This week we explored the power of books with Albert Goldbarth’s lengthy poem, “Library.” Before we read the poem, I asked the students to close their eyes and imagine the oldest, grandest, craziest library they could envision. And then with their eyes still closed, I read them the poem, pointing out the books in this wild library. It was pretty fun reading to a room full of people with their eyes closed. Eventually, eyes open, the Taft 7th & 8th graders came up with all sorts of amazing books in their own personal libraries:
Ms. Foley
8th Grade
Library
Kailyn M.
This book is about a girl who finds who she is
This book is a liar
This book is my fairy tale
This book is obsessed with one direction
This book rides a scooter
This book wears gladiator sandals
This book has a soul mate
This book has two sides
This book is feisty
This book requires knowledge
Library
Kress S.
This book gave birth to me
This book took care of me
This book cooks for me
This book provides everything for me
This book drives me places
This book lives with me
This book works for the University of Chicago
This book saved my life
This book is 13 years old
This book helps me
This book lies on me
This book loves me
This book is 8 years old
This book is an annoyance
This book gives me lots of hugs
This book is LOVE
This book goes to Taft AC
This book strives for greatness
This book overcomes obstacles
This book is ME!
This Book
Max V.
This book smells of sweat
This book has earned its wings
This book’s been to hell and back
This is the book that got me through school
This book has no ending
Only beginnings
This book wears a coat of dust
This book has no back
This book’s ink is smudged
This Song…
Ema F.
This song saved many lives
This song is something I fell in love to
This song gave her hope
This song was the last thing some people heard
This song gave her hope, and didn’t let him die
This song is frowned upon by parents and grandparents alike
This song is turned down by request
This song drowns out unwanted yelling and parents fighting
This song is our escape
Library
Evan P.
This book was lost but now its found
This book lost to Mercer a tragedy of its carrier
This book shot Mr. Burns
This book has breakfast at Taco Bell
This book ran a marathon
This book broke its leg
This book is worth IKEA credit
This book works in Sweden
This book did nothing in its presidency
This book invaded Ukraine
This book is hunting wabbits
This book should not have been published (Twilight)
Library
Gabriel S.
This book is violent, heartless, irrational
This book is calculating, cold, analytical
This book is masked, keeping a calm countenance
This book is crude, simple, innappropriate
This book is a fool, taking its treasures for granted
This book is studious, focused, monotonous
This book is tolerable, infuriating yet amusing
This book is light as a feather
This book is huge yet says nothing of importance
This book is unattainable, free as it wishes
This book is burnt, crumbling on the edges
This book is wet, the contents unspeakable
This book is drowning, speaks of culture
This book is a foolish story
This book is exhausting, yet free and uplifting
This book is chained, but with time can be unlocked
This book is mundane, yet a treasure in itself
This book is great on introduction, yet is grown to be hated
This book is slow, but everything rushes out
This book is silent, hiding animalistic dreams
This book is relentless, never backing down
This book is horrid, explaining slowly and criticizing
This book is droll, and explores nothing
Library
Isabella O.
This book is depressing
This book changed my life
This book has no cover
This book is plain black
This book is a mess
This book is missing pages
This book smells like dirt
This book is unfinished
This book is unread
This book will never be read
This book has no pages
There is no book
Ms. Taylor
8th Grade
Library
Mya R.
This book killed me
This book takes place on an island
This book only became popular after the movie
This book needed two trucks to bear it
This other fits in a chest
This book I stood upon intending to preach
in my boss’s office; instead I tripped
on a page and smashed my face and now
have a book imprint
This book is illegal
This book is evil; this book is green as
an ogre; this book was written by a small man; this book was
burned in a fire now having back edges and a smell of smoke
This book smells of feet
This book died with its author
He was reading and chocked on his morning coffee
Leaving his heart stopped and the book smelling of coffee
with 6 sugars and 3 creams
This book is the white house, all white pages except
for the last.
This book is a lie
This book is short
This book was the end.
Library
Leana T.
This book is thick
This book smells like pickles
This book smells like a new car
This book is sky blue
This book is stupid
This book is boring
This book is confused
And this book sad
This book is a romance
This book is an adventure
This book is a comedy
And this book is a horror
This book made me mad
This book made me sad
This book made me furious
This book made me excited
Words
Weronika B.
This book was drowned in the sea
This book wants attention
This book is perfection
This book has blood on its hands
This book plays games
This book teaches
This book takes place tomorrow
This book is unknown
This book has no title
If you read this book, you’ll cry a Lake Michigan
This book is dead
This book has 98 pages missing, they were burned by
you
This book has experts’ words
This book has nothing to do with books
This book smells like hair
This book’s all about highllighters
This book was eaten by a bear
This book has fighters boxing
This is grandpa’s book
His words written on wood
This book is mine
This book would if it could
Untitled
Jorge C.
This book likes to sleep.
This book likes to be in bed @ 12 at night being read.
Written by someone who lived 100 years before me
and lived a terrible life like this book has.
This book is always read.
Hated by a lot of people.
But its still recognized as a classic.
This book is assigned by the teacher.
This book is so boring no one even reads it.
Untitled
Natasha B.
This book was spilled on by coffee
This book was on Mt. Everest
This book had 3-D glasses stuck onto the first page.
This book could withstand any drop.
This book popped up as high as the Sears Tower when I was three years old.
This book was soft and fuzzy so babies could touch it.
This book was found in a treasure box on the shore.
This book is just for show.
This book is about a shark attack.
This book had a raffle ticket on page 223, which could of won the lottery if I hadn’t thrown it in the dumpster.
This book was only for veterans.
This book was a journal in a concentration camp.
This book give me a headache every time I look at it.
This book was found on the ocean floor by the Titanic.
This book was about famous Olympians.
This book had 20,000 pages in it and the font was size eight.
Maybe that’s because it was the dictionary.
This book had four pages ripped out and a shoe print on the cover.
This book was about world records.
This one about people who had extra body parts like fingers and noses and toes.
This book was found in the hands of a dead girl.
This book was the saddest, found on the rubble of what was left of the WTC.
Ms. Asvos
7th Grade
Library
Alexandra Z.
This book gave me hope,
showed me love,
told a story.
This book was read by all.
This book required thought.
This book was written by a child.
This book was taken from the vault.
This book takes place in the deep woods of Africa.
This book made colors bright.
This book makes the sun come up from the night’s darkness.
This book was in the hands of Cleopatra.
This book is the source of addiction.
This book showed the human kind the difference between life
and death, the significance of one’s being.
This book is long but short at the same time.
This book me all, my friends, my life.
This book caused me pain.
This book killed a man.
This book gave a flower a life.
This book gives words to those that cannot see.
This book–I don’t understand.
This book taught me to read.
This book is what I love.
Library
Matthew K.
This book is a loudmouth,
This book has a hole in the middle,
The particular book led to the death of a man
Who read that books save lives.
This book has exactly 34 different versions,
This book can lead to brain hemorrhaging and
subsequent fever, naseau, and possibly death
if looked at for more than 45 consecutive seconds.
This book tastes of manilla folders.
This book as an amazing feature,
where the pages and words dry-erase.
This book features a mouse and a gnat
on an adventure around Nepal.
This book has been renamed extensively
for the original title offended the French.
This book needs medication
to keep its binding together.
This book’s plot hole is so gapingly large
that it was taken off shelves in Iran.
This book is written in riddles
This book has no middle (or beginning)
and many try to search in vain for them.
And while some books have an end,
including ones without beginnings or middles,
this library probably will not end,
but my speaking for it now must.
My Library
Emmett E.
This book has been kept in many children’s hearts
This book is simple
This book found a new home in a different country
This book has a clone
This book is a firefighter
This book has many brothers
This book is new but sacred
This book is hated and heavy
This book makes you smarter
This book smells like rust
This book is adored by its owner
And lastly this book will hopefully start over.
My Library
Jacob B.
This book stepped on a crack and broke its mother’s back.
This book is MY BOOK!
This book stinks like cheese.
This book likes turtles.
This book is greater than Chuck Norris.
This book has a girly name.
This book emits light.
This book annoys everybody including the author.
This book tells many stories of its origin.
This book was written by accident.
This composition of literature was created by the one who’s spear shakes.
And this book, oh don’t even get me started on this book.
