Feeling like a failure, he comforts himself with food. Garveys father has always wanted Garvey to be athletic, but Garvey is interested in astronomy, science fiction, reading - anything but sports. Listen to bestselling audiobooks on the web, iPad, iPhone and Android. Garvey’s journey to self-acceptance is deeply moving and will linger with readers long after they finish this brief, incisive verse novel. Listen to Garveys Choice by Nikki Grimes with a free trial. In simple, searing language, Grimes captures Garvey’s heartache at his father’s inability to accept him as he is, as well as the casual but wounding teasing Garvey endures at school (“The change bell always/ sinks fear into me like teeth./ Ugly name-calling leaves me with bloody bite marks:/ lard butt, fatso, Mister Tubbs”). Help arrives in the form of friends Joe and Manny, an albino boy who embraces his difference, but when Garvey risks joining the school chorus and lets his voice soar, he learns to become proud of what he can do, instead of focusing on what he can’t.

He eats to mask the pain of his father’s disappointment and is teased at school for his size. Garvey loves books and, despite his father’s efforts, cannot get excited about sports. In a few words it not only tells his story but gets straight to the heart of his feelings.Ĭheck out Nikki Grimes’ website at to learn more about her work.Writing in five-line tanka poems, Grimes ( Words with Wings) weaves a heart-wrenching story about a boy who isn’t the jock his father dreamed he would be. This attention on mood works particularly well when conveying Garvey’s emotions. Tanka is an ancient Japanese form of poetry with a specific structure, usually five lines of poetry with a line-by-line syllable count. Is he brave enough to do what he truly wants to do and try out for the chorus? What will happen then? He feels his father will never understand him, but does he understand his father?Īs she explains in the Author’s Note, the poems that Grimes uses to tell Garvey’s story are written in a form known as Tanka. What should he do? Try to conform or be his own person? Should he lose weight or accept himself as he is? That sounds easy, but both options are difficult. Nikki Grimes Garvey's Choice Hardcover Octoby Nikki Grimes (Author) 246 ratings See all formats and editions Kindle 9.99 Read with Our Free App Audiobook 0.00 Free with your Audible trial Hardcover 9.89 85 Used from 1.18 27 New from 4.91 1 Collectible from 33.05 Paperback 9.99 13 Used from 4.98 18 New from 7. And in all honesty, he’d rather read or play chess or listen to music. He has tried and been laughed off the field. His dad wants Garvey to be involved in sports, something like football or basketball. He’s not the son his father wishes that he was. He doesn’t have many friends (one, to be exact).

Publisher: WordSong, an imprint of Highlights, 2016

Garvey's Choice by Nikki Grimes