MOVING DAY

Thirty-four brief poems express the volatile responses of 12-year-old Fletch to these “six poisonous words: We’re going to move to Ohio.” Fletcher goes from denial to dismay to “Defrosting the Freezer” (for which the reader should be prepared with a tissue or two) to the discovery of long-lost treasures and the eventual understanding that this move will mean difficult changes for every member of his family. Of course, there are one or two things, such as the neighborhood bully, that Fletch won’t be sad to leave. The poet leaves pretension at the moving-van door and gives readers a real feel for the evocative emotions of a regular kid—and that regular kid was Fletcher himself. Emery’s accompanying watercolor illustrations are like flashes of family history viewed through hand-swiped frost on windows of memory. They are simple, but they speak volumes. A fine collection. (Poetry. 7-14)