Genre 3 - SWIMMING UPSTREAM Middle School Poems by Kristine O'Connell George

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
George, Kristine O’Connell. 2002. SWIMMING UPSTREAM. New York: Clarion Books. ISBN 0618152504

2. PLOT SUMMARY
Middle school is a time in any adolescent’s life that is both confusing and intimidating. Beginning a new school year in a new school with new faces and new expectations can at times be overwhelming and difficult to bear. In SWIMMING UPSTREAM, Kristine O’Connell George creates an anthology of poems about the middle school struggles, successes, joys, and woes that a sixth grade girl encounters throughout the year. Chronologically moving from the first day of school to the last, the book highlights those important middle school moments that current middle schoolers can relate to and that solicit vivid memories in adult readers. Through her variety of poems, George hits the middle school nail right on the head!

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
In her anthology of middle school poems, Kristin O’Connell George provides poetic variety to readers. From short, three-line, staccato poems to longer, more flowing poems with rhyming words, she creates breadth in the rhythm of the poems that fill the pages. George also provides alternative types of poems through the use of acrostics (“SNOB”) and variants of list poems (“Yearbook”). The variety she provides keeps readers interested, engaged, and wondering what is coming next. While many of the poems do involve rhyming words, this is not a theme throughout the anthology; each poem is written individually and crafted to reflect the purpose of that particular poem. Each poem tells a different story than the last, and though some are connected through characters, events, and chronology, each poem could stand alone.

George also manages to capture the many emotions of the middle school years. As she notes important (and less important) events that define middle school, readers find themselves understanding and relating to the plethora of emotions that flow from the pages—embarrassment, anxiety, stress, joy, goofiness, curiosity, young love, and so many more. She selects her words with care and precision to solicit the feelings that each poem calls for. Though the words may seem simple and meaningless, each word serves a purpose for drawing out a particular emotion, memory, or experience that will aid readers in understanding the meaning of the poems on a deeper level.

The anthology is designed in a thoughtful, organized manner. Though an index and table of contents are absent, the chronological orientation of the book makes for quick and easy reference. The illustrations do not take away from the words of the poems, but rather offer background noise and periodic breaks in the story playing out. The book is, overall, balanced well with both variety of poems and emotion, and it appeals to a variety of audiences—elementary school students preparing to embark on this new adventure, students currently caught in “the middle,” and high school/college students and adults that have experienced this interesting time of life and read to reminisce.

4. REVIEW EXCERPTS
Review in SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: “Students will relate to this voice navigating ‘upstream,’ while they try to find their own place in the middle-school wilderness.”
Review in BOOKLIST: "...mysteries of lockers and uncontrolled giggling are plumbed...rapture of the boy you like liking you...Sweet and on key."

5. CONNECTIONS
*Use the topics and themes in the book to discuss struggles with current middle school students. Allow them to share some of their worries, concerns, and joys.
*Allow elementary school students to try their hand at creating poems that focus on their school years.
*See if middle school students can think of some events that were not offered through the books poems. Discuss these and see if a poem can be written that captures their essence.