What do you think?
Rate this book
Soda Jerk
A series of poems spoken by a young soda jerk in a small town as he observes the people and places around him.
48 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 1990
About the author
Cynthia Rylant
357 books895 followersCynthia Rylant is an American author, poet, and librarian whose deeply felt books for children and young adults have made her one of the most beloved voices in contemporary literature. Writing across picture books, novels, short stories, nonfiction, and poetry, she has published more than one hundred works, many of them rooted in memory, family, solitude, and the emotional landscapes of ordinary life. Her fiction often draws from her upbringing in West Virginia and reflects the textures of Appalachian life with unusual tenderness and clarity.
Raised in modest circumstances, Rylant spent much of her childhood with her grandparents in a rural setting that later became central to her imagination as a writer. Those early years, marked by hardship as well as warmth, shaped the emotional honesty and quiet resilience that define her work. She later studied English and library science, and after working as a waitress, librarian, and teacher, she began publishing books inspired by the world she had known so intimately.
Among her most acclaimed works are Missing May, which received the Newbery Medal, and A Fine White Dust, a Newbery Honor Book. She also earned Caldecott Honors for When I Was Young in the Mountains and The Relatives Came. For younger readers, she became especially well known through the enduring Henry and Mudge series, as well as other popular books and series that combine gentleness, humor, and emotional depth.
Rylant's writing is distinguished by its compassion for lonely, searching, or overlooked characters, and by its reverence for animals, nature, and small human connections. Whether writing about grief, wonder, childhood, or belonging, she brings a lyrical simplicity that resonates across generations. Her books continue to offer comfort, recognition, and beauty to readers of all ages. She remains a singular literary presence in children's literature and beyond today.
Raised in modest circumstances, Rylant spent much of her childhood with her grandparents in a rural setting that later became central to her imagination as a writer. Those early years, marked by hardship as well as warmth, shaped the emotional honesty and quiet resilience that define her work. She later studied English and library science, and after working as a waitress, librarian, and teacher, she began publishing books inspired by the world she had known so intimately.
Among her most acclaimed works are Missing May, which received the Newbery Medal, and A Fine White Dust, a Newbery Honor Book. She also earned Caldecott Honors for When I Was Young in the Mountains and The Relatives Came. For younger readers, she became especially well known through the enduring Henry and Mudge series, as well as other popular books and series that combine gentleness, humor, and emotional depth.
Rylant's writing is distinguished by its compassion for lonely, searching, or overlooked characters, and by its reverence for animals, nature, and small human connections. Whether writing about grief, wonder, childhood, or belonging, she brings a lyrical simplicity that resonates across generations. Her books continue to offer comfort, recognition, and beauty to readers of all ages. She remains a singular literary presence in children's literature and beyond today.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
June 29, 2015
I read this again this weekend. It has been one of my favorites for a long time. I had the chance to have Cynthia Rylant sign this copy for me while I was in graduate school.
Read
October 20, 2021Soda Jerk is a book of poems from the point of view of a young boy who works at a local drugstore, which is more like a diner. He observes the customers of all different walks of life and is documented in the form of poems.
This book could be used in the classroom to have students read and understand what each poem means. They could write an analysis of what they believe the poem means, and then have them create their own poem just as the young boy did.
This book could be used in the classroom to have students read and understand what each poem means. They could write an analysis of what they believe the poem means, and then have them create their own poem just as the young boy did.
November 8, 2022
I picked this up at a library book sale.(Sorry, Cyndi, it was weeded!). Don't think I'd ever seen it. I became a fan of her fiction when she was living in Kent Ohio, not far from me, and often heard her speak at various library functions. I was especially drawn to this book for two reasons; illustrator Peter Catalanotto included Cyndi in his cover illustration and because she dedicated it to Dav Pilkey, another Kent author and more importantly, her friend!
Read
September 9, 2019Soda Jerk is a book of poems from the point of view of a young boy who works at a local drugstore, which is more like a diner. He observes the customers of all different walks of life and are documented in the form of poems.
February 21, 2020
Very thoughtful book of poems.
March 3, 2014
Published two years prior to her Newbery Medal-winning Missing May, it's easy to recognize Cynthia Rylant's same understated artistry of words in Soda Jerk. A teenager growing up in small-town Virginia lives out his frustrations each day as he jerks sodas for a wide range of customers, filling orders for the rich and poor, the socially content and the maladjusted, individuals who struggle as much as he does with the unfairness of life and those with no cause for complaint in any forum. The soda jerk's chief philosophical difficulty is in processing the good intentions of a small town that puts its boys through all the same paces of going to school, getting a job, eventually settling into that job without much regard for whether or not it's the right one, and then performing it for the rest of one's life. "They started us early. They made us put every square peg into every square hole starting in kindergarten, and maybe the names changed but it has stayed square pegs and square holes ever since." How are kids to break free and make an extraordinary mark in life if they've been taught from the start to settle for conventional thinking, to do what's expected instead of choosing the road less taken, the road that could lead to personal fulfillment, a life that means something bigger when it is finished? The soda jerk circles back to this problem again and again in his thoughts, but there isn't much of an answer to be found. It's simply the way life works in his small town, and there's no changing the past or exchanging one's roots for more favorable ones. Like every kid in Cheston, Virginia, the soda jerk must make do with the life he has.
But the soda jerk listens on the job every day, letting customers bend his ear and fill it with their own frustrations and personal concerns, philosophies and moments of triumph big and small. It isn't always so bad serving the public, though sometimes it is. Through the stories of customers the soda jerk deepens his own view of the world, criticizing or agreeing with their opinions in the silence of his mind. He never quits thinking, challenging his own ideas and worldview, and someday that may come in handy for a guy dissatisfied with his lot in life, wanting more than there is for him within the confines of Cheston. If there's an avenue of escape for the soda jerk, perhaps into his desired career as a great actor, he may find it if he keeps on thinking and never settles for less than what he wants. There's more life ahead than he knows, with twists and turns no one could guess.
I'm not sure for what age group Soda Jerk is intended, as it looks like a picture book but includes numerous poems of questionable content, but the emotion of the story rings true, and I especially like the artwork of Peter Catalanotto. His poignant renderings of the soda shop will strike a chord with anyone who has grown up in a small town, particularly the final painting, of the soda jerk exiting the shop in the evening beneath the soft yellow emanance of a street light. It could almost be said that Peter Catalanotto's contributions are what makes this book. I would give one and a half stars to Soda Jerk, and fans of Cynthia Rylant's hard-to-define writing style will appreciate it.
But the soda jerk listens on the job every day, letting customers bend his ear and fill it with their own frustrations and personal concerns, philosophies and moments of triumph big and small. It isn't always so bad serving the public, though sometimes it is. Through the stories of customers the soda jerk deepens his own view of the world, criticizing or agreeing with their opinions in the silence of his mind. He never quits thinking, challenging his own ideas and worldview, and someday that may come in handy for a guy dissatisfied with his lot in life, wanting more than there is for him within the confines of Cheston. If there's an avenue of escape for the soda jerk, perhaps into his desired career as a great actor, he may find it if he keeps on thinking and never settles for less than what he wants. There's more life ahead than he knows, with twists and turns no one could guess.
I'm not sure for what age group Soda Jerk is intended, as it looks like a picture book but includes numerous poems of questionable content, but the emotion of the story rings true, and I especially like the artwork of Peter Catalanotto. His poignant renderings of the soda shop will strike a chord with anyone who has grown up in a small town, particularly the final painting, of the soda jerk exiting the shop in the evening beneath the soft yellow emanance of a street light. It could almost be said that Peter Catalanotto's contributions are what makes this book. I would give one and a half stars to Soda Jerk, and fans of Cynthia Rylant's hard-to-define writing style will appreciate it.
February 6, 2011
Warning! This book is not for young children. I would recommend it for middle-grade children (mainly teenagers,) as the narrator in this book is a teenager and topics discussed include condoms (if only indirectly mentioned) and suicide. I read this one with our girls, but passed over the pages that I found to be inappropriate for them. I mainly read it with our oldest, since our youngest was bored to tears by this book anyway. The poem/story is interesting, but I probably would've waited to read this one for several more years.
Not too long ago we read The Van Gogh Cafe, which is also written by Cynthia Rylant and has a similar poem/story format. We absolutely loved that book, so I was excited when we found this book too. As good as it is, the content is meant for older children/teens.
Not too long ago we read The Van Gogh Cafe, which is also written by Cynthia Rylant and has a similar poem/story format. We absolutely loved that book, so I was excited when we found this book too. As good as it is, the content is meant for older children/teens.
March 25, 2009
This poetry book has a few pictures, but really it's quality poetry for young adults. This collection of poems reveals the observations and contemplation of a non-popular, probably typical high school kid working as a soda jerk during his last year in high school in a small town. Serving his customers, he has plenty of opportunity to think about the future, his identity, his goals and dreams (and the probability that he, like almost everyone else in this small town, will never fulfill them), and to make astute observations of all of his customers which he often stereotypes and/or uses as a mirror to reflect on his own values. His experiences and thoughts reminded me so much of my teenage years, and I smiled with nostalgia increasingly as I continued on in the book, happy to have started my day with it.
September 13, 2015
Soda Jerk, written by Cynthia Rylant, is a poem about a man that signed up to be a soda jerk. Anyway, this book is a little boring, do if you don"t like to be bored, i suggest not reading this.
So, this guy signs up to be a Soda Jerk and gets in. Whenever he goes into the Cafe for his job, he smells ladies perfume, men and many other things. He watches people that come in. All different kinds of people. Big, small, tall, short, lady, man. A lot of people. He goes to work everyday, and I cant say anymore. No spoilers! ;)
This book is OK. Not the greatest book ever, but then again, it's a poem.
So, this guy signs up to be a Soda Jerk and gets in. Whenever he goes into the Cafe for his job, he smells ladies perfume, men and many other things. He watches people that come in. All different kinds of people. Big, small, tall, short, lady, man. A lot of people. He goes to work everyday, and I cant say anymore. No spoilers! ;)
This book is OK. Not the greatest book ever, but then again, it's a poem.
March 14, 2016
A collection of poems told from the point of view of a young soda jerk talks about growing up, his grandfather's death, the boy who almost killed himself, his relationship with his father and other things. Not suitable for younger readers. I would say this could be good for young teens, 9th grade and up.
March 18, 2016
A collection of poems told from the point of view of a young soda jerk talks about growing up, his grandfather's death, the boy who almost killed himself, his relationship with his father and other things. Not suitable for younger readers. I would say this could be good for young teens, 9th grade and up.
Read
April 8, 20252025: WFCA State Finalist
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews