Fiction about poets or with poetry themes

1.  Shakespeare Stealer by Gary Blackwood (6th-8th grades)

    Mystery, 1st person viewpoint. 14 yr. old boy from an orphanage learns shorthand from an apothecary and gets sold to a man who wants him to witness and take down word for word Shakespeare's Hamlet so that he can steal it. Spellbinding.

2.  Beowulf translated by Seamus Heaney (8th grade)

    Dual pages, one with the old English version, the other with the translation. Good teaching tool for heroes and monsters. Oral traditions.

3.  Grendel by John Gardner (8th grades)

    The story of Beowulf as told from Grendel's point of view.

4.  Who Killed Mr. Chippendale by Mel Glenn (9th-12th)

    Story told through poems, Mr. Chippendale - an English teacher, is killed. Poems deal with all the people he meets, counselor, students, detective. Free verse poetry.

5.  Storyteller by Lesliet Marmon Silko (7th-12th)

    Native American stories and poetry directed for middle school, stories center around her life, complete with pictures.

6.  War Cry on A Prayer Feather by Nancy Wood (8th-12th)

    Native American poetry complete with full black and white pictures of Native American life.

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