Garvey's Choice

My ‘book people’ know that I am an absolute sucker for novels in verse! Soaked in the afternoon sun today with this gem.

This book, perfect for grade 3 and up, centres around Garvey, an obese bookworm, whose Dad wants him to be athletic. Unable to please his parents, he finds comfort in food. The book explores body image issues tenderly. When his friend encourages him to join the chorus, Garvey finally finds his true calling.

What is amazing about this book is that it is written in a poetry form called “Tanka”. Each stanza has 5 lines and follows a pattern for syllable count for each line in the order of 5, 7, 5, 7 and 7 syllables. Now, now, that is quite a feat, isn’t it!