BOTM for May is Inside Out and Back Again!

[SaraKat]

Tell us all what you thought about this month's book!

[Justine]

For me, this book could even fall into last month's theme. It did not appeal because it was in verse. But after loving Smile I decided to keep an open mind and approach this book like any other fiction book, just read every word and not be put out by the lines, spaces and formatting of verse. This worked a treat.

I was swept along by the story - the upheaval, suffering and the adjustments. I was sorry it came to an end. I wanted to journey more with her to see how her life panned out.

[SaraKat]

I've only read a couple of verse novels and I treated them more like prose as I read. I didn't really care for the format, but I enjoyed the story. Seeing your comment is making it easier for me to pick this one up and get started! I ended up enjoying the story in Serafina's Promise and hope this one will be the same.

[Maria]

Justine wrote: "For me, this book could even fall into last month's theme. It did not appeal because it was in verse. "

I had the same thought. I don't usually care for novels in verse, but it's very easy to read, and I feel that I'm getting to know the characters more than I would have thought possible from such brief lines. I'm about halfway through.

[SaraKat]

I am state testing this week at school. After the kids finish the test, we basically have several hours to sit in a classroom waiting. Terrible for the kids, but I finished the entire book today! I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked it. The last verse novel I read was all one long poem and it kind of all ran together. This one was made of independent, discreet poems that all came together as a cohesive whole. I loved it. She would mention something in passing in one poem and the next might explain the reference.

I loved Ha's voice. She was angry, matter-of-fact, loving, and hopeful. I am glad that I read this book. I marked quite a few places that made me laugh or made me think. My review is full of quotes and more of my meandering thoughts, but here I'll just mention that I gave it 5 stars and thought the execution was excellent.

[Raquelle]

This was my first free verse novel and what got me hooked in them. I have a signed copy of the book. This is one of my favorite books.

[Phylisscr]

I enjoyed the fact that this book was written in verse. The perspective of the young girl in a new and challenging environment is one that young and older readers should learn from, and be more sympathetic to those in similar situations.

[Andrea]

This was my first verse novel and it read so smooth and easily. I did not seem to like it as much as everyone here. Found the topic depressing and felt bad for her so much of the time, but the writing itself was exceptional.

[Rebecca]

I read this book back in 2013 (!). I just went and looked up my review (on my blog--I'll put the link below just in case), and my reaction seems to have matched those of most people here: not a huge fan of the verse format, but the book was excellent, though it seems to have left me wanting her to fill in a few more of the details.

https://www.ninjalibrarian.com/2013/0...

[Louie]

I have read a few books in verse before and I have always been in the middle of loving and disliking the format. With this book I enjoyed Ha's point of view very much in the way that she saw things and reacted to them. For me it gave the novel a sense of reality.

[Samantha]

I have read too many verse novels. I don’t usually picked them up because I didn’t think I would like that style of writing. However, I did enjoy Inside Out & Back Again. The verse style of writing was a perfect choice for portraying Ha’s thoughts and feelings. The short, clipped phrases and verses helps to put the reader in her shoes. It does take some getting used to though.