Booked! Metaphor & List Poems #1

Pre-Winter Break Classrooms can be challenging, but the 8th Graders at Washington Elementary had fun with this one: We studied the whimsical poem ‘Library’ by poet and toy collector, Albert Goldbarth.  In it, he describes a ‘library’ where books aren’t noted by their titles but rather by how they make the poet feel, remember, and react: ‘This book saved my life./ This book takes place on one of the two small tagalong moons of Mars.’ and so on. Students then played with metaphor, lists and description to create their own fantastical library. Here are some of the results. Er, check them out!

Mrs. Nazimek, 8th Grade
1st Period

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Adrian C.

This book has me unable to stop
This book has me peeling my eyes out
This book has me yawning at page 1
This book has me on the edge of my seat
The book is unstoppable
The book is untouchable
This book is everything and more
This book has me up and ready for anything
This book has a solid 2 rating
This book has the whole world talking
This book has the meaning of life

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Isabel V.

This book is the Definition of Mysteries
This book can get you thinking twice
This book can get your heart in a rush
This book can twished your mind over and over
This book is not like any other book
This book gives you the creeps
This book is one of a kind
This book is more than ordinary
and this book is my favorite book.
This book is like you are in side the
book.

OK
Alyssa F.

This book is brutal.
This book describes life.
This book is about human anatomy
This book is about one of those cringy stories about a girl and a guy.
This book has such a strong character
you wish you could bench 4 pounds,
and start pumping iron like a
Pro UFC Fighter. But you can’t.
If you don’t enjoy reading you wish
you could use your creativity and
pretend to like reading.
This book can take you to the future
and back.
This book I’m attached to.

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Jorge M.

This book makes me live longer.
The book takes place in a nice beach in Mexico.
This book was all the way in the top of the book shelf, I tried
to jump and grab the book, but I fell in the floor and couldn’t get
up.
This book makes me so happy.
I think that the book smells very nice like the water in the
ocean and palm trees.
This book makes me always dream about it.
I fell in love with this book because of the beaches.
This book reminds me when I went to a resort
I think that the beaches will be cleaner and
better.
This book stinks and is very bad.
This book gave me a paper cut!
This book made me like I was born there.
I finish this book and I think it is very wonderful
This book is going to make the world
wonderful and will be the best.

Mrs. Nazimek, 8th Grade
2nd Period

Books
Robert E.

This book is lame
This book made me cry
This book, I lended it to my sister once
This book made me fall asleep
This book is outrageous
This book can break someone’s pinky toe if
they accidently kick it
This book gave me goosebumps
This book, I read at night
This book, I was going to burn it once
This book made me cry of laughter
This book was intense
This book, I bought if off of the girl
next door
This book, this book created books, books
that are beautiful, humorous, filled
with tons of color and unique.

My Gold Mine of Stories
Antonio R.

This book I love
This book made me wait for Series 2
This book is horrible because the author did not think about
the details to show what if really means.
This book should be burned
The book should be awarded
This book makes me want to throw it out my window and go
outside to get the book to continue reading
This book has no cover
This book shouldn’t be here for the amount of immaturity
it has
This book makes me wonder about how I do things
This book is wonderfully filled with character.
This book is so alive it eats breakfast, lunch and dinner.
This book has more color than a crayon box.
This book is so wild it came from the 90s
The intensity of this book is so high. I take each
step at a time.
This book saved me from my past.
This book is so good its tied with pizza.
This book is revolutionized.

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Marlene P.

This book is adventurous
This book made me feel different feelings
This book is scary in every way
This book is humorous
This book changed my lifestyle
This book became my favorite
This book game me everything I needed to know
This book made me feel great
This book is historical
This book made me happy
This book takes us back from time
This book made me feel inspired

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Belize A.

This book.
This book is love.
This book is adventure.
This book is drama.
The book is heartbreak.
Wait, there’s a part two.
This book is love…again.
Please don’t give this book
to your grandpa.
This book was meant to be read
by you an me.
This book will not sit on the shelf.
This book will lay perfectly content in
your hands.
Please don’t give this book to your
grandpa.
This book was made to be read
by you and me.

Mrs Nazimek, 8th Grade
3rd Period

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Emiliano G.

This book makes me fell good
This book is full of stupnoxious
This book made me wait in a drive
thru line for 2 days to find out I got no food
This book made me order a burger with no
meant patty on it
This book made me wear glasses with not lens
This book made me go into school shirtless
This book got me into teaching forensics
This book convinced me to get my PC a virus
This book made me travel to Antarctica
This book made me go on a hunger strike
Here I am in this cold place with this
book and nothing but ice
This book made me go to Antarctica
This book made me edit this book
I am still in Antarctica, having no idea
what to do
This book made me go stupnoxious.

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Jennifer D.

This book was found under my bed.
This book taught me how to be myself
This book is filled with lots of memories
This book is very old.
This book is filled with lots of stories just like
that lady across the street selling newspapers.
This book is just so special.
This book looks like if it has been thrown
off a roof, and got chewed by a dog.
This book is a treasure full of gold that you
can’t let go of.
This book made me realize things
I never would have realized
before.

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Samantha S.

This book is…Wow!
This book spoke to me
This book was found on the streets
This book is depressing
This book is fun
This book has egg-cellent projects, which doesn’t sound
good but it could work. I guess…
This book is amazing
This book is sad
This book is too good to let go
This book can make a difference
This book was stolen
This book gives off suspense
This book needs to be read by all
his book makes me cry again and again
This book makes me feel bubbly
This book was turned into a movie
This book is a love story
This book is…Wow!

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TESTIMONIALS

“Writing poetry makes me feel like I can see myself, like I can see my reflection, but not in a mirror, in the world. I write and I know I can be reflected.”
-Oscar S.

“Writing poetry makes me feel free.”
-Buenda D.

“Writing poetry is like your best friend.”
-Jessica M.