanic characters. Keep the inspiring English teacher, determined to do what he or she can to insure that the boys succeed. Jumped In might echo the movie, but it is also rooted in experiences that the author had as a public school reading specialist.  Themes of finding a voice, coming into your own, friendship and loss are staples in young adult fiction and Patrick Flores-Scott has found a fresh way to tell such a story.  

As they work on the project together, Sam slowly gets to know more about Luis.

“Who’s the real Luis?” I ask him. “This tough guy I see at school? Or the royal dork scheduling my poetry practice on a dirty napkin?”

They work together making sure their poem is perfect and practiced. Sam is nervous about speaking out loud but draws inspiration from a video image of Kurt Cobain singing to a wall. Singing to a wall to focus on the words. So he is not distracted by anyone. Because he wants to get it right. Sam tries the same technique and finds it helps. Around the same time, his grandfather tells him the story of his friend, Tex Johnson, and how Tex barrel rolled a 707 Boeing jet. Grandfather Bill passes on to Sam a prize possession, the control knob off that very 707, given to him by Tex himself. Slowly Sam finds the inspiration and the courage to perform the poem he wrote. He is ready for the slam. He nails his performance in class. He has his own nirvana moment. The only trouble is, Luis has disappeared.

The chapters in this book are short and designed to pull even reluctant readers along. After every few chapters are samples of Luis’s poetry – raw and designed to be read out loud. Swear words are used liberally but honestly. Readers will relate to the setting and feel propelled forward by the story. Perhaps they will even be moved by the ending. Let’s just say that John Green is not the only writer who can construct a teenage tear jerker.

Jumped In is on the long list for the 2014 Washington State Book Awards in the Young Adult category. Check back October 10^th to see if it won. Meanwhile, let us know of other books which have inspired you to read or even write your own poetry.